Category Archives: Detroit

Adelson undeterred; Winners and losers

Posted on December 23, 2013 by David McKee

I’m not sure which part of this story is more alarming: That Affinity Gaming was the victim of a widespread identity-theft scheme for seven months … or that the company didn’t disclose it until late this year. It certainly makes … Continue reading →

Posted in Affinity Gaming, Atlantic City, California, Dan Gilbert, Detroit, Environment, Florida, Harrah's, Horseracing, International, Internet gambling, Japan, Macau, New York, Ohio, Penn National, Problem gambling, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Stanley Ho | Comments Off

Sioux City mess

Posted on December 12, 2013 by David McKee

Hard Rock International and Sioux City Entertainment find themselves in a pickle not of their own making in Iowa. Due to a rupture between Penn National Gaming and nonprofit Missouri River Historical Development, holder of the casino license, Penn found itself … Continue reading →

Posted in Detroit, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, Iowa, MGM Mirage, Ohio, Penn National, Racinos, Regulation, Technology, Tribal | Comments Off

Big coup for Lumiere; Where next, Vegas?

Posted on December 6, 2013 by David McKee

And Caesars Entertainment‘s March stop on the World Series of Poker is … Lumiere Place?!?!? Yes, a marquee Caesars attraction is being held on Tropicana Entertainment property. The reason is twofold. One, Horseshoe Cleveland isn’t big enough to handle the … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Detroit, Harrah's, Marketing, Missouri, Ohio, Penn National, Station Casinos, Technology, Tropicana Entertainment, World Series of Poker | Comments Off

War of words in N.Y.; Double standard in Illinois

Posted on October 25, 2013 by David McKee

After keeping a low profile for most of election season, pro-casino forces sprang into gear, rolling out a bevy of TV ads. In an attempt to neutral potential hostility downstate, one commercial points out that New York City‘s two mayor … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Current, Detroit, Economy, Election, Illinois, New York, Politics, Problem gambling, Regulation, Slot routes, Taxes | Comments Off

Sheldon hits paydirt; Culinary Union talks trash

Posted on October 18, 2013 by David McKee

It’s good to be Sheldon Adelson, especially when your company is notching one record-setting month after another. Revenue for 3Q13 rose 32% and net profit shot 79% upwards. Next year, shareholders can look forward to a 60 cent bump in … Continue reading →

Posted in Cosmopolitan, Cretins, Culinary Union, Dan Gilbert, Detroit, Harrah's, Macau, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Station Casinos, Wall Street | 3 Comments

Mississippi’s plight and other Case Bets

Posted on October 14, 2013 by David McKee

At the risk of sounding apocalyptic, the best years of the Mississippi casino industry may be behind it. This year’s revenue is projected to top out at $2.15 million, well below 2007’s all-time peak of $2.9 million. Admissions were 3.7 … Continue reading →

Posted in Detroit, Economy, Mississippi, Regulation, Taxes, The Strip | 1 Comment

MGM’s half-full glass

Posted on August 6, 2013 by David McKee

Today it was MGM Resorts International‘s turn to do the “We didn’t lose as much money as last year” thing. The size of the decrease, at least, was impressive and MGM China produced its best numbers ever. The company’s performance … Continue reading →

Posted in CityCenter, Current, Detroit, Economy, Harrah's, Macau, Mississippi, The Strip, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Christie’s big bet; New Hampshire’s big blunder; Nevada’s big bully

Posted on May 23, 2013 by David McKee

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) is banking on $180 million in Internet casino revenue to make his budget work. That might be a little off — if by “little” you mean 80%. Online wagering could bring in a comparatively … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Dan Gilbert, Detroit, Economy, Election, Harrah's, International, Internet gambling, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Politics, Slot routes, Sports, Station Casinos, Taxes, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Big setback in Toronto; Wynn rebuffed; Cuomo’s winning streak

Posted on May 17, 2013 by David McKee

One of gaming’s biggest new markets went out with a whimper, not a bang, when colorful Toronto Mayor Rob Ford nixed a scheduled vote on whether to put a casino in the lakeside city, hoping to extract a $97 million … Continue reading →

Posted in Colorado, Current, Dan Gilbert, Detroit, Economy, Harrah's, Horseracing, International, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, New York, Penn National, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Steve Wynn, Taxes, Texas, Tribal | 1 Comment

Profit vs. investment on the Strip

Posted on May 16, 2013 by David McKee

Even if you’re making money on a daily basis, sometimes a casino-resort can be a bad investment. Take Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, which finally posted a profitable quarter. However, at $3.9 billion in construction costs (now at or very near … Continue reading →

Posted in CityCenter, Cosmopolitan, Detroit, Dubai, Economy, Entertainment, Fontainebleau, Genting, Harrah's, MGM Mirage | 1 Comment

