Category Archives: Harrah's

Affleck banned from HRH; Sands Bethlehem reprieved

Posted on May 2, 2014 by David McKee

You can do all manner of despicable things in a casino if you’re a high roller … but count one lousy card and you’re toast, mister. That’s the message being sent by Warner Gaming after it banned Ben Affleck from … Continue reading →

Posted in Harrah's, Macau, Pennsylvania, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Technology, Trump Entertainment Resorts, Warner Gaming | 1 Comment

Vegas: A return to the halcyon years? It looks that way

Posted on April 30, 2014 by David McKee

Las Vegas recorded its highest visitation numbers of all time last March, helping to drive gambling revenue 8% upward. We had 3.7 million tourists, 4% than the previous year. Despite fewer conventions, a 20.5% leap in convention attendance (with the … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Economy, Harrah's, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Mesquite, MGM Mirage, North Las Vegas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Reno, Sam Nazarian, Tourism, Wall Street | 1 Comment

MGM’s inspiring, new vision

Posted on April 28, 2014 by David McKee

I’m digging the architecture but what’s with the softcore-porn music? MGM Resorts International has released a new tranche of details on The Park, its mega-project (and substitute for extending CityCenter) that seems to progress in almost imperceptible steps. While CEO … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, CityCenter, Dining, Entertainment, Harrah's, Iowa, MGM Mirage, Racinos, The Strip | 2 Comments

Curtains for Caesars Windsor?; Churchill Downs wants to be a player

Posted on April 25, 2014 by David McKee

Karl Henkel of the Detroit News makes a close analysis of the market situation in Detroit and sees portents of what has been happening in Atlantic City and Tunica. His analysis doesn’t just focus on gross revenues but, for instance, … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Churchill Downs, Dan Gilbert, Detroit, Economy, Harrah's, Internet gambling, Isle of Capri, Louisiana, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, Regulation, Tropicana Entertainment | Comments Off on Curtains for Caesars Windsor?; Churchill Downs wants to be a player

It’s good to be Sheldon Adelson

Posted on April 25, 2014 by David McKee

Posting a 21% increase in revenue, Las Vegas Sands reported 97 cents/share in earnings (Wall Street had expected $0.94). No surprise, Macao was the primary driver. Analysts were also pleased by a $810 million buyback of Sands shares, bolstering the … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Harrah's, Iowa, Macau, MGM Mirage, Pennsylvania, Racinos, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off on It’s good to be Sheldon Adelson

N.Y.: 22 is enough; Cussing match at Wynncore

Posted on April 25, 2014 by David McKee

Caesars Entertainment‘s sudden romance with New York State is getting the company some grief, although not from the usual defenders of Atlantic City. Assemblyman Ralph Caputo (D) is among those who want to put a casino at the Meadowlands and … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Cordish Co., Foxwoods, Genting, Harrah's, Mohegan Sun, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Politics, Racinos, Steve Wynn, Tribal | Comments Off on N.Y.: 22 is enough; Cussing match at Wynncore

Penn manages expectations

Posted on April 24, 2014 by David McKee

Penn National Gaming lowered estimates for cash flow and other metrics today, as well as releasing 1Q14 results that J.P. Morgan analyst Joseph Greff wrote were “generally in line with our … estimates.”  According to Penn, player spending has been … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Cordish Co., Cosmopolitan, Harrah's, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New York, Penn National, Slot routes, Wall Street, West Virginia | Comments Off on Penn manages expectations

New York embraces casinos; Wynn disses Clooney

Posted on April 24, 2014 by David McKee

Twenty-two. That’s how many applicants paid a $1 million application fee to vie for four casino licenses in upstate New York. That’s more than Massachusetts, far more than Kansas, neither of which matches the allure of the Empire State (to … Continue reading →

Posted in Foxwoods, Genting, Harrah's, Massachusetts, Mohegan Sun, New York, Penn National, Racinos, Steve Wynn | Comments Off on New York embraces casinos; Wynn disses Clooney

Caesars: The day after

Posted on April 23, 2014 by David McKee

New York resort developers may be reeling from the sudden entry of Caesars Entertainment into the picture, but that doesn’t mean they’ve given up the fight. After all, Caesars’ move only impacts the Catskills region, not the Capital one nor … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Cordish Co., Foxwoods, Genting, Harrah's, Horseracing, International, Macau, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, New York, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Racinos, Sheldon Adelson | Comments Off on Caesars: The day after

Why is this man smiling?

