Category Archives: DraftKings

Atlantic City disappoints, Internet gambling doesn’t

We’re going to have revise our prediction that Atlantic City would recover from Covid-19 faster than Las Vegas. Not at the rate things are going. March casino win was down 17% from 2019, coming in at $185 million. The Caesars … Continue reading

Posted in Alabama, Arizona, Atlantic City, Bally, Caesars Entertainment, China, DraftKings, FanDuel, Florida, Golden Nugget, Hard Rock International, Health, Internet gambling, Lotteries, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, New Jersey, New York, Ocean Resort, Pennsylvania, Philippines, Politics, Regulation, Seminole Tribe, Sports, Sports betting, Taxes, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street, William Hill, Wynn Resorts | 3 Comments

Pennsylvania booms and busts, Massachusetts lags

Casino revenues were $270.5 million last month in Pennsylvania, down 22% from March 2019, another exception to the wave of recovery sweeping the country. Slots accounted for $199 million, tables for $71.5 million. Casinos were held to 50% of capacity, … Continue reading

Posted in Aristocrat, Barstool Sports, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, Colony Capital, Conventions, Cordish Co., Dining, DraftKings, Election, FanDuel, FoxBet, Greenwood Racing, Health, history, Illinois, Internet gambling, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, Ohio, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Racinos, Rush Street Gaming, Scientific Games, Sports betting, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Pennsylvania booms and busts, Massachusetts lags

Missouri booms; Trop sale a steal of a deal

After a hiccup in Indiana, gaming revenues continued to march (pun unintended) upward from 2019 levels, which were pretty darn robust. Missouri gained 6% for a gross of $176.5 million, “one of the best months ever” according to JP Morgan … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Bally, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Century Casinos, DraftKings, FanDuel, GLPI, Health, Iowa, MGM Resorts International, Missouri, Penn National, Regulation, Rush Street Gaming, Sports, Sports betting, Tamares Group, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street, William Hill, Wisconsin | 3 Comments

Trop flipped; Arizona, Maryland join sports-betting club

The Gaming & Leisure Properties Inc. regime at Tropicana Las Vegas was (as planned) a short-lived one. GLPI just announced that it has flipped the Trop to Bally’s Corp., which evidently couldn’t wait one minute longer to get onto the … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Atlantic City, Bally, Caesars Entertainment, Canada, Colorado, Delaware, Downtown, DraftKings, Entertainment, FanDuel, Foxwoods, GLPI, Golden Nugget, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Japan, Las Vegas Sands, Marketing, Maryland, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, Nevada, Penn National, Politics, Regulation, Sports, Sports betting, Tribal, Wall Street, William Hill | 1 Comment

It’s DraftKings’ world, we just live in it; Musk tunnel panned

While Coronavirus and the ensuing shut-ins were very good for DraftKings by virtually every metric, CEO Jason Robins says the fun is just beginning. He told the Boston Globe that the pandemic has ratified his business model, which presumed the … Continue reading

Posted in Alabama, Architecture, Atlantic City, Barstool Sports, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Cordish Co., DFS, Dining, DraftKings, FanDuel, Health, Illinois, Indiana, Internet gambling, Japan, Lotteries, Marketing, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Ocean Resort, Penn National, Pennsylvania, PointsBet, Politics, Racinos, Security, Spectacle Entertainment, Sports, Sports betting, The Strip, Transportation, Wall Street | Comments Off on It’s DraftKings’ world, we just live in it; Musk tunnel panned

Vegas hears wedding bells; Sahara upscales; Mega-Jottings

All-important Baby Boomer customers are ‘trickling‘ back to Las Vegas, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. That’s the latest positive augury for Sin City. Better still, the destination-wedding biz is “bursting,” per Forbes, and what place is more synonymous with … Continue reading

Posted in Alex Meruelo, Barstool Sports, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, China, Dining, Downtown, DraftKings, Economy, Entertainment, FanDuel, Greenwood Racing, Health, Illinois, Japan, Macau, Maryland, Mohegan Sun, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Real Estate, Regulation, Rush Street Gaming, Sports, Sports betting, The Rio, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Illinois improves but Ohio sets record; Is Cuomo on crack?