Cleveland: Gilbert appeases skeptics; Scientific Games dissed

Posted on May 8, 2013 by David McKee

Hey, if you had an albatross the size of Caesars Entertainment slung around your neck, you’d be understandably subject to skepticism and perhaps even being called out in public, perhaps to the point of getting tetchy about it. That’s the … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Dan Gilbert, Detroit, Harrah's, International, Maryland, Ohio, Racinos, Scientific Games, Technology, Wall Street, WMS Industries | Comments Off

Good and bad ideas in marketing; Small is beautiful, Vegas

Posted on April 18, 2013 by David McKee

Break out a flagon of whatever Derek Stevens is drinking and put it on my tab, lads. To commemorate the first leg of the Triple Crown, he’s holding a May 3-4 Sigma Derby tournament. Buy-in starts at $50, so starting … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Boyd Gaming, Current, Derek Stevens, Detroit, Downtown, Economy, Goldman Sachs, Harry Reid, history, Horseracing, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Morgans Hotel Group, Pennsylvania, Sam Nazarian, Sports, Station Casinos, The Strip | 1 Comment

Ameristar: No surprises; Illinois, Iowa and Ohio all soft

Posted on February 7, 2013 by David McKee

A preview of Ameristar Casinos‘ 4Q12 report draws an about-what-we-expected reaction from Joseph Greff of J.P. Morgan. Ameristar narrowly missed most of Wall Street‘s expectations, a result Greff partially attributes to “sluggish … regional gaming spend.” Hardest-hit by the competition … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Colorado, Current, Detroit, Economy, Harrah's, Illinois, Iowa, Isle of Capri, Kansas, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Missouri, MTR Gaming, Neil Bluhm, Ohio, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment | Comments Off

Et tu, Dan?

Posted on January 17, 2013 by David McKee

Seems there’s no honor among business partners: While lugging Caesars Entertainment on his back from Cleveland to Cincinnati and thence to Baltimore, mogul Dan Gilbert had a side deal of his own going. He’s buying a majority stake in Greektown … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Dan Gilbert, Detroit, Harrah's, International, Marketing, Ohio | 3 Comments

Vegas: Is recovery finally for real?

Posted on December 1, 2012 by David McKee

So says the Brookings Institute, which raised Las Vegas to 194th from 245th in GDP (now at $47K/year) and job growth over the last year, behind such feeder markets as Bakersfield, California and Monterrey, Mexico. That’s the first year of … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Culinary Union, Current, Detroit, Economy, Harrah's, Iowa, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Michael Gaughan, Penn National, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Third-quarter blahs: Ameristar, Boyd, MGM; Crackdown in Alabama

Posted on November 2, 2012 by David McKee

While nobody quite matched the $221 million loss posted by Caesars Entertainment, the gaming industry didn’t lack for underachievers in 3Q12, thanks largely to softness in domestic casino markets. Ameristar Casinos reported a $16 million profit, despite a 2% revenue … Continue reading →

Posted in Alabama, Ameristar, Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, CityCenter, Colorado, Current, Detroit, Downtown, Environment, Harrah's, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Macau, Marketing, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Penn National, Steve Wynn, The Strip | Comments Off

Election special 1: Oregon, Nevada, Michigan & Rhode Island

Posted on October 17, 2012 by David McKee

It’s time to wind up the S&G electoral machinery and look at casino-related ballot questions that you might be asked to weigh come November. In Arkansas, we’ve already had the piquant spectacle of a gambling ballot initiative that was struck … Continue reading →

Posted in Detroit, Economy, Election, Harry Reid, Illinois, International, Maryland, Massachusetts, Racinos, Rhode Island, Sheldon Adelson, Shuffle Master, Taxes, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off

Hail, Bill’s!; Trump slump; Back in the fold

Posted on October 10, 2012 by David McKee

In a typically ludicrous Gary Loveman brainstorm, Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall & Saloon is to become — wait for it — Caesars Drai’s. (Yeah, ‘WTF?’ and all that.) Although you’d have to be either masochistic or insane to loan money to … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Architecture, Current, Detroit, Donald Trump, Florida, Harrah's, Illinois, International, Marketing, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Tourism, Wall Street | Comments Off

What the fuQ?; A dubious honor

Posted on September 19, 2012 by David McKee

Word around here is that Caesars Entertainment did an in-house survey on potential re-names of Imperial Palace — soon to become “The Quad” — and promptly dumped the poll results in the nearest wastepaper basket. Se non e ver, e … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Atlantic City, CityCenter, Culinary Union, Current, Detroit, Entertainment, Harrah's, history, International, Macau, Marketing, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Pansy Ho, Racinos, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tourism | 3 Comments

Non-quote of the day; After Harmon, what next?

Posted on August 28, 2012 by David McKee

As Hurricane Isaac forced the closure of 18 casinos in Louisiana and Mississippi (including the Silver Slipper [left]) and casino-expansion measures in Illinois and Michigan came to a head, what story did the American Gaming Association deem its highest priority today? … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, CityCenter, Cosmopolitan, Current, Detroit, Downtown, Environment, Illinois, Louisiana, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Slot routes, The Strip, Tourism, Vdara Death Ray | Comments Off