Category Archives: Downtown

“It’s not Vegas”

Posted on March 31, 2010 by David McKee

Unfortunately, that’s all too evident from this TV spot, which looks an awful lot like the ones you’d see for a second-tier Las Vegas locals casino like the El Cortez or Renata’s, or maybe a P.T.’s Pub. If I were … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, California, Downtown, Marketing, TV | 1 Comment

Mystery solved (sorta)

Posted on March 24, 2010 by David McKee

It would seem that all your comments, dear readers, have been getting shunted straight into “Spam” without so much as a by-your-leave to me as to whether they should be approved, edited, moderated or whatever. I’ve liberated approximately messages from … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Downtown, Economy, Station Casinos, The Strip, Tourism | Comments Off on Mystery solved (sorta)

Wishful Thinking 101

Posted on March 24, 2010 by David McKee

“[Applied Analysis principal Jeremy] Aguero says the local economy will start recovering as soon as people across the country start spending money like they used to.” Yes, when they start having easy credit like they used to … which will … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, Current, Downtown, Economy, North Las Vegas, The Strip | Comments Off on Wishful Thinking 101

Quote of the Day

Posted on March 23, 2010 by David McKee

“There’s a misperception out there that we bust up companies. Or that I believe that all people on boards are bad. It’s just that, in some cases, the C.E.O.’s are so wrong.” — Tropicana Entertainment owner Carl Icahn, in a … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Carl Icahn, Current, Downtown, Goldman Sachs, Tropicana Entertainment, Wall Street | 2 Comments

Aqueduct: Penn got hosed

Posted on February 12, 2010 by David McKee

Despite its runaway hyperbole, this Empire State editorial makes a good point: The Aqueduct racino deal smells like a week-old fish and ought to be investigated. (It isn’t — but it should be.) Since all bids involved multiple players, sorting … Continue reading →

Posted in Alabama, Atlantic City, Carl Icahn, Downtown, Fontainebleau, Harrah's, Macau, MGM Mirage, New York, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Racinos, Sahara, Steve Wynn, Tamares Group, The Strip, Tribal, TV | 2 Comments

Quote of the Day

Posted on February 5, 2010 by David McKee

“Unfortunately, people come to hotels or motels to commit suicide, to commit crimes, to do drugs, prositution.” — former Queen of Hearts owner Ann Meyers, representing for the Nevada hotel industry. If that was her audition to be the new … Continue reading →

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

Enter Loveman, exit jobs; Tamares’ legacy

Posted on February 3, 2010 by David McKee

Just this morning I was thinking that the first thing Planet Hollywood employees could expect when Harrah’s Entertainment took over was large-scale job losses and so it will be. This is one of those occasions I really hate being proven … Continue reading →

Posted in ABBA, Ameristar, Columbia Sussex, Current, Downtown, Economy, Entertainment, Harrah's, Planet Hollywood, Regulation, Tamares Group, Wall Street | 6 Comments

… except for Jackie Gaughan’…

Posted on February 1, 2010 by David McKee

… except for Jackie Gaughan‘s old casinos (Vegas Club, Plaza), where Tamares turned money into crud. Kind of a reverse-Midas touch skill.

Posted in Current, Downtown, Tamares Group | 1 Comment

Jace Radke sez Tamares sold to…

Posted on February 1, 2010 by David McKee

Jace Radke sez Tamares sold to Forest City Dev., not LV, which gets Oscar off the hook. Ya gotta credit Tamares w. turning crud into money.

Posted in Current, Downtown, Oscar Goodman, Tamares Group | Comments Off on Jace Radke sez Tamares sold to…

Queen of Hearts motel demolish…

Posted on February 1, 2010 by David McKee

Queen of Hearts motel demolished for new City Hall. Wonder how much $$ Tamares Group bilked LV for that pile of rubbish. Tamares, 1; LV, 0.

Posted in Current, Downtown, International, Tamares Group | 2 Comments

Lights, Camera, Mesquite!