Criticizing Illinois‘ casino performance is usually like tripping a dwarf: much too easy. But the Land of Lincoln posted some surprising results last month. Yes, it out performed March 2020 (+122%) but we’re comparing a full month of business with … Continue reading

Posted in Bally, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, CQ Holdings, Detroit, Dining, DraftKings, Economy, Hard Rock International, Illinois, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Penn National, Sports betting, Taxes, Tilman Fertitta, Tribal, Wall Street | 2 Comments

“In a word, messy”

That’s how JP Morgan analyst Joseph Greff described the online sports-betting bill enacted by the New York State Lege. The latter essentially caved to Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), giving control of OSB to the state lottery. Instead of the one-operator … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Atlantic City, Detroit, DraftKings, Environment, Genting, Las Vegas Sands, MGM Resorts International, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ocean Resort, Palms, Politics, Real Estate, Regulation, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off on “In a word, messy”

Virginia sports betting debuts large; ‘CSI’ back in Vegas

Virginia has now had two full months of sports betting and February handle was an impressive $266 million—not quite the explosion that Michigan was but still noteworthy as the second-biggest debut in U.S. history. Reacted PlayUSA analyst Dustin Gouker, “The … Continue reading

Posted in Dining, DraftKings, Entertainment, FanDuel, Full House Resorts, Genting, Health, Indiana, Law enforcement, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Mississippi, North Carolina, Philippines, Problem gambling, Regulation, Resorts World LV, Rush Street Gaming, Sports, Sports betting, Taxes, Tribal, TV, Virgin Hotels, Virginia, William Hill, Wynn Resorts | 2 Comments

Massachusetts gaming a success; Cuomo gains upper hand in NY

A University of Massachusetts Amherst panel led by respected academic Rachel Volberg has been studying casino gambling in Massachusetts and likes most of what it finds. It concluded that Bay State dollars had been significantly repatriated from neighboring states (the … Continue reading

Posted in AGA, Arizona, Barstool Sports, Baseball, California, Cordish Co., Derek Stevens, Diversity, DraftKings, Economy, FanDuel, Georgia, Health, Macau, Marketing, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Problem gambling, Rush Street Gaming, Sports, Sports betting, Taxes, Tourism, Tribal, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 2 Comments

Caesars Saints?; Mattress Mack returns

Don’t like the misshapen circles which now represent Caesars Entertainment? Well, get used to them, especially if you’re a New Orleans Saints fan. The casino giant is dickering with the Mercedes-Benz Superdome for naming rights, although Saints and New Orleans … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, Bally, Caesars Entertainment, Canada, Colorado, DraftKings, Florida, Golden Nugget, Hard Rock International, Illinois, Louisiana, Mattress Mack, Politics, Scientific Games, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, Sports betting, Taxes, Technology, Texas, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal, TV, Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming | Comments Off on Caesars Saints?; Mattress Mack returns

A.C.: A month to forget; Trump sticks it to Miami

Casino revenue headed 32% south in Atlantic City last month, to $148 million. Those were augmented with $46 million in sports-betting dollars and $94 million from Internet gambling (+80%), so that probably counts as a silver lining to a dark … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Bally, Barstool Sports, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, Cordish Co., Donald Trump, DraftKings, FanDuel, Florida, Fontainebleau, FoxBet, Genting, Golden Nugget, Greenwood Racing, Hard Rock International, MGM Resorts International, Michigan, Mohegan Sun, New Jersey, New York, Ocean Resort, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Real Estate, Rush Street Gaming, Seminole Tribe, Sports, Sports betting, Tribal, Wall Street, William Hill, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Trop sale teased; Michigan sports betting explosive

Gaming & Leisure Properties Inc. hosted JP Morgan analysts last week and tried to get them all hot and bothered with talk of a Tropicana Las Vegas sale. It said it felt one would happen sooner, not later, adding that … Continue reading

Posted in Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, Detroit, DraftKings, FanDuel, FoxBet, Genting, GLPI, Health, Internet gambling, Las Vegas Sands, MGM Resorts International, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, Penn National, Pennsylvania, PointsBet, Politics, Real Estate, Rush Street Gaming, Sports, Sports betting, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street, William Hill, Wynn Resorts | 6 Comments

Wall Street meets Las Vegas, Part I

JP Morgan analysts conducted a pilgrimage to Las Vegas to meet with the top brass of Big Gaming. First up was MGM Resorts International, represented by CEO Bill Hornbuckle, CFO Jonathan Halkyard and BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt. They see positive … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Atlantic City, Barstool Sports, Caesars Entertainment, California, Conventions, Detroit, DraftKings, Economy, Illinois, Indiana, Lake Tahoe, Las Vegas Sands, Louisiana, Macau, Maryland, MGM Resorts International, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Penn National, Reno, Singapore, Sports, Sports betting, Texas, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation, Tribal, TV, William Hill | 2 Comments

Chicago gets serious; Ohio recovering but Missouri swoons

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D), having received 11 expressions of interest in a megaresort (two of them an exacta by MGM Resorts International and MGM Growth Properties) is ready to issue a request for proposals sometime next month. We’ll then … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Bally, Barstool Sports, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, Detroit, DraftKings, FanDuel, Florida, Hard Rock International, Illinois, Indiana, Las Vegas Sands, MGM Resorts International, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Rush Street Gaming, Sports betting, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 2 Comments

Maryland: More gamblers = more money; Illinois improving

What will prompt recovery in gaming? Stimulus money, yes, but we got a strong indicator of something else out of Maryland last weekend. Overall, casino revenues were down 16.5% but the story is more complicated than that. At facilities restricted … Continue reading

Posted in AGA, Australia, Bally, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Canada, Churchill Downs, Connecticut, Cordish Co., Crown Resorts, DraftKings, FanDuel, Foxwoods, Golden Gaming, Illinois, Internet gambling, Iowa, Maryland, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, Penn National, Problem gambling, Sports, Sports betting, TV, Wall Street, West Virginia, William Hill | Comments Off on Maryland: More gamblers = more money; Illinois improving

New Yorkers want more casinos; More death on the Strip

While the last round of casino expansion in New York State was no better than a succes d’estime, Empire Station residents are still behind a planned 2023 enlargement that would bring three new resorts. Given the choice of casinos, higher … Continue reading

Posted in California, DFS, DraftKings, Genting, Georgia, Internet gambling, Las Vegas Sands, Law enforcement, Macau, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, MGM Resorts International, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Politics, Racinos, Scientific Games, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Taxes, Technology, Tennessee, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Tribal, Unite-Here, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on New Yorkers want more casinos; More death on the Strip

Roman Empire conquers Venice

In a dramatic, dead-of-night deal, Las Vegas Sands sold The Venetian and Palazzo to a REIT/private-equity combo of Vici Properties and Apollo Management for $6.25 billion. Vici and Apollo obviously have a considerable appetite for risk on the Las Vegas … Continue reading

Posted in Australia, Caesars Entertainment, Crown Resorts, DraftKings, Internet gambling, James Packer, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, New York, Real Estate, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Sports betting, Texas, The Strip, TV, Wall Street, William Hill | 2 Comments

Sports bets a hit in Virginia; Vegas recovery an iffy prospect

Online sports betting was quick out of the gate in Virginia—$59 million in handle in 11 days—although books spent so much money acquiring customers that they took a loss on the month. “Debuting ahead of the NFL’s conference championship games … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Bally, Caesars Entertainment, Canada, Conventions, DraftKings, Economy, FanDuel, Health, history, IGT, Internet gambling, Las Vegas Sands, Lotteries, LVCVA, Marketing, Maryland, MGM Resorts International, Michigan, Resort fees, Rhode Island, Rush Street Gaming, Scientific Games, Sports betting, Tennessee, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation, United Kingdom, Virgin Hotels, Virginia, Wall Street, William Hill, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Sports bets a hit in Virginia; Vegas recovery an iffy prospect

Hope in the Roman Empire; DraftKings rules

Although it tried to flash Wall Street some ankle yesterday, Caesars Entertainment’s 4Q20 numbers failed to surprise analysts. In a reverse image of the rest of the industry, better-than-expected cash flow on the Strip (cost-cutting?) was “more than offset” by … Continue reading

Posted in Caesars Entertainment, California, China, Colorado, Conventions, DraftKings, Economy, Health, Illinois, Internet gambling, Louisiana, Macau, Marketing, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, Movies, Real Estate, Sports, Sports betting, Tamares Group, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street | Comments Off on Hope in the Roman Empire; DraftKings rules