Category Archives: Harrah's

Harrah’s big buffet bungle

Posted on April 30, 2010 by David McKee

Let it be said at the outset that $39.99 for X number of meals at (most of) Harrah’s Entertainment‘s Strip buffets — up from $29.99 — is still one heckuva deal. If you can manage, say, breakfast, lunch and two … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Dining, Harrah's, M Resort, Marketing, Planet Hollywood, Technology, The Strip | Comments Off on Harrah’s big buffet bungle

Sickness, health & Shakespeare

Posted on April 30, 2010 by David McKee

No sooner was the S&G software restored to working order than Yr. Humble Blogger was laid low by either A) too much indulgence in Harrah’s Entertainment‘s “Buffet of Buffets” or B) my worst fibromyalgia attack in years. Given Vegas’ recent … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Dining, Entertainment, Harrah's, Macau, Steve Wynn, The Strip | 1 Comment

Quote of the Day

Posted on April 28, 2010 by David McKee

“What, perhaps you ask, is ‘Gossiness’? Well, nobody exactly knows, except that it is very likely in coming years to be an Urban Dictionary entry synonymous with an act that thinks it can burst on the Vegas scene and expect … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, George Maloof, Harrah's, International, The Strip | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Harrah’s red-headed stepchild

Posted on April 23, 2010 by David McKee

If we (you, me, everybody) had a dollar for ever time we heard a rumor that Harrah’s Entertainment was putting The Rio on the block, we could pool enough moolah to amortize CEO Gary Loveman‘s recent $100,000 pay cut. Our … Continue reading →

Posted in Archon Corp., Atlantic City, Current, Economy, George Maloof, Harrah's, International, James Packer, Laughlin, Planet Hollywood, Station Casinos, The Strip, Wall Street | 10 Comments

Harrah’s robbing Peter to buy Paul

Posted on April 15, 2010 by David McKee

When executives of Harrah’s Entertainment credit “hard-nosed” negotiating tactics for their success is reducing the company’s preposterous debt level, one suspects that threats of default and bankruptcy serve as the rhetorical equivalents of the rubber hose and brass knuckles. It’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Archon Corp., Current, Economy, Entertainment, Harrah's, International, Internet gambling, Macau, Mississippi, Planet Hollywood, Politics, Regulation, Riviera, The Strip, Wall Street, World Series of Poker | Comments Off on Harrah’s robbing Peter to buy Paul

Case Bets: St. Louis, Florida & antiques

Posted on April 15, 2010 by David McKee

It was the best of times … almost. Pinnacle Entertainment‘s opening of River City not only propelled a 9% increase in casino revenue in the St. Louis market, it gave the area “its busiest month ever.” While River City’s $15.9 … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Boyd Gaming, Current, Economy, Entertainment, Harrah's, Missouri, Pinnacle Entertainment, Politics, Reno, Sheldon Adelson, Tribal, Wall Street | 2 Comments

Another day at Harrah’s

Posted on April 13, 2010 by David McKee

When you’re $19 billion or so in the hole, what’s another half-billion, right? Such is the case for Harrah’s Entertainment, which intends to issue $500 million in second-priority secured notes (soon upped to $750 million) due 2018. The notes are … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Harrah's, MGM Mirage, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street | Comments Off on Another day at Harrah’s

Caveat lector!

Posted on April 9, 2010 by David McKee

It appears that Harrah’s Entertainment‘s big buffet offer, encompassing seven Strip properties, isn’t quite as good as it sounded to us at LVA at first blush. A fellow staffer writes: “I have a feeling that the Harrah’s buffets are keeping … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Dining, Harrah's, Marketing, MGM Mirage, The Strip | 8 Comments

Harrah’s ups the ante

Posted on April 9, 2010 by David McKee

Yr. Humble Blogger is a fan of the Las Vegas buffet scene — and owns the waistline to prove it. Starting Monday, Harrah’s Entertainment ratchets up the temptation factor by keeping seven of its Strip buffets open round the clock. … Continue reading →

Posted in Columbia Sussex, Current, Dining, George Maloof, Harrah's, M Resort, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Planet Hollywood, The Strip | 2 Comments

