Category Archives: Current

Reid rewarded, Trop rescued

Posted on June 3, 2009 by David McKee

… Sen. Harry Reid's (D-NV) efforts on behalf of the casino industry have not gone unrewarded. If you can follow this formatting garble, you'll see that his donors include not only Tim & Tom, late of the Golden Nugget, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Current, Economy, Election, Harrah's, Macau, MGM Mirage, Politics, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Station Casinos, The Strip, Tropicana Entertainment, Wall Street | Comments Off on Reid rewarded, Trop rescued

Rumble in Macao

Posted on June 2, 2009 by David McKee

Although an oft-promised loosening of visa restrictions by Peking stubborny refuses to materialize, an air of cautious hopefulness has crept back into Macao now that City of Dreams has opened on schedule — and it looks dazzling. Aggressive revenue projections … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Cannery Casino Resorts, Cosmopolitan, Current, Economy, Genting, George Maloof, James Packer, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Penn National, Planet Hollywood, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Taxes, The Strip | Comments Off on Rumble in Macao

Margaritaville wastes away

Posted on June 2, 2009 by David McKee

In an utterly (not) shocking development, the interminably protracted sale of Trump Marina has given up the ghost. This deal was on life support for months, so today’s bulletin merely ratifies the inevitable. The would-be reinvention of the Marina as … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Carl Icahn, Colony Capital, Current, Donald Trump, Economy, Harrah's, Silverton, Tropicana Entertainment | Comments Off on Margaritaville wastes away

The MGM/Pansy Ho verdict: It's in and it's bad

Posted on May 19, 2009 by David McKee

After nearly four years of investigation, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement has released its long-awaited “suitability” findings on MGM Mirage joint-venture partner Pansy Ho. As MGM itself reported to the SEC yesterday, “While the report itself is confidential, … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Columbia Sussex, Cosmopolitan, Current, Fontainebleau, Harrah's, Macau, MGM Mirage, Planet Hollywood, Regulation, Stanley Ho, The Strip, Tropicana Entertainment, Wall Street | Comments Off on The MGM/Pansy Ho verdict: It's in and it's bad

"Another one bites the dust"

Posted on May 15, 2009 by David McKee

That’s how a reader informed me of Las Vegas-based Golden Gaming‘s decision to bail on Wyandotte County in Kansas. Considering that you’ve got Harrah’s Entertainment, Ameristar Casinos, etc. firmly entrenched across the state line in Kansas City, Mo., and Isle … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Boyd Gaming, Cordish Co., Current, Economy, Golden Gaming, Harrah's, Isle of Capri, Kansas, Penn National, Regulation, Station Casinos, Wall Street | Comments Off on "Another one bites the dust"

Perp Show

Posted on May 14, 2009 by David McKee

If you're bald, weight 285 lbs. and have one arm in a cast, you're not exactly inconspicuous. So how was it that that such a hefty man was to infiltrate a VIP area of Planet Hollywood and bust into Peepshow … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Cirque du Soleil, Colony Capital, Current, Donald Trump, Economy, Election, Entertainment, Fontainebleau, Harrah's, MGM Mirage, Planet Hollywood, Politics, Regulation, Taxes, The Strip, Tropicana Entertainment | Comments Off on Perp Show

Case Bets: Caesars, Criss Angel, Lance Burton, Earl & Lani and Trent

Posted on May 13, 2009 by David McKee

Seen last night by an S&G source, Pit One at Caesars Palace empty save for one or two baccarat players. It’s just a small indicator of a larger disconnect that I hope to address later. PR flack Robin Leach has … Continue reading →

Posted in Cirque du Soleil, Colony Capital, Current, Economy, Encore, Entertainment, Harrah's, MGM Mirage, Planet Hollywood, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tropicana Entertainment | Comments Off on Case Bets: Caesars, Criss Angel, Lance Burton, Earl & Lani and Trent

Quote of the Day

Posted on May 12, 2009 by David McKee

‘That’s a little out there, that’s a little fey, maybe I won’t do that, maybe I’ll butch that one up.’ I think I might have done that.” — Roger Thomas, about second-guessing himself on the designing of The Mirage and … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Current, Encore, Steve Wynn, The Strip | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Trouble waiting to happen?

Posted on May 8, 2009 by David McKee

Not to belittle acts of violence that occur in or near casinos, but we don't make a practice of reporting them in LVA. That's partly because people seem to need little excuse to kill one another and would just as … Continue reading →

Posted in Columbia Sussex, Current, The Strip, Tropicana Entertainment | Comments Off on Trouble waiting to happen?

