Category Archives: DraftKings

Jottings for a Tuesday

Posted on July 26, 2022 by David McKee

You know it’s a slow news week when today’s front-and-center lead story in the Las Vegas Review-Journal is that a Lotus of Siam will open in a refreshed Red Rock Resort. With nothing of pressing urgency in the press these … Continue reading →

Posted in Arizona, Bally, BetMGM, Caesars Entertainment, California, Card rooms, Cirque du Soleil, Cordish Co., Dining, DraftKings, Economy, Election, Entertainment, FanDuel, Hard Rock International, Pennsylvania, Station Casinos, The Strip, Tribal | Comments Off on Jottings for a Tuesday

Two Atlantic City casinos to be struck; Pennsylvania’s fuzzy math

Posted on July 20, 2022 by David McKee

Unite-Here quickly ran out of patience with the Golden Nugget and Resorts Atlantic City. 97% of affected membership voted to authorize strikes at both the bottom-feeding casinos if a labor deal can’t be reached before August 1. That still gives … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, Cordish Co., DraftKings, Economy, FanDuel, FoxBet, Galaxy Entertainment, Golden Nugget, Greenwood Racing, Internet gambling, Las Vegas Sands, Louisiana, Macau, MGM Resorts International, Michigan, Mohegan Sun, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Rush Street Gaming, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, Sports betting, Tribal, Unite-Here, Wall Street, WInd Creek | Comments Off on Two Atlantic City casinos to be struck; Pennsylvania’s fuzzy math

Atlantic City strong; Station’s demolition derby; De$anti$ hits jackpot; Mega-Jottings

Posted on July 18, 2022 by David McKee

There’s so much news today we almost don’t know where to begin. But we’ll start with Atlantic City, which reported a 2% increase in casino revenue, to $229 million. Internet gambling and sports betting chipped in another $169 million. One … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Bally, Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Canada, China, Donald Trump, Dotty's, Downtown, DraftKings, FanDuel, Genting, George Maloof, Golden Nugget, Hard Rock International, Health, International, Internet gambling, Las Vegas Sands, Law enforcement, Macau, MGM Resorts International, Michael Gaughan, Mohegan Sun, North Las Vegas, Ocean Resort, Pennsylvania, Phil Ruffin, Politics, Real Estate, Regulation, Resorts World LV, Sheldon Adelson, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, Sports, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Texas, The Strip, Tribal, United Kingdom, Wall Street, WInd Creek | 1 Comment

Insolvency in Macao; Sports betting everywhere

Posted on July 14, 2022 by David McKee

Prior to the current Covid-19 lockdown, casinos in Macao were already engaged in a $600 million/month cash burn, thanks to the China‘s zero-tolerance policy on the disease. That will only get worse now that access to customers has been shut … Continue reading →

Posted in Bally, Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Caesars Entertainment, California, China, DraftKings, Economy, Election, FanDuel, Hard Rock International, Health, history, Illinois, Macau, Maryland, Ohio, PointsBet, Regulation, Rush Street Gaming, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, Sports betting, Tourism, TV, Westgate LV | 1 Comment

Bally’s Chicago stirs skepticism; Vegas locals cooling

Posted on July 13, 2022 by David McKee

It’s not just us who are leery of Bally’s Corp. and its ability to do something unprecedented in its history—swing a $1.7 billion casino in Chicago. The company’s corner-cutting “improvement” of Bally’s Atlantic City does not inspire confidence. Nor does … Continue reading →

Posted in Aristocrat, Atlantic City, Australia, Bally, Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Chicago, Churchill Downs, DraftKings, Economy, FanDuel, Florida, Full House Resorts, Genting, Golden Gaming, Golden Nugget, Hard Rock International, Indiana, Mohegan Sun, New York, Palms, Penn National, Pennsylvania, PointsBet, Rhode Island, Rush Street Gaming, Seminole Tribe, Silverton, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Tribal, Unite-Here, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 2 Comments

Macao is closed; Mixed signals from the Midwest

Posted on July 11, 2022 by David McKee

Effective today, all casinos in Macao have closed, in governmental reaction to a spike in Covid-19 cases. “Only essential businesses like supermarkets, gas stations, and pharmacies will remain open.” In other words, just when you thought things couldn’t get any … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Bally, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Century Casinos, Chicago, Churchill Downs, Conventions, Cosmopolitan, Crown Resorts, Dining, DraftKings, Hard Rock International, Health, Illinois, International, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, MGM Resorts International, Missouri, Penn National, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, United Kingdom, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Macao is closed; Mixed signals from the Midwest

Recovery slowing but still going; Singapore soars

Posted on July 7, 2022 by David McKee

Although gambling revenues in Maryland decelerated somewhat from May, they were still 1% higher than last June and 14% more robust than 2019’s, for a total haul of $163 million. It was basically a two-horse race, with MGM National Harbor … Continue reading →

