Category Archives: Downtown

Strip gets hammered, locals not so much

While some analysts were expecting the Las Vegas Strip to be only slightly off last year’s pace (another benchmark that seems unlikely to be repeated, shades of 2007), their guidance evidently didn’t foresee an almost 6% miss, coming at $533 … Continue reading

Posted in Boulder Strip, Downtown, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Marijuana, North Las Vegas, Reno, The Strip | Comments Off on Strip gets hammered, locals not so much

A bright shining turkey

“We didn’t plan to open until March. So this is, literally, found money. We didn’t even budget for it. Wait and see what happens when we get this engine fully running.” That was the excuse made by a Resorts World … Continue reading

Posted in Downtown, Economy, Entertainment, Genting, New York, Penn National, Sports betting, Technology, The Strip, Wall Street, West Virginia | Comments Off on A bright shining turkey

Missouri becalmed; Scientific smackdown

One less weekend day was costly to Missouri casinos in July, when their revenue declined 2% to $150.5 million. The Kansas City market had the worst of it, off nearly 4%. Slot revenues ($128.5 million) were down 2% and table … Continue reading

Posted in Ameristar, Bally Technologies, Caesars Entertainment, Downtown, Elaine Wynn, Eldorado Resorts, history, Isle of Capri, Massachusetts, Missouri, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Regulation, Scientific Games, Shuffle Master, Technology, Tropicana Entertainment, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Missouri becalmed; Scientific smackdown

Strip strong in June

Las Vegas Strip casinos had a bonny June, up 5.5% and grossing $524 million. Statewide, the numbers were +4% and $933 million. The house won big at baccarat, shooting up 12% only 1% greater wagering. Non-baccarat table games posted a … Continue reading

Posted in Boulder Strip, Downtown, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Mesquite, Nevada, North Las Vegas, Reno | Comments Off on Strip strong in June

Culinary loses sense of decency; Inhumanity in Macao

Terry Caudill and the Culinary Union have come to terms on labor pacts for Binion’s Gambling Hall and the Four Queens. The agreement awaits ratification by the 650 employees affected. In the meantime, the Culinary stepped way over the line … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, Architecture, Culinary Union, Downtown, Election, Internet gambling, Macau, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Pets, Philippines, Regulation, Station Casinos, Terry Caudill, Tribal, Washington State | Comments Off on Culinary loses sense of decency; Inhumanity in Macao

Penn bullish on Trop; Boyd wows Wall Street

M Resort and Tropicana Las Vegas are no longer the charity cases of Penn National Gaming. The company made a point of lauding them during this week’s earnings call, with JP Morgan analyst Joseph Greff characterizing their performance — along … Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Derek Stevens, Downtown, Geoff Freeman, Illinois, Indiana, International, Las Vegas Sands, M Resort, Massachusetts, Missouri, Ohio, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, Sheldon Adelson, Slot routes, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Hypocrisy at Station; Gamblers flee smoke-free casinos

Station Casinos has claimed on at least seven occasions that, if its workers want to unionize, it will honor their wishes. The Culinary Union called Station’s bluff and the company has been talking out of the other side of its mouth … Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, Culinary Union, Derek Stevens, Downtown, Louisiana, Palms, Pinnacle Entertainment, Station Casinos, Tilman Fertitta, Tropicana Entertainment | 1 Comment

Casa Shenandoah closes; Culinary escalates tactics

Call it a day for another Wayne Newton business venture. Mr. Las Vegas is closing Casa Shenandoah to the public, no reason given (although a recent break-in might have influenced the decision). “It is the Applicant’s intent that the property revert … Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Culinary Union, Derek Stevens, Downtown, Downtown Grand, Election, history, Horseracing, Idaho, Indiana, Minnesota, Penn National, Phil Ruffin, Regulation, SLS Las Vegas, Sports betting, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Tourism, Transportation, Tribal, Wayne F. Newton, Westgate LV | 1 Comment

Vegas’ tourism slump halts; Do the Time Warp

Las Vegas city fathers need to stop frowning on Electronic Daisy Carnival and embrace it. EDC saved their bacon in May, stopping a prolonged slide in Vegas visitation, which bottomed out and made the slightest of upward bounces. While occupied … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Boulder Strip, Downtown, Entertainment, Florida, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Mandalay Bay Massacre, Mesquite, MGM Mirage, Nevada, North Las Vegas, Reno, The Strip, Tourism | Comments Off on Vegas’ tourism slump halts; Do the Time Warp

Penn outperforms in Massachusetts; Horse sense in Indiana

Penn National Gaming had a happy surprise for the Massachusetts Gaming Commission when the latter dropped by Plainridge Park for a look-see. The racino, which the Boston Globe long tried to paint as a failure, has just come off its … Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Centaur Gaming, Downtown, Economy, Eldorado Resorts, Entertainment, Harrah's, Horseracing, Indiana, International, Japan, Law enforcement, Louisiana, Marijuana, Marketing, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Pinnacle Entertainment, Planet Hollywood, Regulation, Singapore, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street | Comments Off on Penn outperforms in Massachusetts; Horse sense in Indiana