Quote of the Day

Posted on May 8, 2009 by David McKee

"The caller instructed me to look out the window and across the street. "I replied that our building has no external windows …" — metaphorical explanation for the insular worldview of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, provided by Editor Thomas Mitchell … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Downtown | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

A (much different) Gans question

Posted on May 8, 2009 by David McKee

Story after story on the tragic decease of Danny Gans has used one or another variant of this phrase, "named 'Las Vegas Entertainer of the Year' 11 years in a row." Most recently, it popped up in a Las Vegas … Continue reading →

Posted in Cirque du Soleil, Current, Entertainment, TV | Comments Off on A (much different) Gans question

Harrah's takes out the garbage; Yemenidjian's return

Posted on May 5, 2009 by David McKee

Congratulations — I think — to new Harrah's Entertainment General Counsel Timothy R. Donovan. A graduate of The Ohio State University, Mr. Donovan comes to Harrah's by way of the garbage industry. Considering that picking up the trash around Harrah's … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Atlantic City, Current, Harrah's, Indiana, Regulation, The Strip, Tropicana Entertainment | Comments Off on Harrah's takes out the garbage; Yemenidjian's return

Case Bets: Isle exits U.K.; no room at the Trop; Carlino channels Astaire, etc.

Posted on April 24, 2009 by David McKee

Isle of Capri Casinos is coming up for air, literally extricating itself from underneath Ricoh Stadium in Coventry, U.K. As part of CEO James Perry‘s attempt to refocus a company that spread itself too thin under his predecessor, he’s walking … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, California, Colony Capital, Columbia Sussex, Current, Detroit, Economy, Florida, Goldman Sachs, Illinois, International, Isle of Capri, MGM Mirage, Penn National, Regulation, The Strip, Tropicana Entertainment, Wall Street | Comments Off on Case Bets: Isle exits U.K.; no room at the Trop; Carlino channels Astaire, etc.

Updates: Pinnacle, Boyd, Foxwoods, Donald Trump & Criss Angel

Posted on April 22, 2009 by David McKee

Don’t wait by the phone if you’ve got a date with Pinnacle Entertainment. It has just pushed back the timelines on its Baton Rouge and Lake Charles projects by five months. It cited investor reluctance and warned more delays are … Continue reading →

Posted in Cirque du Soleil, Current, Donald Trump, Entertainment, Louisiana, Morgans Hotel Group, Penn National, Phil Ruffin, Pinnacle Entertainment, Planet Hollywood, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off on Updates: Pinnacle, Boyd, Foxwoods, Donald Trump & Criss Angel

Quote of the Day

Posted on April 20, 2009 by David McKee

"I have to recognize someone special here in the house. Perez Hilton, please stand up. We have the world's biggest douchebag asshole in the house!" — MGM Mirage poster boy Criss Angel, at the end of last Friday's Believe, enraged … Continue reading →

Posted in Cirque du Soleil, Current, Entertainment, MGM Mirage, The Strip | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Quote of the Day

Posted on April 15, 2009 by David McKee

“I say I would greet him if he would rectify the record. I think he owes it to us, and I say that respectfully, to say Las Vegas is a great place to come and do business.” — Las Vegas … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Downtown, Economy, Politics | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

A delicate balance

Posted on April 7, 2009 by David McKee

Another day, a little more movement in the CityCenter situation. Well, it's that or talk about tourism and gaming revenue numbers that are too depressing to contemplate for long. Time was that the American banking industry was practically giving away … Continue reading →

Posted in Colony Capital, Current, Detroit, Economy, James Packer, M Resort, MGM Mirage, Penn National, Station Casinos, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off on A delicate balance

MGM Mirage sells family jewels

Posted on April 6, 2009 by David McKee

Desperation has well and truly hit the fan at MGM Mirage. The company’s Strip casinos may not be priced to move … but it’s said to be quite a different story where MGM Grand Detroit and Beau Rivage are concerned. … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Colony Capital, Current, Detroit, Economy, Illinois, James Packer, Macau, MGM Mirage, Phil Ruffin, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off on MGM Mirage sells family jewels

New category of Las Vegan

Posted on April 1, 2009 by David McKee

Europoseur: Only found on or near the Strip, sometimes impersonated by French Canadians (see Soleil, Cirque du). Occasionally demand to be addressed by their initials only, usually smoke cigarettes and are invariably able to generate fawning press coverage. Are known … Continue reading →

Posted in Cirque du Soleil, Current, Entertainment, The Strip | Comments Off on New category of Las Vegan

Trop snoozes, loses

Posted on March 26, 2009 by David McKee

Like a hot potato, the Tropicana Las Vegas continues to bounce from Columbia Sussex to Tropicana Entertainment and now maybe into the hands of Alex Yemenidjian. (This management-contract arrangement looks more like laying the groundwork for a sale … if … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Architecture, Atlantic City, Columbia Sussex, Current, Economy, Entertainment, Harrah's, Indiana, Marketing, Technology, The Strip, Tropicana Entertainment, Wall Street | Comments Off on Trop snoozes, loses