Category Archives: Economy

“Empty gesture” in Macao; Big deals for Scientific, Hill

Casinos may have reopened in Macao but coronavirus cannot be so easily wished away. Fears of its spread hit U.S. stock markets hard, with the Dow Jones tumbling 840 points, ceding all 2020 gains. Overseas bourses are taking it hard, too, … Continue reading

Posted in Alabama, Arizona, Atlantic City, China, Culinary Union, Economy, Election, Galaxy Entertainment, Genting, Health, International, Internet gambling, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, MGM Resorts International, Michigan, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Scientific Games, Singapore, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, Sports, Sports betting, Taxes, Tilman Fertitta, Tourism, Tribal, Wall Street, William Hill, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on “Empty gesture” in Macao; Big deals for Scientific, Hill

Saturation hits Connecticut; Culinary waffles on Sanders

So much for Tribal Winds, the satellite casino that was going to counteract MGM Springfield. Its backers are cutting the proposed $300 million investment by one-third. On the plus side, this could be read as a way of saying the … Continue reading

Posted in China, Colorado, Connecticut, Culinary Union, Donald Trump, DraftKings, Economy, Election, Environment, Foxwoods, Harry Reid, Health, history, Macau, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, Pennsylvania, Politics, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, Sports betting, Steve Wynn, Technology | Comments Off on Saturation hits Connecticut; Culinary waffles on Sanders

Wynn dominates Massachusetts; Scientific disappoints

Massachusetts casinos raked in $80 million last month, 60% of that—or $48.5 million—at Encore Boston Harbor. Holding onto a 26% share was MGM Springfield, grossing $20.5 million, while Plainridge Park won $11 million. That was a 10.5% decline for the … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Baseball, Economy, Internet gambling, Japan, Massachusetts, Maverick Gaming, MGM Resorts International, Oklahoma, Penn National, Scientific Games, Sports betting, Taxes, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street, Washington State, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Wynn dominates Massachusetts; Scientific disappoints

New deadline for Oklahoma; Nevada casinos notch new high

Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy DeGiusti has placed the ball on compact renewal squarely back in Oklahoma‘s court. However, he has—to mix metaphors—split the baby quite fairly. And he’s given everyone a ticking clock to make a deal. Both sides are to … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Dining, Economy, Health, Macau, Maryland, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, Nevada, Oklahoma, Sports, Sports betting, Taxes, Tribal, Virginia | 1 Comment

Boom in the Rust Belt

You’d be forgiven if you did a double take upon seeing the latest casino-revenue numbers out of the Midwest. Business is up—to sometimes-unprecedented degrees. Take Ohio, for instance. It’s always a casino-friendly state … but a 19% upsurge in revenue? … Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, Dan Gilbert, DraftKings, Economy, Eldorado Resorts, FanDuel, Full House Resorts, GLPI, Hard Rock International, Illinois, Indiana, MGM Resorts International, Missouri, Ohio, Penn National, Racinos, Rush Street Gaming, Spectacle Entertainment, Sports betting | 2 Comments

“The fix is in”; MGM’s youth movement

Hard Rock International CEO Jim Allen is trying to have it both ways in Greece, saying that Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment hasn’t been awarded the Hellenikon casino concession but that “the fix is in.” Well, is it or isn’t it? … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Australia, Boyd Gaming, Canada, Crown Resorts, Diversity, DraftKings, Economy, Hard Rock International, Health, International, Japan, Las Vegas Sands, Lawrence Ho, Lucky Dragon, Macau, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, Money laundering, Movies, Ocean Resort, Pennsylvania, PokerStars, Singapore, Sports betting, The Strip, Twin River, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Macao closed for business; Tribal troubles

In what once seemed unthinkable, Macao has been ordered to close all 41 of its casinos (and presumably its myriad slot parlors) to inhibit the spread of coronavirus. The inciting incident appears to have been a case of the virus … Continue reading

Posted in Charity, China, Donald Trump, Economy, Election, Galaxy Entertainment, Genting, Health, Macau, Massachusetts, Money laundering, Neil Bluhm, North Dakota, Oregon, Politics, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, Tourism, Transportation, Tribal, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Turnaround at Station; Suburban sexcapades

Things are looking up for Station Casinos. The latest dispatch from JP Morgan analyst Joseph Greff was optimistic, citing “a market that should experience solid 2% to 3% [gross gaming revenue] growth and possesses the ability to harvest margin growth as … Continue reading

Posted in Diversity, Downtown, Economy, Entertainment, International, Kentucky, Las Vegas Raiders, Law enforcement, Mohegan Sun, Pahrump, Palms, Racinos, Real Estate, Regulation, Reno, Station Casinos, Tribal, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Macao: Worse than expected; New deal on Connecticut table

When China gets coronavirus, Macao develops pneumonia. While Wall Street was expecting gaming revenues to dip 2% in January, they fell 11%. Macanese casinos still grossed $2.75 billion, so it’s not like they were hearing crickets. However, February is shaping … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Caesars Entertainment, China, Connecticut, Derek Stevens, Downtown, Economy, Eldorado Resorts, Foxwoods, Health, IGT, Illinois, Japan, Las Vegas Sands, Louisiana, Macau, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Politics, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Sports betting, Tourism, West Virginia | Comments Off on Macao: Worse than expected; New deal on Connecticut table

