Category Archives: Fontainebleau

Wynn spits out SPAC; Penn slammed; Indiana impresses

Headlines are still being made by Wynn Resorts this week. Shockwaves continue to reverberate from CEO Matt Maddox‘s surprise retirement, nearly one year ahead of schedule. His departure comes at a delicate point in negotiations with Macao (or should we … Continue reading

Posted in Bally, Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Cordish Co., DraftKings, Drugs, Entertainment, FanDuel, Fontainebleau, Full House Resorts, Golden Gaming, Hard Rock International, Indiana, International, Internet gambling, Macau, Marketing, New York, Penn National, Pennsylvania, PointsBet, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Tribal, TV, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 2 Comments

Encore dominates Massachusetts; Penn touted; Fontainebleau jilted

Gaming revenues in Massachusetts were up 10% from September 2019, reaching $89 million. The lion’s share (65%) went to Encore Boston Harbor, leaping 17.5% to $57.5 million—$7 million more than Deutsche Bank analyst Carlo Santarelli expected. (Encore also disclosed some … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Caesars Entertainment, Detroit, DraftKings, Economy, Entertainment, FanDuel, Fontainebleau, FoxBet, Golden Nugget, Health, Internet gambling, Lake Tahoe, Marketing, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Michigan, Mohegan Sun, Ocean Resort, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Rush Street Gaming, Singapore, Sports, Sports betting, Steven Witkoff, The Strip, TV, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Business comeback fuels Strip; Massachusetts fumbles sports betting

Las Vegas Strip room rates continue to demonstrate sustained strength through October and, get this, midweek traffic is driving the bus. Overall, weekday prices are up 22% versus 17% on weekends. MGM Resorts International is the pace car, +24% midweek … Continue reading

Posted in Caesars Entertainment, California, Card rooms, Connecticut, Derek Stevens, Economy, Fontainebleau, Health, IGT, International, Japan, Las Vegas Raiders, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, Politics, Resorts World LV, Singapore, Sports, Sports betting, Taxes, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Caesars massacres table games, renames Superdome; Bally’s boffo

At the risk of flogging a deceased equine, the emperor at Caesars Entertainment has yet again showed himself to be without clothes. The latest Eldorado-ization of the Roman Empire is the wholesale slaughter of table games along the Las Vegas … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Australia, Bally, Caesars Entertainment, Crown Resorts, Dining, Eldorado Resorts, Fontainebleau, Hard Rock International, Illinois, Jack Entertainment, Louisiana, Macau, Maryland, MGM Resorts International, Regulation, Resorts World LV, Rush Street Gaming, Sports, Taxes, The Strip, Virginia, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 5 Comments

Real estate frenzy on the Strip; Barrack busted; Masks redux

Setting foot inside Aztec Inn Casino is not for the faint of heart. But its owners think they’re sitting on a gold mine. It and a gaggle of properties that includes Golden Skull Tattoo and Diversity Tattoo is on the … Continue reading

Posted in BetMGM, Caesars Entertainment, California, Colony Capital, Donald Trump, DraftKings, Fontainebleau, Health, International, Law enforcement, MGM Resorts International, Phil Ruffin, PointsBet, Real Estate, Reno, Sports, Sports betting, Steven Witkoff, The Strip, Tribal | 1 Comment

A.C.: A month to forget; Trump sticks it to Miami

Casino revenue headed 32% south in Atlantic City last month, to $148 million. Those were augmented with $46 million in sports-betting dollars and $94 million from Internet gambling (+80%), so that probably counts as a silver lining to a dark … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Bally, Barstool Sports, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, Cordish Co., Donald Trump, DraftKings, FanDuel, Florida, Fontainebleau, FoxBet, Genting, Golden Nugget, Greenwood Racing, Hard Rock International, MGM Resorts International, Michigan, Mohegan Sun, New Jersey, New York, Ocean Resort, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Real Estate, Rush Street Gaming, Seminole Tribe, Sports, Sports betting, Tribal, Wall Street, William Hill, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

