Category Archives: Election

Colorado casinos: Four votes, four wins

Posted on January 21, 2009 by David McKee

After a statewide vote approved 'round-the-clock operation at Colorado's non-tribal casinos (along with a 20X increase in betting limits and a wider repertory of games), the measure wasn't home and dry. It had to be voted through in Cripple Creek, … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Colorado, Election, Isle of Capri, Penn National, Regulation, Riviera | Comments Off on Colorado casinos: Four votes, four wins

Good thing they don't gamble … do they?

Posted on January 9, 2009 by David McKee

(Well, only with their shareholders' money, perhaps.) Huffington Post, with the considerable assistance of VegasTripping.com, has sifted through the contributions of casino industry moguls during the last election cycle and all I can say is I'm sure glad these folks' … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Columbia Sussex, Election, Fontainebleau, George Maloof, Harrah's, Kentucky, MGM Mirage, Phil Ruffin, Politics, Sheldon Adelson, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Tilman Fertitta | Comments Off on Good thing they don't gamble … do they?

Vegas electoral oddity

Posted on November 24, 2008 by David McKee

Today's Las Vegas Sun has a precinct-by-precinct breakdown of how President-elect Barack Obama won the Las Vegas metro area. In colorful map form, it shows Obama winning Downtown (handily) and most of the Strip … save for MGM Mirage's string … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Election, Lake Las Vegas, MGM Mirage, The Strip | Comments Off on Vegas electoral oddity

Five years ago today …

Posted on November 6, 2008 by David McKee

 … Columbia Sussex came to town. Considering that CEO William J. Yung III purchased a dead, disreputable hotel-casino and put $90 million into reworking it into an attractive property (people whose judgment I trust swear by the comfiness of its … Continue reading →

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Casino Vote '08: Dan Lee's the big winner

Posted on November 5, 2008 by David McKee

JP Morgan has proclaimed Pinnacle Entertainment “the biggest winner this election day.” By voting to both lift the cap on buy-ins and the close Missouri to additional casinos, Show-Me State voters delivered a gift to Pinnacle CEO Dan Lee, who … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Colorado, Current, Election, Gary Goett, Horseracing, Indiana, Maryland, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Pinnacle Entertainment, Politics, Regulation, Taxes | Comments Off on Casino Vote '08: Dan Lee's the big winner

Columbia Sussex contest

Posted on November 5, 2008 by David McKee

I’ve got to confess that bond-market lingo is hardly my strong suit. So can anyone out there explain what this bulletin means for casino industry pariah Columbia Sussex? One loan remains in the pool: Columbia Sussex, which has been fully … Continue reading →

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Winners & Losers

Posted on November 5, 2008 by David McKee

And now the obligatory post-Election, What’s-it-all-about-Alfie roundup … Culinary Union 1, Casino CEOs O: True, the Culinary tripped all over its own feet in the early going, leading to Democratic caucuses that weren’t so much “Barackular” as “debacular.” But D. … Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska, Ameristar, Atlantic City, California, Colorado, Current, Donald Trump, Economy, Election, Florida, Gary Goett, Harrah's, IGT, Internet gambling, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Missouri, Pinnacle Entertainment, Politics, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, Taxes, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off on Winners & Losers

Senate prediction: feeling good

Posted on November 3, 2008 by David McKee

I've been checking Intrade's election "futures" markets and, if you "buy" Sen. John McCain at 9.9 you could collect on the longshot of a lifetime. (I'm of the pessimistic "I'll believe an Obama win when I see it and not … Continue reading →

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'Show Me' more money

Posted on October 31, 2008 by David McKee

Missouri voters are being asked to approve a constitutional amendment, submitted by Ameristar Casinos executive Troy Stremming, which would make a couple of significant changes in how business is done in Show-Me State casinos. (The full version is here, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Election, Missouri, Pinnacle Entertainment | Comments Off on 'Show Me' more money

Just say ‘no’

Posted on October 25, 2008 by David McKee

Fall is in the air here and so is election fever. I’m just back from early voting and a honkin’ big Obama rally is gearing up on the other side of town, so the mind is full of matters electoral. … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Election, Reno, Taxes, The Strip | Comments Off on Just say ‘no’

Case Bets: Sands bankruptcy?; California spite, Ted Binion still dead, etc.

