Category Archives: Election

Chicken Lady rides again

Posted on July 31, 2013 by David McKee

Responding to the deafening disinterest of a Nevada electorate that has largely forgotten her, Pioneer Hotel & Gambling Hall Treasurer Sue Lowden — touting her casino expertise — has thrown her tiara into the ring in the contest to be … Continue reading →

Posted in Archon Corp., Current, Election, Laughlin, Sheldon Adelson | Comments Off

Silly in Philly; Dinosaurs in Macao; New York’s choice

Posted on July 31, 2013 by David McKee

From the silly file. There’s no reason that any Joe Blow can’t apply for a casino license in Philadelphia. But I get a kick out of fruit-and-vegetable mogul Joseph “Tomato King” Procacci thinking he can actually outdo the likes of … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Election, Isle of Capri, Macau, New York, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Problem gambling, Regulation, Stanley Ho, Steve Wynn, Taxes | Comments Off

Scramble in Massachusetts; Malaise in Mississippi

Posted on July 23, 2013 by David McKee

Sept. 24 is the day appointed for voters in Leominster to say “aye” or “nay” to a slot parlor proposed by Cordish Gaming. That’s nine days before the deadline for submitting voter-approved HCAs to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. Which, in … Continue reading →

Posted in Cordish Co., Current, Economy, Election, Florida, Foxwoods, Genting, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Mohegan Sun, Neil Bluhm, Sheldon Adelson, The Strip, Transportation, Tribal | 1 Comment

Wynn checkmated in Everett?; Cordish sees Penn, raises ante

Posted on July 22, 2013 by David McKee

As we all would agree, Suffolk Downs doesn’t have the capitalization, the track record or the leadership that Wynn Resorts does. However, Richard Fields and Harvard homeboy Gary Loveman have a big something going for them: juice. I expected their … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Cordish Co., Current, Dining, Election, Foxwoods, Genting, Harrah's, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Revel, Steve Wynn, Taxes, Tribal | 1 Comment

Wynn wins big; Foxwoods and Mohegans try harder

Posted on June 24, 2013 by David McKee

As expected, voters in Everett, Massachusetts, went to the polls, expressed their approval of Wynn Resorts‘ proposed resort — and it wasn’t even close. Opposition was obliterated, 86% to 14%. Where the burghers of tony Foxborough had turned up their … Continue reading →

Posted in Culinary Union, Election, Entertainment, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, New Hampshire, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, Tourism, Tribal | 2 Comments

Wynn Everett a slam dunk?; Caesars In(ter)active

Posted on June 21, 2013 by David McKee

It’s looking that way. Amounts donated by Wynn Resorts and Wynn affiliates toward this weekend’s referendum: $465,000. Amount spent in opposition: $0. That’s right, nothing. Steve Wynn has also been careful not to stir up potential anti-casino ire by avoiding media … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Election, Harrah's, Internet gambling, Massachusetts, Regulation, Steve Wynn | Comments Off

Illinois: Not so fast!; Adelson pursues world domination

Posted on May 30, 2013 by David McKee

It really looked like the fix was in, the deal was done and existing casino operators in Illinois were about to thrown to the slaughter by legislators hungry for licensing fees. But the wheels of the grand plan are coming … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Election, Illinois, International, Macau, Neil Bluhm, Penn National, Politics, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Slot routes, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Christie’s big bet; New Hampshire’s big blunder; Nevada’s big bully

Posted on May 23, 2013 by David McKee

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) is banking on $180 million in Internet casino revenue to make his budget work. That might be a little off — if by “little” you mean 80%. Online wagering could bring in a comparatively … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Dan Gilbert, Detroit, Economy, Election, Harrah's, International, Internet gambling, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Politics, Slot routes, Sports, Station Casinos, Taxes, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Big vote in Beantown?; Penn National short-sheets Maryland

Posted on May 14, 2013 by David McKee

That’s what it could come to in Boston, if mayoral candidate — and current Suffolk County D.A. — Daniel Conley gets his wish. Rather than simply letting East Boston vote up or down on Caesars Entertainment‘s proposed conversion of Suffolk … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Current, Election, Harrah's, Internet gambling, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Penn National, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Station Casinos | 2 Comments

Gaming suffers rare defeat; Big rush in Springfield

Posted on May 8, 2013 by David McKee

It’s a longstanding tradition in Iowa that voters, once they’ve voted to approve a casino in their county, never have second thoughts. Selling non-gaming counties on new casinos, however, is a different story. Take Norwalk County, for instance, where a … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Cordish Co., Current, Election, Iowa, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, New Hampshire, Politics, Tribal, Warner Gaming | Comments Off

