Category Archives: Golden Gaming

Penn, Pinnacle to merge?

Writes Deutsche Bank analyst Carlo Santarelli, “according to people familiar with the matter, Penn National has conducted on again off again discussions to acquire Pinnacle Entertainment.” He warns that “a long list of questions, which may or may not make a … Continue reading

Posted in Ameristar, GLPI, Golden Gaming, Harrah's, Maryland, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Pinnacle Entertainment, Regulation, Wall Street, West Virginia | 2 Comments

So long, Moulin Rouge; Golden merger green-lit

It just got a lot cheaper to buy the Moulin Rouge. The last vestiges of the original complex were pulled down yesterday after yet another suspicious fire ravaged through what once upon a time was Las Vegas‘ first integrated casino. … Continue reading

Posted in ACEP, Fontainebleau, Genting, Golden Gaming, history, Moulin Rouge, Movies, Regulation, Sam Nazarian, The Strip | Comments Off on So long, Moulin Rouge; Golden merger green-lit

MGM sells National Harbor; High accolade for Turning Stone

MGM National Harbor continues to grow the Maryland casino market, while taking down its main competitors. (Would we call this a “category killer”?) In the meantime, the small casinos are doing just fine. Last month Penn National Gaming‘s Hollywood Perryville was … Continue reading

Posted in Economy, Golden Gaming, Harrah's, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Neil Bluhm, Penn National, Racinos, Rhode Island, Slot routes, Taxes, Tribal | Comments Off on MGM sells National Harbor; High accolade for Turning Stone

Slippage in Illinois; MGM carries Maryland

One less weekend day than last year proved costly for casinos in Illinois, where gaming revenue fell 2.5% in July. (It had been flat in 2016.) True, the creeping effect of slot routes may have played a role but speculation … Continue reading

Posted in CityCenter, Cordish Co., GLPI, Golden Gaming, Harrah's, Illinois, Maryland, MGM Mirage, Neil Bluhm, Penn National, Racinos, The Strip, Tourism, West Virginia | Comments Off on Slippage in Illinois; MGM carries Maryland

Best Western Stratosphere?; Atlantic City rescued in nick of time

* Golden Entertainment will be facing a fait accompli when it takes over the Stratosphere and Aquarius Casino Resort from American Casino & Entertainment Properties. Outgoing owner ACEP has inked a pact with Best Western to manage the two flagship … Continue reading

Posted in ACEP, Atlantic City, Boulder Strip, Economy, Golden Gaming, Goldman Sachs, Hard Rock Hotel, International, Japan, Kazuo Okada, Laughlin, Lawrence Ho, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Philippines, Politics, The Strip | 1 Comment

National Harbor cleans up; A peek inside Resorts World Las Vegas

MGM National Harbor drove a 40% increase in Maryland gambling revenues last month. The $50.5 million gross at MGM was evenly divided between table games and slots. Since the latter are taxed at a far higher rate, MGM won’t be … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, Architecture, Atlantic City, California, Cordish Co., Economy, Entertainment, Genting, GLPI, Golden Gaming, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, Maryland, MGM Mirage, Penn National, Racinos, The Strip, Tribal, West Virginia | 1 Comment

The heat is on; As Vegas warms up, so does its economy

Two of the nation’s premier casino markets — Las Vegas and Phoenix — are grappling with Baghdad-size temperatures, with more to come, not for months but years. (See video embed.) Coping with the Las Vegas Strip, if you dare, mandates … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Delaware, Economy, Environment, Genting, Golden Gaming, International, Internet gambling, MGM Mirage, Neil Bluhm, Nevada, Pennsylvania, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off on The heat is on; As Vegas warms up, so does its economy

Better times come to Atlantic City; Wynn Boston Harbor sets opening date

May’s gambling grosses are in from the Boardwalk and Atlantic City is up 2.5% since last year — 11% if Trump Taj Mahal is subtracted from the comparison. Terrestrial casinos pulled in $208 million, while Internet gambling grossed a further … Continue reading

Posted in Affinity Gaming, Architecture, Atlantic City, Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, Cannery Casino Resorts, Dan Gilbert, Detroit, Golden Gaming, Goldman Sachs, Harrah's, Internet gambling, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, North Las Vegas, Palms, Phil Ruffin, SLS Las Vegas, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Tilman Fertitta, Tropicana Entertainment, Wall Street | Comments Off on Better times come to Atlantic City; Wynn Boston Harbor sets opening date

Stratosphere: From Goldman to Golden; Christmas tree for gamers in Pennsylvania

Goldman Sachs has had enough of the casino business. Either that or the price was right. Whatever the case, Golden Entertainment has just executed the greatest coup of its brief existence. It has purchased Las Vegas icon the Stratosphere. In … Continue reading

Posted in Baseball, Boulder Strip, Carl Icahn, Foxwoods, Golden Gaming, Goldman Sachs, Internet gambling, Laughlin, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Slot routes, Sports, Taxes, The Strip, Tribal | Comments Off on Stratosphere: From Goldman to Golden; Christmas tree for gamers in Pennsylvania

Illinois becalmed; Freeman breaks with Trump

Lawmakers in Illinois obviously don’t care about the future of the state’s 10 extant casinos, considering the next gaming expansion (following slot routes) that they are preparing to ram through. If they bothered to look at the market, they’d see … Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Cordish Co., Geoff Freeman, GLPI, Golden Gaming, Harrah's, Illinois, Marketing, Maryland, MGM Mirage, Neil Bluhm, Penn National, Philippines, Regulation, Slot routes, Tourism, Wall Street | Comments Off on Illinois becalmed; Freeman breaks with Trump