F-blue returns from the grave; Caesars socks it to you

The Thing That Wouldn’t Die, aka Fontainebleau, is back again. Former owner Steven Witkoff has sold it to Koch Real Estate Investments for an undisclosed price. Considering that Witkoff bought it from Carl Icahn for $600 million and estimated that … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Caesars Entertainment, Carl Icahn, Economy, Eldorado Resorts, Entertainment, Fontainebleau, Harry Reid, history, Horseracing, Illinois, Law enforcement, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, Planet Hollywood, Racinos, Resorts World LV, Steven Witkoff, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation, Tribal, Virgin Hotels, Wall Street | 5 Comments

Circa debut boosts Downtown; Lots of moving, shaking predicted for ’21

Although casinos across the nation have been swooning in November, results in Nevada—which we feared would take it worse than average—were in line with national trends, a victory of sorts. Statewide, gaming win fell 18% and the Las Vegas Strip, … Continue reading

Posted in Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Cirque du Soleil, Derek Stevens, Dotty's, Downtown, Economy, Failsinos, Fontainebleau, GLPI, Internet gambling, Lake Tahoe, Las Vegas Sands, Laughlin, Mesquite, MGM Resorts International, Nevada, North Las Vegas, Palms, Planet Hollywood, Regulation, Reno, Resorts World LV, Seminole Tribe, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, Sports betting, Station Casinos, The Rio, The Strip, Virgin Hotels, Wendover, William Hill | 2 Comments

The Drew is through; Stevens’ green shoots

Would somebody please implode Fontainebleau already? It’s an eyesore, a civic embarrassment and a product for which demand does not exist. We perhaps should be saying “The Drew” but—per Scott Roeben‘s all-but-infallible VitalVegas, The Drew is in default, meaning that … Continue reading

Posted in Baseball, Carl Icahn, Derek Stevens, Downtown, Economy, Fontainebleau, Health, Horseracing, Illinois, Phil Ruffin, South Korea, Sports, Sports betting, Steven Witkoff, Technology, Tourism, Transportation | 1 Comment

Penn/Barstool deal a home run; Blatstein lightens Showboat ship

Shares of Penn National Gaming jumped 12% on news of its 36% acquisition of Barstool Sports. Penn plans to unroll a Barstool-branded line of sports books, online applications and mobile-wagering services. Barstool, in turn, will promote Penn until 2060 … … Continue reading

Posted in AGA, Atlantic City, Caesars Entertainment, Derek Stevens, Downtown, Fontainebleau, Golden Gaming, Hard Rock Hotel, Japan, Las Vegas Sands, LVCVA, Massachusetts, Maverick Gaming, MGM Resorts International, Palms, Penn National, Problem gambling, Regulation, Resorts World LV, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Steven Witkoff, Technology, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street, Washington State, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

California scheming; Exploitation in Cambodia

Don’t hold your water but lawmakers in California have gone so far as to hold an actual, living, breathing, preliminary hearing (emphasis on “preliminary”) on the issue of sports betting. The endgame here is not to legalize sports betting via the … Continue reading

Posted in California, Cosmopolitan, Dining, Election, Fontainebleau, International, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Palms, Politics, Regulation, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Steven Witkoff, The Strip, Tribal, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on California scheming; Exploitation in Cambodia

Why does Massachusetts suck?

Did the casino industry drink its own bathwater vis-a-vis Massachusetts? The Boston Globe asks “whether the industry didn’t fully understand how tough it would be to attract gamblers in a regional market that has become increasingly competitive.” Both Encore Boston … Continue reading

Posted in Carl Icahn, Economy, Fontainebleau, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, New York, Penn National, Steven Witkoff, Taxes, The Strip, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

The Drew makes bold promises; GLPI gleeful

Steven Witkoff buried the lead when announcing that Bobby Baldwin had been called out of retirement to become CEO of The Drew. Witkoff’s PR peeps said that the project was in “final preparations for construction,” which is the first movement … Continue reading