April is the kindest month

Gaming grosses were up 5% on the Las Vegas Strip last month and locals casinos did spectacularly well, seeing a 14% increase. The statistics are even more impressive when you take into account one less weekend day than in 2017 … Continue reading

Posted in Bally Technologies, Boulder Strip, Downtown, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Mesquite, North Las Vegas, Regulation, Reno, Taxes, The Strip, Tribal | Comments Off on April is the kindest month

Strike!; Memo to Congress

If any casino owners were thinking that the Culinary Union might get complacent or fragment in the face of a good Las Vegas economy, they got a rude wakeup call yesterday. Some 99% of Culinary members voted to authorize a … Continue reading

Posted in Culinary Union, Current, Downtown, Economy, Geoff Freeman, Harrah's, history, MGM Mirage, Regulation, Sports, Taxes, Technology, The Strip | Comments Off on Strike!; Memo to Congress

Culinary girds for battle; Let’s get it on

Collective-bargaining-agreement talks between the Culinary Union and 34 casinos must not be going well. The Culinary fired off an e-mail blast yesterday, publicizing the fact that it will hold a strike vote May 22 and, should it pass, will hit … Continue reading

Posted in Cosmopolitan, Culinary Union, Current, Dining, Downtown, Entertainment, Florida, Harrah's, history, MGM Mirage, Politics, Seminole Tribe, Sexual misconduct, Taxes, The Strip | 1 Comment

Quote of the Day

“I wish there was a train from Summerlin to Downtown Las Vegas and the Strip.” — Rampart Casino General Manager Michelle Bacigalupi on the new look coming to the property, which has historically struggled to define its identity. And, yes, we’d … Continue reading

Posted in Downtown, The Strip, Transportation | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Las Vegas numbers perplex; Macao shatters expectations

While Las Vegas, as mentioned earlier, is slogging through a 10-month visitation slump, you wouldn’t know it from March’s gaming-revenue numbers, which were 9% higher on the Las Vegas Strip ($574 million), although locals casinos took a 5% hit. Deutsche … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, California, Colorado, Delaware, Downtown, Economy, Eldorado Resorts, Entertainment, Florida, Galaxy Entertainment, Harrah's, Illinois, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Macau, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, Mesquite, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Nevada, New York, North Las Vegas, Ohio, Penn National, Reno, Rhode Island, Sheldon Adelson, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, The Strip, Wall Street, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Boyd weathers challenges; MGM swoons

An alternate headline for Boyd Gaming‘s 1Q18 results might be “better than expected.” Although the company had modeled a $12 million-$15 million cash flow hit at Blue Chip from new, nearby Four Winds Casino, the company’s Midwest revenues came in … Continue reading

Posted in Ameristar, Boyd Gaming, CityCenter, Downtown, Greenwood Racing, Hawaii, Indiana, Japan, Louisiana, Macau, Mandalay Bay Massacre, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Missouri, Ohio, Palms, Pennsylvania, Pinnacle Entertainment, Politics, Resort fees, Sports, Station Casinos, Tribal, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Las Vegas: Whales to the rescue

Las Vegas Strip gaming revenues far overshot projections for last month, finishing 11.5% higher, grossing $603.5 million. This is in large part due to baccarat revenues, a cosmic 82.5% higher on a staggering 59% increase in wagering, “likely reflecting some … Continue reading

Posted in Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, California, Culinary Union, Downtown, Economy, Genting, Lake Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe, Mesquite, New York, North Las Vegas, Reno, Station Casinos, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off on Las Vegas: Whales to the rescue

Trump takes with one hand, gives with other

The Trump administration has lent a new meaning to ‘Indian giver,’ seizing $10 million held in escrow by the Pojoaque Pueblo while the latter tries to negotiate a new compact with New Mexico. The Pojoaque Pueblo had been operating without a … Continue reading

Posted in Derek Stevens, Donald Trump, Downtown, Greenwood Racing, Harrah's, history, Internet gambling, Mohegan Sun, Neil Bluhm, Penn National, Racinos, Sports, Technology, Tribal, Vietnam | 1 Comment

Betrayal

Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Resort Casino need to watch their backs. A bill to reopen the state’s casino-award process has made it to the floor of the Connecticut House. The word of the state, it seems, is not worth the … Continue reading

Posted in Derek Stevens, Downtown, Entertainment, Foxwoods, Harrah's, history, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, Politics, Sports, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta | Comments Off on Betrayal

Fertitta conquers Lake Charles; Parking fees rise again

Gambling revenue in Louisiana was flat last month, but the bottom-line number doesn’t tell the whole story. For instance, Lake Charles was up 8.5% and trouble-plagued Baton Rouge was 10.5% down. In the former market, Golden Nugget vaulted 21%, to … Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Churchill Downs, CityCenter, Derek Stevens, Downtown, Eldorado Resorts, GLPI, Harrah's, Isle of Capri, Louisiana, MGM Mirage, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Resort fees, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Tropicana Entertainment, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment