Category Archives: DraftKings

Caesars hedges on NYC; Buyer’s remorse in Ohio

Although he currently has the frontrunner for a Manhattan casino, Caesars Entertainment CEO Tom Reeg is waffling a bit. Potentially ceding momentum to deep-pocketed rivals like Wynn Resorts and Las Vegas Sands, Reeg said Caesars wouldn’t get into an “arms … Continue reading

Posted in Bally, Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Caesars Entertainment, Chicago, Detroit, DraftKings, FanDuel, Illitch Family, Indiana, Internet gambling, Las Vegas Sands, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mattress Mack, MGM Resorts International, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Penn National, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Rush Street Gaming, Sports, Sports betting, Taxes, Texas, The Strip, Virginia, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Caesars hedges on NYC; Buyer’s remorse in Ohio

How the mighty have fallen; Pennsylvania saturated

Pity poor fellow Kelsey Grammer. The superb actor (Boss) and Shakespearean leading man has been reduced to tending bar at an Atlantic City casino. And not some prestigious Boardwalk gambling hall but last-place Golden Nugget. As our East Coast correspondent, … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Canada, Churchill Downs, Cordish Co., Dining, DraftKings, Entertainment, FanDuel, Golden Gaming, Greenwood Racing, Internet gambling, Iowa, Mohegan Sun, Movies, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Rush Street Gaming, Sports betting, United Kingdom, Virginia, WInd Creek | 1 Comment

Atlantic City leaps; DraftKings beats The Street

Gambling revenues in Atlantic City defied the cold last month, surging 15% to $212 million. Borgata, naturally, led the market with $58.5 million, a 20.5% vault. Next up was Hard Rock Atlantic City with $36 million, a 3.5% nudge, followed … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Bally, Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Canada, Churchill Downs, CQ Holdings, DraftKings, FanDuel, Golden Nugget, Hard Rock International, Louisiana, Marketing, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, Ocean Resort, Ohio, Penn National, Wall Street | Comments Off on Atlantic City leaps; DraftKings beats The Street

Big Bally’s shakeup; Smoking swatted; Mega-Jottings

Back on Jan. 25, we wrote that Bally’s Corp. CEO Lee Fenton was “possibly laying the groundwork for his own exit,” when he said, The pandemic boosted our business and we continued to hire at full pelt. I now can … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Bally, Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Chicago, Cretins, DFS, Dining, Donald Trump, DraftKings, FanDuel, Genting, Health, Horseracing, International, Internet gambling, Lake Tahoe, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Minnesota, Mohegan Sun, New Jersey, New York, Penn National, PointsBet, Politics, Real Estate, Regulation, Rhode Island, Rush Street Gaming, South Korea, Sports, Sports betting, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal, TV, United Kingdom, Vici Properties, Virginia, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Big Bally’s shakeup; Smoking swatted; Mega-Jottings

Sports betting backlash; Indiana, Missouri rebound

When we were penning the editor’s note for the February issue of Casino Life, we predicted that overkill in sports betting marketing was ripe to bring a backlash. But it happened sooner than we ever expected. Now we don’t know … Continue reading

Posted in AGA, Bally, Barstool Sports, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Century Casinos, DraftKings, FanDuel, Full House Resorts, Hard Rock International, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Marketing, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, Penn National, PointsBet, Politics, Problem gambling, Regulation, Resorts World LV, Rush Street Gaming, Sports betting, The Strip | Comments Off on Sports betting backlash; Indiana, Missouri rebound

Maryland, Illinois leap; Mega-Jottings

So where’s that recession? January revenues from Maryland casinos are in and the $167 million gross is a 9% improvement on 2022. None of the six gambling halls were revenue-negative. MGM National Harbor led the pack with $72 million, an … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Bally, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, Cordish Co., Culinary Union, DraftKings, Entertainment, Full House Resorts, GLPI, Golden Gaming, Hard Rock International, Health, Illinois, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, Maryland, MGM Resorts International, New Jersey, Penn National, Real Estate, Resort fees, Station Casinos, The Strip, Vici Properties | Comments Off on Maryland, Illinois leap; Mega-Jottings

And the Oscar goes to …

Top Gun: Maverick. OK, we’re kidding. But not entirely. Due to the Motion Picture Academy‘s byzantine, ranked-choice voting for Best Picture, the $1.5 billion-grossing Tom Cruise spectacle (+1000 on DraftKings) could rack up enough second- and third-place votes to nab … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, Bally, Boyd Gaming, Diversity, DraftKings, Indiana, Las Vegas Raiders, Law enforcement, Marketing, Massachusetts, Mohegan Sun, Movies, New York, Politics, Regulation, Sports, Tribal, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Boyd buoyed; Penn damned with faint praise; Mega-Jottings

It was a good day yesterday for Boyd Gaming as it trotted out its 4Q22 numbers. Cash flow healthily overshot Wall Street expectations and was powered by, among other things, better-than-2019 visitation by that Boyd mainstay, players from Hawaii. Wrote … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, California, Canada, Churchill Downs, Cretins, Dining, Downtown, DraftKings, Election, Failsinos, FanDuel, Georgia, Hard Rock International, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Internet gambling, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, M Resort, MGM Resorts International, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Penn National, Sports betting, Station Casinos, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street, West Virginia | Comments Off on Boyd buoyed; Penn damned with faint praise; Mega-Jottings

A peek at Penn; DraftKings retreats, Aruze tumbles

Wall Street analysts got an early look at Penn Entertainment‘s 4Q22 earnings, which were mildly adverse and poorer than The Street expected, and which point to a flat trajectory going forward through the early summer. Deutsche Bank analyst Carlo Santarelli … Continue reading

Posted in Bally, Baseball, Chicago, DraftKings, FanDuel, Hawaii, Illinois, International, Kazuo Okada, Marketing, Mattress Mack, New York, Penn National, Politics, Sports betting, Taxes, Wall Street | Comments Off on A peek at Penn; DraftKings retreats, Aruze tumbles

Bluhm blows smoke; Detroit declines; Bally’s sheds jobs

No, that isn’t a new big-box retail outlet (which its entrance rather resembles) but Rivers Portsmouth, the first permanent casino to open in Virginia. On hand were Allen Iverson, a marching band, a gaggle of local politicians … and the … Continue reading

Posted in Bally, Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Caesars Entertainment, Detroit, Diversity, DraftKings, FanDuel, Greenwood Racing, Hawaii, Health, Illitch Family, Internet gambling, Macau, Marketing, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Michigan, Penn National, Rush Street Gaming, Sports betting, Technology, United Kingdom, Virginia, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Pennsylvania soft; Gray Lady panics; Smooth criminal

Gambling revenues in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania slipped just a bit last month, as 2022 continued to go out mostly quietly. The $298 million haul was 1% off December 2021’s pace. While there was some softening of the market, we … Continue reading

Posted in Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, Cordish Co., DraftKings, FanDuel, Internet gambling, Law enforcement, Marketing, Mohegan Sun, Nevada, New York, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Rush Street Gaming, Sports betting, WInd Creek | 2 Comments

Solid finish in Atlantic City; Tough love elsewhere

Casinos closed out 2022 up 2% in December in Atlantic City. Before any gaming bosses start wringing their hands over higher costs, let it be known that this is 3% better than December 2019, before the latest collective-bargaining agreement. The … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Bally, Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Caesars Entertainment, Diversity, DraftKings, FanDuel, Golden Nugget, Hard Rock International, Health, Internet gambling, Macau, Maine, Marketing, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, Ocean Resort, Palms, Regulation, Resorts World LV, Sports betting, The Strip | Comments Off on Solid finish in Atlantic City; Tough love elsewhere

The tax that ate Las Vegas; Dr. King misremembered

A horrible idea for the taxpayer, the economy and for gaming in particular has been resurrected in Congress. Yes, it’s the “national sales tax,” which would lay a double-digit impost on all goods and services, and which only could be … Continue reading

Posted in AGA, Cretins, DraftKings, Economy, history, Marketing, Michael Gaughan, Movies, Nevada, Politics, Station Casinos, Taxes | 2 Comments

Indiana dims; Sands: Make mine Nassau; Mega-Jottings

Gaming revenues dipped last month in Indiana, achieving $204 million, a 3.5% year/year decline. Hard Rock Northern Indiana ($34 million, +4%) continues to ransack its competitors. Horseshoe Hammond was closest, grossing $26 million but down 13.5%, while Ameristar East Chicago … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, Architecture, Arizona, Atlantic City, Bally, Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, Culinary Union, Dining, DraftKings, FanDuel, Fontainebleau, Full House Resorts, Genting, Greenwood Racing, Hard Rock International, Illinois, Indiana, International, Internet gambling, Las Vegas Sands, Louisiana, New York, Penn National, Pennsylvania, PointsBet, Politics, Resorts World LV, Rush Street Gaming, Sports betting, Texas, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Atlantic City focus

Since we’re heavily occupied today with “Question of the Day” submissions, Sports Betting Operator features, a CDC Gaming Reports story and Casino Life page proofs, we’ll turn most of the S&G space over to our East Coast bureau, who has … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Atlantic City, Bally, BetMGM, Caesars Entertainment, Chicago, Dining, DraftKings, Entertainment, FanDuel, Golden Nugget, Hard Rock International, Marketing, Movies, Ocean Resort, Security, Sports betting, Wayne F. Newton | Comments Off on Atlantic City focus

New F-blue CEO; Illinois mostly upbeat, Missouri not

Who in the world is Brett Mufson? Well, he’s the new president and CEO of Fontainebleau Las Vegas. Other than that, Jeffrey Soffer‘s company ain’t tellin’ much. We are informed that “Mufson’s instrumental leadership helped steer the company’s re-acquisition of … Continue reading

Posted in Bally, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Canada, Century Casinos, Chicago, Churchill Downs, Cosmopolitan, Dining, DraftKings, Economy, FanDuel, Florida, Fontainebleau, Hard Rock International, history, Illinois, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, Mandalay Bay Massacre, MGM Resorts International, Missouri, Penn National, Regulation, Sports, Sports betting, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal, Vici Properties, Wynn Resorts, Wyoming | 1 Comment

Station scores; New York OSB boffo … for state, that is; Kosar sacked; Renegade slots reconsidered

Station Casinos is $62 million richer after unloading $56.5 acres of land near South Point to HCA Healthcare, a hospital chain. Don’t worry about Station’s plans to challenge Michael Gaughan for sub-Strip supremacy: It’s still harboring 126 acres of scrubland … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, Bally, BetMGM, Caesars Entertainment, Diversity, DraftKings, FanDuel, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, Michael Gaughan, Missouri, Movies, New York, Ohio, PointsBet, Politics, Real Estate, Regulation, Rush Street Gaming, Slot routes, Sports, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Taxes, Transportation, TV, Wynn Resorts | 2 Comments

Maryland sags; Dustup at Red Rock; Sands’ big NY play; The dangers of Fanatic-ism

Whilst 2022 may have come in like a lion for casinos, it’s going out like a lamb, despite an extra weekend day last month. Revenues in Maryland dipped 4.5% to $165 million statewide in December, still 11% better than the … Continue reading

Posted in Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, Culinary Union, Dining, Diversity, DraftKings, Genting, Golden Gaming, Las Vegas Sands, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, New York, Ohio, Penn National, Problem gambling, Regulation, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Transportation | 2 Comments

NFL bettors sacked; Strip resort folds; Caesars plan panned

Life at S&G HQ is seriously clouded by the critical illness of a beloved fur baby. Nevertheless, we shall endeavor to gather our thoughts, starting with the consequences for bettors of the life-threatening Damar Hamlin injury on Monday Night Football. … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Atlantic City, Caesars Entertainment, Chicago, Derek Stevens, DraftKings, Economy, Entertainment, Failsinos, FanDuel, Florida, Genting, Georgia, Hard Rock International, Horseracing, International, Las Vegas Sands, LVCVA, Macau, MGM Resorts International, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, PointsBet, Politics, Racinos, Riviera, Rush Street Gaming, Sports, Sports betting, The Strip, Tribal, TV, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

And now for some fun

Back on Dec. 21, we reported on nascent Oscar odds. What a difference 10 days makes. Babylon, “an early favorite to take home hardware at the 95th Academy Awards” according to one betting site, is spiraling from contention, thanks to … Continue reading

Posted in Current, DraftKings, Movies | Comments Off on And now for some fun