Category Archives: Entertainment

Case Bets: Crystals, Baltimore, Mohegan Sun, Macao

Posted on June 27, 2013 by David McKee

Somebody’s finally found a good use for Crystals: as a museum. Daniel Liebeskind‘s design of the property would be more conducive to viewing art than to shopping and it never has trouble drawing lookie-lous. (Customers, eh, not so much.) Somebody … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, CityCenter, Current, Entertainment, Harrah's, Macau, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Sheldon Adelson, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal | 2 Comments

History in the making; Mohegan Sun: Go fly a balloon

Posted on June 25, 2013 by David McKee

Soon, the North Fork Rancheria Band of Mono Indians is expected to become not only California‘s 63rd gaming-enabled tribe but the first with an off-reservation casino. The medium-sized (2,000 slots, 200 hotel rooms) facility would be 36 miles off the … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Cordish Co., Current, Entertainment, Massachusetts, Mesquite, Station Casinos, Tribal | Comments Off

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

Vegas: Bullishness is back; Getting high at the Trop

Posted on June 18, 2013 by David McKee

While we’re still a few years from seeing Resorts World Las Vegas come to fruition, in the meantime, Genting Group would like to tease our interest. It’s asking Clark County for permission to build a couple of “preview centers” on … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Colorado, Current, Economy, Entertainment, Fontainebleau, Genting, Harrah's, International, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Tourism | 1 Comment

Nazarian’s secret weapon?; Vegas still equals value

Posted on June 17, 2013 by David McKee

It’s Monday, so it must be time for another worshipful Sam Nazarian profile in the Los Angeles Times. Sure enough. If you can endure the usual LAT fawning, one will glean some useful facts and inferences — plus a reminder … Continue reading →

Posted in Colony Capital, Current, Entertainment, Genting, MGM Mirage, New York, Politics, Racinos, Sam Nazarian, The Strip, Tourism | 1 Comment

For sale: One mall, slightly used; Sheldon’s big buyback

Posted on June 6, 2013 by David McKee

Buried at the bottom of a J.P. Morgan analyst rep0rt on meetings with MGM Resorts International executives was a real corker: “[W]we would not be surprised to see MGM look to monetize some of CityCenter’s asset base, for example Crystals, … Continue reading →

Posted in CityCenter, Current, Economy, Entertainment, International, Macau, MGM Mirage, Sheldon Adelson, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street | Comments Off

Wall Street visits Vegas: Wynn, Sands & MGM

Posted on June 3, 2013 by David McKee

Like the pig in a ham-and-egg breakfast, Deutsche Bank is committed to Las Vegas, while many of its brethren (like the chicken) merely hold an interest. However, DB’s $4 billion grubstake fortunately does not preclude analyst Carlo Santarelli from dropping … Continue reading →

Posted in Cosmopolitan, Current, Economy, Entertainment, International, Macau, Marketing, Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, Wall Street | Comments Off

PokerStars blows it; Wynn woos Philadelphia

Posted on May 20, 2013 by David McKee

Score one for Colony Capital: It took Rational Group to the cleaners to the tune of $11 million and there’s nothing Rational can do about it. A New Jersey court ruled that the PokerStars parent company had no one to … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Carl Icahn, Colony Capital, Current, Dining, Donald Trump, Economy, Entertainment, Harrah's, Internet gambling, Isle of Capri, Marketing, Neil Bluhm, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Revel, Steve Wynn, Tilman Fertitta, Tropicana Entertainment | 2 Comments

Quote of the Day

Posted on May 17, 2013 by David McKee

Found by Vintage Vegas Valley, a Facebook page you really should “like.” As in, right this minute.