Posted on October 24, 2008 by David McKee

The ‘B’ word. Yup, somebody finally said it. Stifel Nicolaus & Co. analyst Steven Wieczynski blames The Big Sands Sell-off on fears that “Las Vegas Sands is in jeopardy of running out of cash and going bankrupt.” Sands stock closed … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, California, Election, Harrah's, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Politics, Sheldon Adelson, The Strip, Tribal, TV, Wall Street | Comments Off on Case Bets: Sands bankruptcy?; California spite, Ted Binion still dead, etc.

Adelson's megaphone muted

Posted on October 22, 2008 by David McKee

If Sen. John McCain pulls off the Nov. 4 comeback he’s predicting, it won’t be any thanks to Sheldon Adelson, who puts his mouth where his money is. (Hence those queasy-making odes to Chinese totalitarianism: “People seem to be living … Continue reading →

Posted in Columbia Sussex, Election, Kentucky, Macau, Pennsylvania, Sheldon Adelson | Comments Off on Adelson's megaphone muted

Penn impresses analysts

Posted on September 12, 2008 by David McKee

Penn National threw open its doors to Wall Street and JP Morgan, for one, came away impressed by what it heard. Basically, management is charting a fiscally conservative course, even though it could eventually reap $1.2 billion from its busted … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Colorado, Election, Harrah's, Penn National, Taxes, Wall Street | Comments Off on Penn impresses analysts

Headless owner in topless bar

Posted on September 8, 2008 by David McKee

“It is amazing how people get religion once they want a gaming license,” said then-Nevada Gaming Control Board member Brian Harris, back in December ’98, in one of the all-time-great casino-related quotes. Harris’ statement came in connection with the license-application … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Election, Regulation, The Strip | Comments Off on Headless owner in topless bar

Alaska nixes gambling; Politics here, Harrah's there

Posted on September 2, 2008 by David McKee

With Alaska and its governor all over the news of late, I got to wondering what had become of that ballot initiative, backed by bar owners, to expand gambling in Alaska. As it happens, the initiative was voted down, the … Continue reading →

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Man Bites Dog Dept.

Posted on August 4, 2008 by David McKee

A Republican senator running for reelection on the strength of his good relationship with … Sen. Barack Obama?!? Between that and the strong possibility that Sen. John McCain could win the presidency and yet see the national GOP sustain tremendous … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Election, Politics, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off on Man Bites Dog Dept.

America's biggest celebrity

Posted on July 31, 2008 by David McKee

Sen. John McCain‘s presidential campaign rolled out a unique tactic this week: complaining that McCain’s opponent is more popular and famous. I suppose you could call it “out of the box” thinking, though it seems a tad whiny to me. … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Current, Election, Pets, Politics, TV | Comments Off on America's biggest celebrity

Case Bets: Meow!; Dr. Death; Spineless Dems

Posted on July 29, 2008 by David McKee

Diss of the Day. “Having just raised the newsstand price for weekday and Saturday editions by 50 percent, the Las Vegas Review-Journal announced Monday it has eliminated sections of the paper as a cost-cutting measure.” — lead sentence of the … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Current, Election, Environment, Politics, The Strip | Comments Off on Case Bets: Meow!; Dr. Death; Spineless Dems

R-J to Vegas: "We're Podunk"

Posted on May 23, 2008 by David McKee

Warning: The following blog post contains ridicule of the Las Vegas Review-Journal and a Republican senator with good hair. No actual copies of the R-J were harmed in the writing of this post. ***** There I was, thinking that I … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Downtown, Election, Politics, The Strip | Comments Off on R-J to Vegas: "We're Podunk"

The Alystra is toast

Posted on May 14, 2008 by David McKee

OK, so it was a derelict that's been closed for 10 years and unlikely ever to reopen. But the Alystra is now officially "a total loss." Too bad. It was an attractive building that happened to sit in a sort … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Boulder Strip, Election, Harrah's, Penn National, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson | 1 Comment