Happy days: Here again?; DIY Vdara Death Ray

Posted on May 6, 2013 by David McKee

America‘s casino officially emerged from the doldrums with the release of the American Gaming Association‘s yearly survey, showing a 5% increase in private-sector casino revenue, just $200 million shy of 2007’s record amount. Mind you, we have quite a few … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Atlantic City, Cannery Casino Resorts, Current, Economy, Election, Entertainment, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Penn National, Politics, Steve Wynn, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism, Vdara Death Ray | 1 Comment

Steve Wynn turns into Debbie Downer; Caesars’ screwy priorities

Posted on May 2, 2013 by David McKee

Yes, the recovery in Las Vegas could be said to be a chastened and limping one. The national press will leap at just about anything to restart the “Vegas is back” narrative. And yes, CityCenter ROI improved exponentially … to … Continue reading →

Posted in CityCenter, Current, Economy, Election, Harrah's, Horseracing, Macau, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Racinos, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, The Strip | 6 Comments

MGM back into Atlantic City?

Posted on February 8, 2013 by David McKee

MGM Resorts International has a 50% stake in Borgata that nobody wants … except MGM. In bolstering move that Atlantic City sorely needs, MGM may get to reclaim its half of the resort (with the support of partner Boyd Gaming), … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Current, Economy, Election, Horseracing, Internet gambling, Macau, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Penn National, Regulation, Stanley Ho, The Mob | 1 Comment

All roads lead to Springfield

Posted on February 6, 2013 by David McKee

That idyllic scene above is not Massachusetts but Vermont. However, the Green Mountain State is not only shaped like a funnel, it is one, an untapped market just waiting to be drained by whichever casino lands the coveted western Massachusetts … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Architecture, Economy, Election, Harrah's, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Pinnacle Entertainment, Politics, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off

Penn lowers sights; Sands’ $3 billion quarter

Posted on January 31, 2013 by David McKee

Penn National Gaming trimmed its 2013 revenue projections today by 3% — not surprising, given the “headwinds” represented by recent tax changes that will eat into Americans’ discretionary income. Sluggish early slot performance in the Columbus and Toledo markets was … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Economy, Election, Marketing, Maryland, Ohio, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, The Strip, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Would you trust Gary Loveman with your Social Security?

Posted on January 17, 2013 by David McKee

In addition to presiding over the most grotesquely indebted company — by far — in the casino industry, Caesars Entertainment CEO/President/Chairman/Pontifex Maximus/Generalissimo Gary Loveman also wants to dictate the manner in which we eke out our “golden years.” Amazingly, somebody … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Dan Gilbert, Economy, Election, Harrah's, history, International, Louisiana, Macau, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Problem gambling, TV, Wall Street | 14 Comments

CityCenter’s clearance sale; Ameristar’s secret admirer

Posted on December 27, 2012 by David McKee

After a long, abyssal plunge, Las Vegas‘ real estate market has bottomed out — or so knowledgeable people tell me. Seems that the banks ’round here ignored Mitt Romney‘s (bad) advice to dump the “shadow inventory” en masse into the … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, CityCenter, Current, Donald Trump, Economy, Election, Harrah's, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Missouri, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Sheldon Adelson, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off

Pinnacle punks Penn, swipes Ameristar

Posted on December 21, 2012 by David McKee

We’ve learned two important things today. One, that the Mayan calendar is not the most reliable predictor of events. Two, that Ameristar Casinos‘ on-again/off-again talk about putting itself up for sale was back in “on” mode. Before hardly anybody got … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Columbia Sussex, Cordish Co., Current, Dan Lee, Economy, Election, Goldman Sachs, Harrah's, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Missouri, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Pinnacle Entertainment, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, Taxes, Texas, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Wynn comes (back) to Massachusetts; Revel’s rattling tin cup

Posted on December 5, 2012 by David McKee

Despite several months of doom-and-gloom economic predictions from Steve Wynn, the mogul has decided to “buy American” again, not only returning to the site of previous skirmishes (Philadelphia) but also taking a second run at Massachusetts. S&G was no fan … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Atlantic City, Cannery Casino Resorts, Current, Economy, Election, Environment, Harrah's, Marketing, Massachusetts, Neil Bluhm, Pennsylvania, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Revel, Steve Wynn, Tourism, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off

The bigger-than-ever loser; Shania’s rump rocks Vegas

Posted on December 3, 2012 by David McKee

If Sheldon Adelson played the ponies as he does politics, he’d enter a Shetland in the Kentucky Derby and put all his money on it to win. What could be better than knowing the Las Vegas Sands CEO blew $100 … Continue reading →

Posted in Cirque du Soleil, Current, Downtown, Election, Entertainment, Harrah's, Macau, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Tamares Group, The Strip | 1 Comment