Penn pulls up a Barstool; Fear and trembling in Macao

As expected, Penn National Gaming bought a significant position in Barstool Sports, investing $135 million cash, $28 million PENN shares, and getting 36% of the two board seats and 36% of the company. The remainder is split between Chernin Group … Continue reading

Posted in China, Derek Stevens, Dining, Donald Trump, Economy, Macau, Movies, Nevada, Penn National, Problem gambling, Reno, Rhode Island, Sports betting, Technology, Wall Street | Comments Off on Penn pulls up a Barstool; Fear and trembling in Macao

Quote of the Day

“As we look across the whole landscape, we think that there are many, many regional assets where we think the cap rate should not only be the equivalent of a luxury Las Vegas resort like a Bellagio, but could potentially … Continue reading

Posted in Economy, MGM Resorts International, Real Estate, The Strip | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Resort fees look ominously permanent; Goodbye, Hard Rock Hotel

Las Vegas is “a market notorious for some of the highest resort fees anywhere.” So writes Hotelsmag.com’s Juliana Shallcross. Big Gaming needn’t be too worried: The Hotel Advertising Transparency Act of 2019 has gone absolutely nowhere in the supposedly liberal House … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Baseball, California, Columbia Sussex, Economy, Florida, Hard Rock Hotel, history, International, Politics, Regulation, Resort fees, Seminole Tribe, Sports betting, Taxes, Technology, Virgin Hotels | 1 Comment

Quote of the Day

“The revenue increase is a positive. Right now the industry should be in ‘grow-the-market’ mode rather than seeking to consolidate profits, so a decrease in profits isn’t necessarily the worst news we could get. Overall, what Atlantic City needs right now … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Economy | 3 Comments

Mohegan Sun in, Hard Rock out; Hoosiers crave sports betting

In a shocking upset, “a source close to the matter” reports that Hard Rock International has been turned down for the Hellenikon megaresort development in Greece. That means the winning bidder is Mohegan Sun. Hard Rock was apparently faulted both … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Caesars Entertainment, Economy, Eldorado Resorts, Hard Rock International, Indiana, International, Iowa, Lake Tahoe, Louisiana, Macau, Mohegan Sun, Pansy Ho, Reno, Sheldon Adelson, Sports betting, Transportation, Wall Street | 2 Comments

Eyes on Atlantic City; ‘Smart chips’ a health menace?

It’s barely 2020 and already The Press of Atlantic City has identified the Boardwalk’s top five stories of the year. They are: 1) The evolving Eldorado Resorts takeover of Caesars Entertainment. Early indications are that Eldorado will try to keep … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Caesars Entertainment, Carl Icahn, Connecticut, Donald Trump, Economy, Eldorado Resorts, Environment, Foxwoods, history, Indiana, Internet gambling, Macau, Marketing, Mohegan Sun, Pennsylvania, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Spectacle Entertainment, Sports betting, Tilman Fertitta, Transportation | 2 Comments

Pacific Rim shots

A lengthy visit by President Xi Jinping may have had something to do with it but, whatever the case, December casino revenue in Macao sucked wind by Macanese standards, down 14%. High rollers were in short supply and continued protests … Continue reading

Posted in China, Economy, Internet gambling, Japan, Las Vegas Sands, Law enforcement, Macau, Politics, Sports, Sports betting, TV | Comments Off on Pacific Rim shots

Georgia solons mull gambling; DraftKings’ big deal

“I do think there’s momentum for something to happen this session,” state Sen. Brandon Beach (R, below) said of legalizing gambling in Georgia, although solons remain undecided on whether to add sports betting to the package they’ll be proposing. “We … Continue reading

Posted in California, DraftKings, Economy, Entertainment, Georgia, Horseracing, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, Neil Bluhm, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Sexual misconduct, Sports betting, Steve Wynn, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off on Georgia solons mull gambling; DraftKings’ big deal

China’s credit bubble; Ocean Resort’s secret formula

China gamblers may be playing today at the expense of tomorrow. Bloomberg reports that Generation Z is borrowing heavily in high-interest debt to fuel its consumerism, a phenomenon that should be of concern in Macao. “Household debt hit levels of … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, China, Culinary Union, DraftKings, Economy, Eldorado Resorts, Internet gambling, Louisiana, Macau, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, New Hampshire, Ocean Resort, Oklahoma, Regulation, Scott Butera, Sexual misconduct, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Tribal, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Louisiana stagnant, Michigan a sports-betting go

An extra weekend day didn’t do bupkis for Louisiana, where November gaming revenues ($205 million) were flat with last year’s. The good news is that Baton Rouge, so troubled a market, was incrementally higher than in 2018. Eldorado Resorts‘ Belle … Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, China, Churchill Downs, Detroit, Economy, Eldorado Resorts, GLPI, Indiana, Internet gambling, Louisiana, Macau, Michigan, Movies, New Jersey, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Sexual misconduct, Sports betting, Taxes, Tilman Fertitta, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off on Louisiana stagnant, Michigan a sports-betting go

Twin River has scandal of its own; Musical chairs in Oklahoma

Twin River Casino can forget about prying the Rhode Island Lottery contract away from International Game Technology. Twin River exec Michael Barlow and a vendor have been hit with a staggering 30 counts of bribery, obtaining property under false pretenses and … Continue reading

Posted in Economy, IGT, Las Vegas Sands, Law enforcement, Macau, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, Tribal, Twin River, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Twin River has scandal of its own; Musical chairs in Oklahoma