Category Archives: Florida

Sheldon covets Florida … again

Posted on November 5, 2013 by David McKee

It wouldn’t be a week in the gaming industry if Sheldon Adelson didn’t manage to bigfoot one issue or another. This time it’s Florida, where the Legislature is in the preliminary throes of grappling with casino expansion once again. Adelson … Continue reading →

Posted in Florida, Macau, MGM Mirage, Neil Bluhm, Pennsylvania, Politics, Problem gambling, Sheldon Adelson, Taxes | Comments Off

Big win for Wynn; Murren in the spotlight; Lies, damned lies and Sheldon Adelson

Posted on November 1, 2013 by David McKee

In a disappointing but entirely predictable result, the Nevada Supreme Court ruled that Nevada law permits employers to confiscate and redistribute tips received by employees (euphemistically referred to as “tip sharing”). Now, if a I stuck a gun in your … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Election, Florida, Harrah's, Marketing, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, New York, Palms, Pennsylvania, Revel, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, Steve Wynn, The Mob, Tourism | 3 Comments

Boyd gets ‘F’ on report; Disney’s double gamble

Posted on October 28, 2013 by David McKee

“Boyd is a highly leveraged casino play that has no exposure to high growth Asian markets.” With those words, Seeking Alpha concludes a severe assessment of Boyd Gaming, an investment upon which it frowns, despite being at a five-year high. … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Economy, Florida, New York | Comments Off

One scandal in 141 seconds

Posted on October 23, 2013 by David McKee

For those of you who want to catch up quickly on the Florida dragnet that snared dozens of Internet betting parlors in a scandal, here’s a one-shot primer.

Posted in Current, Florida, Internet gambling, Regulation | Comments Off

Yard sale at Caesars; Disney vs. Genting; New boss at Revel

Posted on October 11, 2013 by David McKee

“It’s a lot of crap.” That’s the verdict of one auctioneer, sussing out the surplus merchandise on view at The Rio, site of a big surplus-inventory sale by Caesars Entertainment. One doesn’t even have to be there to bid. You … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Florida, Genting, Harrah's, Macau, Politics, Revel, Station Casinos, Tribal | Comments Off

Florida: Clear as mud; MGM lands Lakers

Posted on October 9, 2013 by David McKee

So, the Florida Lege commissioned this $400,000 study of casino expansion and nobody can agree on what it means. Spectrum Gaming Group, which performed the survey, is having to explain why it projected so much more revenue when Genting Group … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Delaware, Economy, Florida, Genting, MGM Mirage, Politics, Racinos, Sports, The Strip, Tribal | Comments Off

Florida: State of frustration

Posted on October 2, 2013 by David McKee

Given its mix of climate, tourism and geographic isolation from other U.S. casinos, Florida has always seemed a natural for casino expansion. Yet it remains — unless you’re the Seminole Tribe — a stubbornly disappointing market. That perception is unlikely … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Florida, Genting, Ohio, Tourism, Tribal | 1 Comment

Caesars spooks Wall Street; Florida fumbles

Posted on September 26, 2013 by David McKee

Not surprisingly, Caesars Entertainment stock took a dip this morning. Why the lack of surprise? The company is further diluting its value by preparing to issue 10 million additional shares of common stock. “While we would view the announcement as … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Donald Trump, Florida, Harrah's, Internet gambling, Phil Ruffin, Politics, Racinos, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, Taxes, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Setback for New Jersey; Doom for Mathis; Tribal magic

Posted on September 17, 2013 by David McKee

Federal judges gave the boot to the Garden State’s attempt to enter the mega-lucrative sports betting market. A subset of the Third Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals upheld a reading of the Professional & Amateur Sports Betting Act … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Florida, Internet gambling, Oklahoma, Regulation, Tribal | Comments Off

Wynn hearts Atlantic City; A pointless election

Posted on August 22, 2013 by David McKee

Update: Penn National Gaming has been tipped as a potential buyer for disqualified Plainridge Racecourse. The city has already scheduled a Sept. 10 vote on a slot parlor, so Penn would have less than three weeks to negotiate the essential … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Colony Capital, Cordish Co., Current, Election, Florida, Internet gambling, Massachusetts, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Revel, Steve Wynn | 2 Comments

Better late than never in A.C.