Posted on April 22, 2014 by David McKee

Scarcely had Penn National Gaming and Cordish Gaming decided to bury their differences and work together when their party was crashed. Who else could it be but ubiquitous Caesars Entertainment? The company has written a check for $1 million (refundable) … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Cordish Co., Harrah's, New York, Ohio, Penn National | 1 Comment

The right amount of wrong ideas

Posted on April 22, 2014 by David McKee

When it comes to the U.S. gaming market, there’s nothing that can stand between James Packer and a bad investment, it seems, common sense least of all. According to Australian media reports, Deutsche Bank wants $1.5 billion-$2 billion for The … Continue reading →

Posted in Cosmopolitan, Dining, Entertainment, Fontainebleau, Harrah's, IGT, International, James Packer, Japan, Macau, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Station Casinos, The Strip, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Look out, Macao, here comes Crimea

Posted on April 21, 2014 by David McKee

That’s the message from Crimea‘s puppet leader, Rustam Temirgaliyev, who claims that Crimea could outdo Monaco, Las Vegas and even Macao. (It is not recorded whether anyone laughed at his assertion.) “Our task is to create a tourist cluster, which will … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Greenwood Racing, Harrah's, International, Massachusetts, Mohegan Sun, North Las Vegas, Pennsylvania, Racinos, Regulation, Steve Wynn, Taxes | 1 Comment

Case Bets

Posted on April 21, 2014 by David McKee

Yes, but is there anything wrong with the governor of Nevada honoring “clitoral resources”? Restaurateur Guy Fieri has made a career of promoting questionable eating habits, shall we say. So it’s only appropriate that he occupies pride of place at … Continue reading →

Posted in Dining, Harrah's, Kansas, Oklahoma, Penn National, Tribal | 1 Comment

Much ado about Massachusetts

Posted on April 18, 2014 by David McKee

Stephen Crosby, phlegmatic chairman of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, makes a very unlikely looking lightning rod. But such he has become. He’s already drawn the wrath of Gary Loveman and now Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh wants Crosby to recuse … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Foxwoods, Harrah's, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, Neil Bluhm, New York, Racinos, Regulation, Steve Wynn, Technology, Tribal | Comments Off on Much ado about Massachusetts

Double whammy in Iowa; Desperation in Illinois

Posted on April 17, 2014 by David McKee

Iowa casino regulators took a strong stand in favor of the status quo, after playing it so cool they had expansion advocates fooled. Following the guidance of their own studies, they shot down the Cedar Crossing Casino project, citing its … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Harrah's, Illinois, Penn National, Regulation, Taxes, Warner Gaming | 2 Comments

Cosmo: The right amount of money; MGM learns Arabic

Posted on April 16, 2014 by David McKee

A camel is a horse designed by a committee, the saying goes, and The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas resembles nothing so much as a camel — and Deutsche Bank executives are accused of dabbling in its design. If Bloomberg News‘ … Continue reading →

Posted in CityCenter, Cosmopolitan, Harrah's, International, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn | 1 Comment

Soft landing in Atlantic City; Sweating the slots

Posted on April 14, 2014 by David McKee

A 4% increase in online play helped soften the landing for Atlantic City this month. With cyber-revenue factored into the equation, casinos were down only 2% on a same-store basis. Slot revenue fell 10% but the odds were in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Cretins, Harrah's, Mohegan Sun, Ohio, Penn National, Regulation, Revel, Technology, Tilman Fertitta, Tropicana Entertainment, Trump Entertainment Resorts | Comments Off on Soft landing in Atlantic City; Sweating the slots

Big names flock to New York; Reno rebounds

Posted on April 14, 2014 by David McKee

It’s starting to get seriously competitive in upstate New York, where Neil Bluhm‘s Rush Street Gaming has been seen canoodling with a Schenectady casino project. Others who have been circling the upstate market with interest include newcomers Churchill Downs and … Continue reading →

Posted in Churchill Downs, Economy, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, Macau, Neil Bluhm, New York, Ohio, Penn National, Reno, Sheldon Adelson, Station Casinos, Wall Street | Comments Off on Big names flock to New York; Reno rebounds

Progress and caution

Posted on April 11, 2014 by David McKee

International Game Technology made history yesterday when it unrolled its Powerbucks interstate, progressive jackpot. Under this technological umbrella, IGT games at 22 Caesars Entertainment and Boyd Gaming properties in Las Vegas can be connected with those at five casinos in Atlantic … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Economy, Harrah's, IGT, Iowa, New York, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, Technology, The Strip, Tourism, TV, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Paint them black; New ideas for Atlantic City

Posted on April 11, 2014 by David McKee

“Fortunately for police, the chips floated.” That was the undoing of casino cheat Vuong Q. Truong, who tried to hide the better part of $150,000 worth of forged casino chips at the bottom of a lake. No go. The ongoing Truong … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Entertainment, Harrah's, Illinois, International, Marketing, Maryland, Missouri, New York, Penn National, Transportation, West Virginia | 1 Comment