Posted on January 28, 2010 by David McKee

Call me Captain Video today. After 21, with Kevin Spacey doing his rent-a-Satan act, anyone would be understandably leery of movies about card-counting … especially ones directed by someone named Delaney Dragon. (Would he be any relation to The Eiger … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, Current, Downtown, Mesquite, Movies | 1 Comment

S&G readers are the best

Posted on January 22, 2010 by David McKee

How come? Well, here’s a fr’instance: I was chatting with one of our regulars yesterday and he volunteered an idea that gave me one of those, “Wow! I could have had a V-8” moments. In discussing beloved but hard to … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Bally Technologies, Downtown, IGT, Tamares Group, Technology, Tourism | 10 Comments

Gunplay at the Four Queens

Posted on January 15, 2010 by David McKee

Neither the Las Vegas Sun nor the Las Vegas Review-Journal can be bothered to report it on their Web sites but there was a shooting in the wee hours of Friday morning at the Four Queens, downtown. After having to … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Downtown, Harrah's, Macau, MGM Mirage, The Strip | 9 Comments

Back to normal

Posted on January 12, 2010 by David McKee

For starters, let’s just write off 2006-7 as an aberration. While dancing in the streets is premature, Nevada‘s casino revenues from November ($873 million) at least give us an excuse to breathe a sigh of relief — especially when other … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boulder Strip, Current, Downtown, Economy, Harrah's, Illinois, Indiana, Lake Tahoe, Missouri, North Las Vegas, The Strip, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Random Downtown observations

Posted on January 5, 2010 by David McKee

On the way back from a fine dinner at the Bay City Diner (good food, better service, plus the $2.99 shrimp cocktail), a few off-the-cuff observations were made. A) Damn few people Downtown, even for midweek. B) The Plaza may … Continue reading →

Posted in Cretins, Current, Downtown, Pennsylvania, Politics, Taxes, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta | 2 Comments

Tamares: the can’t-do spirit

Posted on December 10, 2009 by David McKee

Downtown has quite enough problems without Tamares Group‘s continued rubbishing of several former Jackie Gaughan casinos adding to the malaise. Now Tamares — or its casino-management sock puppet, BRH Gaming — has sent LVA the following, very depressing bulletin: “The … Continue reading →

Posted in Cannery Casino Resorts, Current, Dining, Downtown, Entertainment, Riviera, Tamares Group, The Strip, Tribal | 7 Comments

Crystals: Why?

Posted on December 4, 2009 by David McKee

Spare. That’s the word I’d use to describe Crystals, which opened yesterday. Having been in a self-imposed cone of deafness, I wasn’t exposed to any of the opening-day press. Thus, I came to Crystals last night as a blank slate … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, CityCenter, Current, Dining, Downtown, Harrah's, MGM Mirage, The Strip, TV | 5 Comments

Aria, Vdara discounting already

Posted on December 3, 2009 by David McKee

In its discussions with J.P. Morgan analysts, MGM Mirage has regularly been boasting that Aria’s room rates are running higher (very, very slightly higher) than Bellagio. Being a skeptical fellow by nature, my instinct was that Aria was being propped … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, Cirque du Soleil, CityCenter, Columbia Sussex, Current, Downtown, Economy, Entertainment, George Maloof, Harrah's, Herbst Gaming, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Sheldon Adelson, Silverton, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Tamares Group, The Strip, Tourism | 6 Comments

Chutzpah, thy name is Loveman

Posted on December 1, 2009 by David McKee

Do the bondholders of Harrah’s Entertainment ever get tired of being played for suckers? After being asked to take haircut after haircut — whether in the form of distressed buybacks or deferred repayment — comes a new indignity. While Harrah’s … Continue reading →

Posted in CityCenter, Current, Downtown, Economy, Harrah's, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Planet Hollywood, Regulation, The Strip, Wall Street | 4 Comments

Wynn bails on N.Y.

Posted on November 4, 2009 by David McKee

As they come into the backstretch on the bidding for a racino at New York‘s Aqueduct Racetrack, one contender has pulled out of the race: Steve Wynn. Did he balk at the $200 million upfront fee? Penn National Gaming basically … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Downtown, Economy, Florida, Harrah's, Macau, MGM Mirage, New York, Racinos, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho, Steve Wynn, Tilman Fertitta, Transportation, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off on Wynn bails on N.Y.