Posted in Entertainment, history, The Mob, The Strip | Comments Off

Profit vs. investment on the Strip

Posted on May 16, 2013 by David McKee

Even if you’re making money on a daily basis, sometimes a casino-resort can be a bad investment. Take Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, which finally posted a profitable quarter. However, at $3.9 billion in construction costs (now at or very near … Continue reading →

Posted in CityCenter, Cosmopolitan, Detroit, Dubai, Economy, Entertainment, Fontainebleau, Genting, Harrah's, MGM Mirage | 1 Comment

Equivocal anniversary for Ohio; In Massachusetts, progress for MGM and Wynn

Posted on May 13, 2013 by David McKee

So, as Ohio marks the first full year of casino play, is the glass half-full or half-empty. Currently, much is being made of Horseshoe Cleveland having brought in less than half of greatly over-ambitious expectations (and 12% less than what … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Current, Dan Gilbert, Dining, Economy, Entertainment, Harrah's, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Ohio, Penn National, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Steve Wynn, Taxes, Tourism | 3 Comments

Macao in five minutes or less

Posted on May 7, 2013 by David McKee

… starring our old friend Jonathan Galaviz, expert on gaming affairs along the Pacific Rim. But a life-sized Shrek in a casino? WTF?

Posted in Current, Economy, Entertainment, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho, Tourism | Comments Off

Cirque du Soleil: “One”-plus

Posted on May 7, 2013 by David McKee

Media previews are a double-edged sword. They can be a cheap way of drumming up advance press but can also betray a project in trouble: Surf the Musical was obviously going to be dead on arrival. And it was. Given … Continue reading →

Posted in Cirque du Soleil, Current, Entertainment, MGM Mirage, The Strip | 3 Comments

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

“Pin Up” begs to be taken down

Posted on May 3, 2013 by David McKee

We saw Claire Sinclair‘s new show at Stratosphere the other night … or rather, ‘saw as much as we could withstand.’ Our attention and sitzfleisch gave out around the one-hour mark, with at least another 30 minutes stretching before us. … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Entertainment, The Strip | Comments Off

Pinnacle/Ameristar: A done deal; Elaine Wynn’s domino effect

Posted on April 29, 2013 by David McKee

All but a very few Ameristar Casinos shareholders voted to approve the company’s takeover by Pinnacle Entertainment, in one of the fastest M&A deals in industry memory. Regulatory approvals are still pending in Nevada and other states but Ameristar always … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Dining, Entertainment, Harrah's, Indiana, Iowa, Macau, MGM Mirage, Missouri, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Regulation, Steve Wynn, Wall Street | Comments Off

Tamares: The dead walk among us

Posted on April 11, 2013 by David McKee

Uh-oh. This is not good. Tamares Group is going to cease taking room bookings at the Vegas Club. In an ominous phrase, it’s “evaluating its options” for the hotel-casino, whose gambling floor and other amenities are but a pallid shadow … Continue reading →

Posted in Derek Stevens, Dining, Downtown, Economy, Entertainment, Hard Rock Hotel, Harrah's, history, Hooters, International, Tamares Group, Terry Caudill, Tilman Fertitta, Tourism | 5 Comments

Revel: It was all downhill from here

Posted on April 8, 2013 by David McKee

Yeah, Beyoncé is a hard act to follow but who knew that Revel would fall so far, so fast? So enjoy this brief moment when things looked so very promising* … in the meantime, I’m running down leads on some … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, Dining, Downtown, Entertainment, Gary Goett, history, Michael Gaughan, North Las Vegas, Revel, Station Casinos, Tamares Group | 6 Comments

Exit Drai’s, enter Gansevoort

Posted on March 19, 2013 by David McKee

Although East Coast-based Gansevoort Hotel Group isn’t a household name around Las Vegas, it soon could be, if a planned collaboration with Caesars Entertainment comes to fruition. The latter had briefly planned to re-do Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall & Saloon as … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Current, Entertainment, Harrah's, history, Marketing, Michael Gaughan | 1 Comment

Now it can be told …

Posted on March 19, 2013 by David McKee

One of the things keeping me away from the S&G desk of late has been a trifle called Betrayal by Harold Pinter, which I’ve been staging for Las Vegas Little Theatre Studio and which opened last Friday (it runs through … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Entertainment, history, The Strip | Comments Off