Posted on August 21, 2013 by David McKee

Under the leadership of the Atlantic City Alliance, the Boardwalk is finally getting its act together. (Makes you feel like a proud papa, doesn’t it?) Now through 2016, the ACA will offer $1 million in annual subsidies to conventions. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Current, Economy, Florida, Macau, Racinos, Revel, Tourism | 1 Comment

Murren disses Adelson; Caesars bows out of Macao; Clerical choler

Posted on August 12, 2013 by David McKee

“Maybe because he’s rich he thinks people care about what he has to say. It’s obvious we know Las Vegas better than he does.” With those wordsMGM Resorts International CEO Jim Murren laid a surprisingly blunt smackdown on Las Vegas … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Florida, Harrah's, James Packer, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Problem gambling, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Wall Street | 3 Comments

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

Caesars: You only buy twice; To Russia with Ho; Land in (dis)trust

Posted on July 12, 2013 by David McKee

Do you already own stock in Caesars Entertainment? Congratulations. Thanks to the Nevada Gaming Control Board, you will have an opportunity to pay a second time for some of Caesars’ assets. Although it hopes to raise $1.2 billion from the … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Florida, Harrah's, International, Internet gambling, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Maryland, Ohio, Planet Hollywood, Regulation, Tribal, Wall Street | 2 Comments

Jumped, pushed or just fed up?

Posted on June 26, 2013 by David McKee

All of a sudden there’s a spate of turnover in the gaming industry. The ongoing verbal meltdown of Paula Deen was going to have to force Caesars Entertainment to take some form of action, particularly if it wants to preserve … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Cretins, Current, Dining, Florida, Genting, Harrah's, Illinois, Indiana, International, Mississippi, Sheldon Adelson, Tribal, Wall Street | 3 Comments

Retrenchment at Caesars; New brooms at Revel

Posted on May 9, 2013 by David McKee

It was one of the stupefying follies of the Caesars Entertainment LBO that CEO Gary Loveman believed the company could take on $30 billion in debt and continue to expand. Even as he tries to reshuffle old assets into new … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Atlantic City, Current, Economy, Florida, Harrah's, Iowa, Marketing, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Ohio, Revel, Tourism, Warner Gaming | 1 Comment

The tale of Big and Little Caesars

Posted on April 23, 2013 by David McKee

If you have been waiting for the moment to sell your Caesars Entertainment stock and get out unscathed, even making a tidy profit, that moment is now. Actually, it was March 20 this year, when CZR hit an all-time high … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Florida, Harrah's, history, International, Internet gambling, Maryland, Massachusetts, Planet Hollywood, The Strip, Wall Street | 3 Comments

Echelon no more: Boyd humiliated yet again; Caesars pulls another plug

Posted on March 4, 2013 by David McKee

If you’ll pardon my vulgarity, shit got real while I was tied up with other projects. Last week’s sale of excess baggage Dania Jai-Alai in Florida was just a tiny prelude to this morning’s blockbuster: Echelon is kaput. Instead, Boyd Gaming … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Carl Icahn, CityCenter, Current, Downtown, Economy, Environment, Florida, Fontainebleau, Genting, Harrah's, history, International, Kansas, Mississippi, New York, Plaza, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Sahara, Singapore, Station Casinos, The Strip, Wall Street | 7 Comments

Pinnacle expands, Boyd loses face

Posted on February 28, 2013 by David McKee

Jeez, I go on sabbatical to attend to other writing commitments and hella history breaks loose: Internet gambling is now the law of Nevada and New Jersey (so much for federal legalization being “just around the corner,” huh?), Caesars Entertainment … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Current, Florida, Harrah's, Internet gambling, Louisiana, Pinnacle Entertainment, Politics, The Strip | 4 Comments

Case Bets: Magic Mike; Bahamas boo gambling; New moves in Massachusetts, Philly

Posted on January 30, 2013 by David McKee

Sheldon Adelson being too busy trying to dictate American foreign policy, it was left to his Number Two Man, COO Michael Leven (left) to go to Toronto and make the case for a Las Vegas Sands megaresort. Leven soft-pedaled the … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Dan Gilbert, Florida, Harrah's, International, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Steve Wynn, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation, Tribal | 2 Comments