Big month in Maryland; Kentucky Derby sets record

MGM National Harbor took the top spot in Maryland last month, grossing $50 million to Maryland Live‘s $45 million. “We view this as positive/encouraging for MGM, as it shows the property’s momentum has sustained into April,” wrote JP Morgan analyst … Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Churchill Downs, Cordish Co., Galaxy Entertainment, GLPI, Golden Gaming, Harrah's, Horseracing, Illinois, Japan, Maryland, MGM Mirage, Neil Bluhm, Penn National, Technology, The Strip, Wall Street, West Virginia | Comments Off on Big month in Maryland; Kentucky Derby sets record

Hard Rock to spend big in Atlantic City; Bad news for slot makers

In the biggest vote of confidence Atlantic City has received in a decade, Hard Rock International has announced that it intends to invest $375 million in the former Trump Taj Mahal. On top of the 1,000 projected construction jobs, Hard … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Cordish Co., Economy, Golden Gaming, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, International, Lawrence Ho, Marketing, Maryland, MGM Mirage, New York, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Station Casinos, Technology, Tribal | 2 Comments

Atlantic City suffers February hiccup; Caesars K.O.’d in Korea

All good things must end and, in the case of Atlantic City, a pretty steady comeback hit a pothole in December, with business down 2%. Even Borgata ($58 million) was down a percentage point. Citywide, slot revenue was actually up … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Carl Icahn, Dan Gilbert, Detroit, Glenn Straub, Golden Gaming, Greenwood Racing, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, Internet gambling, Isle of Capri, Macau, Maryland, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, Pennsylvania, PokerStars, Revel, Sheldon Adelson, South Korea, Tropicana Entertainment | 1 Comment

The case for cannibalization; Hard Rock buys Taj

There’s still a big budget shortfall in Pennsylvania and state Rep. Mike Sturla thinks he has at least part of the answer: slot routes. Casinos can be expected to decry this proposed solution and some already are. But for Sturla … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Carl Icahn, Economy, Foxwoods, Geoff Freeman, Golden Gaming, Hard Rock International, Harry Reid, Illinois, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Revel, Slot routes, Sports, The Strip, Tribal, Tropicana Entertainment, West Virginia | Comments Off on The case for cannibalization; Hard Rock buys Taj

MGM National Harbor a hit with players; Fertitta talks a good game

Given its high profile, MGM National Harbor had to hit a home run for MGM Resorts International and, judging by the numbers, it’s done just that. Last month it grossed $49 million, which — when the numbers are adjusted to … Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Cordish Co., Downtown, GLPI, Golden Gaming, Goldman Sachs, Harrah's, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Neil Bluhm, Nevada, New York, Penn National, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Slot routes, Sports, Station Casinos, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Wall Street, West Virginia | Comments Off on MGM National Harbor a hit with players; Fertitta talks a good game

National Harbor boffo for MGM; Icahn keeps them guessing

In its first month, MGM National Harbor has been both good and bad for Maryland. Although the MGM Resorts International property, acclaimed by some as being Las Vegas Strip-caliber, did blockbuster numbers, the rest of the Maryland casino industry was … Continue reading

Posted in Carl Icahn, Cordish Co., Glenn Straub, Golden Gaming, Harrah's, Internet gambling, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Revel, Slot routes, Taxes, The Strip, Tropicana Entertainment, Unite-Here, Wall Street | 2 Comments

Pennsylvania lawmakers screw the pooch; Adelson’s way or the highway

Pennsylvania communities are scrambling to reach voluntary revenue-sharing accords with the casinos they host after the Legislature left the issue in limbo. Rather than address the host-community fee on its own, the House of Representatives tacked on approval of Internet … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Environment, GLPI, Golden Gaming, Greenwood Racing, Harrah's, Internet gambling, Maryland, Massachusetts, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Slot routes, Steve Wynn, Taxes, Technology | Comments Off on Pennsylvania lawmakers screw the pooch; Adelson’s way or the highway

Indiana does well, Missouri does better

Foot traffic at Indiana casinos was down last month but players wagered more freely, 4.5% up from last year, leading to an almost 2% increase in casino revenues. Penn National Gaming was right in line with overall state performance and … Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Entertainment, Full House Resorts, Golden Gaming, Harrah's, Indiana, Isle of Capri, Majestic Star, Missouri, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, The Strip, Tropicana Entertainment | Comments Off on Indiana does well, Missouri does better

Pittsburgh pleads with Rivers Casino; Strong numbers from Maryland, Illinois

Pittsburgh is essentially saying “Pretty please” to Rush Street Gaming‘s Rivers Casino, begging the latter to keep voluntarily paying $10 million a year to the city, even though Rush Street is no longer under any legal obligation to do so. Pittsburgh Finance … Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Cordish Co., Cosmopolitan, GLPI, Golden Gaming, Harrah's, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, MGM Mirage, Neil Bluhm, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Racinos, Taxes, Technology, The Strip | 6 Comments

Caesars dips toe in skill-based slots; MGM National Harbor snares Dylan

Caesars Entertainment is going on the road, as it were, to test-drive its first foray into skill-based slots. It’s going to install six Gamblit Gaming slot carousels at Harrah’s Rincon, with 36 slated for Las Vegas deployment next year. The … Continue reading

Posted in California, Colorado, Cordish Co., Downtown, Environment, Golden Gaming, Harrah's, Hooters, IGT, Internet gambling, Kansas, Maine, Marketing, Maryland, MGM Mirage, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Racinos, Scientific Games, Sheldon Adelson, South Dakota, Sports, Technology, The Strip, Tribal, TV, West Virginia, Westgate LV, Wisconsin | 2 Comments