Posted in Arizona, Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Caesars Entertainment, China, Churchill Downs, Cordish Co., Crown Resorts, DraftKings, Entertainment, FanDuel, Golden Gaming, Las Vegas Sands, Law enforcement, Macau, Maryland, MGM Resorts International, Michigan, Mississippi, Penn National, Rush Street Gaming, Singapore, Sports betting, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal, Wall Street, Washington State, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Atlantic City casinos avert crisis; Congressional absurdity

Posted on July 1, 2022 by David McKee

It was eyeball-to-eyeball and Big Gaming blinked. Faced with probable, heavy losses of business, Borgata—the casino with the most to lose—was first to come to terms with Local 54 of Unite-Here. Terms with most of the majors were reached an … Continue reading →

Posted in AGA, Arizona, Atlantic City, Bally, Baseball, Caesars Entertainment, California, Carl Icahn, Chicago, Dining, DraftKings, Entertainment, GLPI, Hard Rock Hotel, International, Internet gambling, Las Vegas Sands, Law enforcement, MGM Resorts International, Ocean Resort, Politics, Real Estate, Rhode Island, Sports betting, The Strip, Tribal, Unite-Here, West Virginia | 1 Comment

Atlantic City booms on eve of strike; Louisiana not so lucky

Posted on June 17, 2022 by David McKee

Staring down a seemingly inevitable strike on July 1 by Unite-Here, casinos in Atlantic City could at least take solace in a May that saw gaming revenues leapfrog 9% over last year. The total gross was $233 million, as slot … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Atlantic City, Australia, Bally, Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, California, Churchill Downs, Cordish Co., CQ Holdings, Crown Resorts, Dining, Downtown, DraftKings, FanDuel, FoxBet, Golden Nugget, Greenwood Racing, Hard Rock International, Internet gambling, Louisiana, Marketing, MGM Resorts International, Michigan, Mohegan Sun, Ocean Resort, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Rush Street Gaming, Sports betting, Tamares Group, Texas, Tourism, Tribal, TV, Unite-Here | 1 Comment

Special Edition

Posted on June 14, 2022 by David McKee

So we leave on vacation (I checked into the Westin O’Hare and didn’t leave the building for three and half days) and all hell breaks loose in Big Gaming. The breaking story was MGM Resorts International‘s decision to shuck Gold … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Australia, Bally, Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, California, Century Casinos, Cordish Co., Crown Resorts, DraftKings, FanDuel, Full House Resorts, Gary Goett, Hard Rock International, Illinois, Indiana, International, Internet gambling, Japan, Macau, MGM Resorts International, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, Oklahoma, Penn National, PointsBet, Rush Street Gaming, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, Sports betting, Tribal, Unite-Here | 2 Comments

Maryland weaker, Illinois stronger; Mickelson in denial

Posted on June 7, 2022 by David McKee

Even as playing levels normalize from last year, gambling revenues continue their upward tread. Maryland, for instance, was 4% higher in May than a year ago (and 17.5% above 2019). Had there not been one fewer weekend day than in … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Atlantic City, Bally, Barstool Sports, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, California, Chicago, Churchill Downs, Cordish Co., DFS, DraftKings, Economy, FanDuel, Genting, Golden Nugget, Hard Rock International, Health, Illinois, Maryland, MGM Resorts International, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Penn National, Phil Ruffin, Politics, Problem gambling, Racinos, Sports, Sports betting, Taxes, Tribal, Virginia, Washington State | 1 Comment

Resorts World sheds a problem; Big Gaming fleeced in N.Y.

Posted on June 3, 2022 by David McKee

With the discreet closure of Tacos El Cabron, splashy Resorts World Las Vegas finds itself down one restaurant—and happy to be so. Evidently in their haste to get everything on line, Resorts World management didn’t fully perform their due diligence … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Bally, Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Caesars Entertainment, Canada, Chicago, China, Dining, DraftKings, FanDuel, Florida, Health, Illinois, Macau, Marketing, Massachusetts, New York, North Las Vegas, Penn National, Politics, Problem gambling, Regulation, Resorts World LV, Seminole Tribe, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Taxes, Tribal, Unite-Here, Virginia | Comments Off on Resorts World sheds a problem; Big Gaming fleeced in N.Y.

Atlantic City prospers; Inflation vs. gaming: Which prevails?

Posted on May 24, 2022 by David McKee

Liar, liar, pants on fire. That’s what we say to Atlantic City casino executives who predict the coming of the Apocalypse is smoking is banned in their premises. First-quarter gross operating profits were up even by pre-pandemic standards, which hardly … Continue reading →

Posted in AGA, Atlantic City, Bally, Caesars Entertainment, Canada, Conventions, Dan Lee, Detroit, DraftKings, Economy, Election, Gary Goett, Golden Nugget, Hard Rock International, Internet gambling, Iowa, Kansas, MGM Resorts International, Minnesota, Mohegan Sun, Nebraska, New York, Ocean Resort, Peninsula Pacific, Penn National, Philippines, Politics, Sports betting, Taxes, Technology, Tourism, Transportation, Tribal, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Chicago casino doesn’t compute; Diller dinged; Boardwalk brouhaha