Posted in Ameristar, Caesars Entertainment, California, CityCenter, Detroit, DFS, Dining, Fontainebleau, G2E, GLPI, history, Las Vegas Sands, Lotteries, Louisiana, Macau, Maryland, Michigan, Politics, Sports betting, Taxes, The Strip, Tribal, Vdara Death Ray, Wall Street | Comments Off on The Drew makes bold promises; GLPI gleeful

Fertitta plays Cassandra; Reach for the sky

Although Atlantic City is coming off its best month in memory, Tilman Fertitta is predicting doom and gloom. “It’s not a nine-casino market, and I don’t understand why nobody realizes that,” he told The Press of Atlantic City. “You could say the … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Derek Stevens, Dining, Donald Trump, Downtown, Economy, Election, Fontainebleau, Internet gambling, Law enforcement, LVCVA, Nevada, Pahrump, Reno, Steven Witkoff, Terry Caudill, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta | 3 Comments

New date for The Drew

There are some stirrings of life around the Fontainebleau/The Drew carcass. This week developer Steven Witkoff announced the hiring of Diller Scofidio+ Renfro architectural team to finish the massive hulk, with a new completion date of 2022. (We never bought … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Culinary Union, Entertainment, Fontainebleau, Genting, MGM Resorts International, Politics, Racinos, Sam Nazarian, Sports, Steven Witkoff, The Strip, Virginia | 1 Comment

Astral sighting; Cuomo nixes Gotham casinos

Urban blight along the Las Vegas Strip could be (partially) giving way to new casino development. Resort entrepreneur Asher Gabay has found the Promised Land in Las Vegas, where he hopes to take a run at the boutique-hotel concept. His … Continue reading

Posted in Connecticut, Fontainebleau, Foxwoods, Genting, Internet gambling, Las Vegas Raiders, Las Vegas Sands, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, New York, Politics, Regulation, Sports, Sports betting, Steven Witkoff, The Strip, Tribal, Virginia | Comments Off on Astral sighting; Cuomo nixes Gotham casinos

Busted!

Former New York Knicks great Charles Oakley fouled out big-time at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. The veteran roundballer, who made $46 million during his playing career, wound up in the clink over a $100 casino chip. Oakley tried to … Continue reading

Posted in Cosmopolitan, Culinary Union, Florida, Fontainebleau, Genting, history, Law enforcement, Macau, New York, Penn National, Problem gambling, Regulation, Sports, The Strip | 1 Comment

Caesars agreement OK’d; New focus for Hard Rock

It’s official: Workers at Caesars Entertainment have approved a new collective-bargaining agreement, one that includes (unspecified) pay increases and a succession clause to protect jobs in the (unlikely) event Caesars sells its Las Vegas Strip properties to another operator. Details of … Continue reading

Posted in Culinary Union, Fontainebleau, Foxwoods, Genting, Hard Rock Hotel, Harrah's, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, Stanley Ho, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Sports betting: Winners and losers; MGM mulls more Strip buys

According to gaming-law expert I. Nelson Rose, the Supreme Court‘s ruling on sports betting goes far, far beyond gambling: “For the first time in American history, the U.S. Supreme Court expressly held that the federal government cannot order states, or … Continue reading

Posted in Churchill Downs, CityCenter, Cordish Co., DFS, Dubai, Fontainebleau, Genting, GLPI, Golden Gaming, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, Law enforcement, Marijuana, Maryland, MGM Mirage, Ohio, Penn National, Sports, West Virginia | 1 Comment

Wynn reverses himself; New name, plans for F-blew

Wynn Resorts took a step closer to being taken over or sold off in pieces last weekend. Ex-CEO Steve Wynn submitted a letter saying that the now-famous 2010 stockholders’ agreement which binds Elaine Wynn’s shares with his was “invalid and unenforceable … Continue reading

Posted in Fontainebleau, Genting, LVCVA, Riviera, Steve Wynn, Steven Witkoff, The Strip, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 2 Comments