Posted on May 20, 2022 by David McKee

Sometime today, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) is expected to ramrod her choice of Bally’s Corp. through the City Council. Why the unseemly haste? Lightfoot desperately covets Bally’s $40 million in upfront money to prop up the Windy City’s tottering … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Bally, Caesars Entertainment, California, Chicago, Diversity, DraftKings, Economy, Hard Rock International, Illinois, Macau, MGM Resorts International, Nevada, Ocean Resort, Politics, Regulation, Security, Slot routes, Taxes, The Mob, The Strip, Tribal, Unite-Here, Wall Street, Wisconsin | 1 Comment

Steve Wynn, Commie stooge?; Resorts World LV jumps shark

Posted on May 18, 2022 by David McKee

If there’s one thing Steve Wynn loves almost as much as money (and women to whom he is not married) it’s the Red Chinese. He’s been warbling sweet nothings about them ever since he got a gig in Macao as … Continue reading →

Posted in Bally, Barstool Sports, Baseball, BetMGM, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Chicago, China, Churchill Downs, Cordish Co., Donald Trump, DraftKings, Economy, Entertainment, Failsinos, FanDuel, Florida, Greenwood Racing, Hard Rock International, history, Internet gambling, Macau, Michigan, Mohegan Sun, Penn National, Pennsylvania, PokerStars, Real Estate, Regulation, Resorts World LV, Rush Street Gaming, Sports betting, Steve Wynn, The Strip, WInd Creek, Wynn Resorts | 3 Comments

Atlantic City surges; Barstool’s Portnoy problem resurfaces

Posted on May 17, 2022 by David McKee

Casino revenue leapt 24% in Atlantic City from last April 2021, pulling in $253 million. Slot revenue rose 21% on 18% more coin-in, easily offsetting a 3% decline in table revenue on flat wagering. Borgata lapped the field, catapulting 60% … Continue reading →

Posted in Arkansas, Atlantic City, Bally, Barstool Sports, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, Colorado, CQ Holdings, Cretins, DraftKings, Golden Nugget, Hard Rock International, Indiana, International, Internet gambling, Louisiana, Marketing, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Michigan, Mohegan Sun, Ocean Resort, Penn National, Regulation, Rush Street Gaming, Sports betting, Tribal, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

DraftKings spins Wall Street; Penn, Golden post records

Posted on May 9, 2022 by David McKee

That widening chasm between DraftKings‘ revenue projections ($2 billion in 2022) and its elusive profitability may be catching up with Jason Robins‘ company. Red ink from 1Q22 was $468 million, way up from 1Q21’s $346 million. Negative ROI shot up … Continue reading →

Posted in Barstool Sports, California, Canada, Colorado, DraftKings, Golden Gaming, Horseracing, Laughlin, Marketing, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mattress Mack, MGM Resorts International, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Problem gambling, Slot routes, Sports betting, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street | 1 Comment

MGM beats forecast, makes overseas play; California controversy

Posted on May 3, 2022 by David McKee

According to Deutsche Bank analyst Carlo Santarelli, the 1Q22 numbers for MGM Resorts International were “better than forecast” in Las Vegas and regionally, nor as bad as expected from Macao. Losses from BetMGM were worse than anticipated. Santarelli predicted cash … Continue reading →

Posted in BetMGM, Boyd Gaming, California, Canada, Card rooms, Cosmopolitan, Dining, Downtown, DraftKings, Economy, Election, Entertainment, FanDuel, Hard Rock International, International, Internet gambling, Japan, Macau, Maine, MGM Resorts International, New York, Pennsylvania, Politics, Resorts World LV, Sports betting, Taxes, The Mob, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation, Tribal, Virginia, Wall Street | Comments Off on MGM beats forecast, makes overseas play; California controversy

Playing politics with gaming

Posted on April 21, 2022 by David McKee

Although the Indian Gaming Association trade show in sunny Anaheim is sucking all the wind out of casino news this week, there’s still movement happening, mostly in the state houses. Take the weird, hybrid sports-betting bill that just passed out … Continue reading →

Posted in Caesars Entertainment, DraftKings, FanDuel, Japan, Maine, MGM Resorts International, Penn National, Politics, Regulation, Sports betting, Taxes, Texas, Tribal | Comments Off on Playing politics with gaming

Parx dethroned; Shreveport sleaze; Maine’s latest bet

Posted on April 18, 2022 by David McKee

Move over, Parx Casino, there’s a new leader in the Pennsylvania gaming market. That’d be Penn National‘s eponymous racino near Harrisburg. For the second month in a row it was tops in the Keystone State, banking $64 million, up 11.5% … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Australia, Bally, Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, China, Churchill Downs, Cordish Co., Crown Resorts, DraftKings, FanDuel, Florida, Golden Nugget, Greenwood Racing, Health, Internet gambling, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Macau, Maine, MGM Resorts International, Michigan, Mohegan Sun, New Jersey, Peninsula Pacific, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Regulation, Rhode Island, Rush Street Gaming, Sports, Sports betting, Taxes, Transportation, Tribal, Virginia, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Parx dethroned; Shreveport sleaze; Maine’s latest bet