Flat in IN, coming back in IL

Posted on April 8, 2010 by David McKee

Despite being 2.5% below last year’s casino revenues, J.P. Morgan is calling the results in Illinois the best out of the previous 16 months. In other words, the decline was the smallest since November of ’09.  The restoration of Penn … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Boyd Gaming, Cordish Co., Current, Don Barden, Economy, Harrah's, Illinois, Indiana, Macau, MGM Mirage, Pansy Ho, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, Regulation, Tribal, Tropicana Entertainment | Comments Off on Flat in IN, coming back in IL

This just in: Wynn jilts Philadelphia

Posted on April 8, 2010 by David McKee

On Monday, Steve Wynn was making nice with Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and vowing to glad-hand every civic leader in sight. He had a full set of renderings for how his Wynn Resorts makeover of the mortally wounded Foxwoods project … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Cannery Casino Resorts, Current, Don Barden, Harrah's, MGM Mirage, Neil Bluhm, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, Taxes, Tribal | Comments Off on This just in: Wynn jilts Philadelphia

Condos in Vegas … still? Manilow in Vegas … again

Posted on April 8, 2010 by David McKee

Undeterred by the complete tanking of the high-rise-condo market in Las Vegas, joint-venture partners Station Casinos and Fisher Bros. had still planned a pair of condo towers on or very near where Richfield Village currently stands (above). That’s probably the … Continue reading →

Posted in Cirque du Soleil, CityCenter, Current, Entertainment, Harrah's, Michael Gaughan, Station Casinos, The Strip, Wall Street | 4 Comments

An arena in every pot

Posted on April 7, 2010 by David McKee

A scrum of casino owners and would-be owners is swarming the Clark County Commission with proposed arenas. The Las Vegas City Council may be able to get into the act, as Cordish Cos. is studying the feasibility of a stadium … Continue reading →

Posted in Archon Corp., Cordish Co., Current, Downtown, Dubai, Economy, Entertainment, Gary Goett, Harrah's, Michael Gaughan, Oscar Goodman, Sports, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation | 1 Comment

From the mailbag: Wynn in Philly

Posted on April 7, 2010 by David McKee

A longtime observer of the industry (and player) has this to say about Steve Wynn‘s revised sales pitch to the City of Philadelphia … “Unlike too many folks, I don’t worship Steve Wynn (in fact, I’ll never forgive him for … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Current, Harrah's, Maryland, Neil Bluhm, Pennsylvania, Steve Wynn, West Virginia | 2 Comments

From the S&G Twitter feed …

Posted on April 5, 2010 by David McKee

It’s a crazy day here and I’m deeply enmeshed in reportage (hint: it involves Station Casinos) so I’d like to take up some of the blogging slack by once more pimping the S&G Twitter feed (@stiffsgeorges), which can also be … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Archon Corp., Bally Technologies, Current, Election, Entertainment, Harrah's, Isle of Capri, James Packer, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Marketing, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Pinnacle Entertainment, Planet Hollywood, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Steve Wynn, Technology, Wall Street | Comments Off on From the S&G Twitter feed …

My work is done

Posted on April 2, 2010 by David McKee

What is left to be said about Harrah’s Entertainment after this brilliant April Fool’s satire by Pulse of Las Vegas? Through humor, it says in a few paragraphs what pages of earnest analysis labor to convey. My favorite part encapsulates … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Harrah's | 1 Comment

A comment on “Comments”

Posted on April 2, 2010 by David McKee

Due to an as-yet-inexplicable malfunction in our blogging software, all comments, regardless of provenance — yes, even mine — are shunted directly into “Spam.” Since I no longer receive notification of the arrival of a comment that may require moderation … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Entertainment, Harrah's, Ohio, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Technology, The Strip, Tourism, TV, Wall Street | 2 Comments

Confidence or desperation?

Posted on March 31, 2010 by David McKee

Casino operators must be feeling very bullish about recent, incremental increases in visitation to Las Vegas, even though customers continue to spend less. (This is the new business model which the industry as a whole is loath to acknowledge: being … Continue reading →

Posted in Cirque du Soleil, Current, Donald Trump, Economy, Entertainment, Harrah's, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Pennsylvania, Phil Ruffin, Planet Hollywood, Sahara, The Strip, Tribal, TV | 2 Comments

$290 million for Borgata

Posted on March 29, 2010 by David McKee

That’s what MGM Mirage’s half is expected to bring and it won’t happen until next year, according to J.P. Morgan‘s latest set of estimates. We could debate whether or not MGM should have started shopping the place a year ago, … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Current, Economy, Harrah's, International, Macau, MGM Mirage, Pansy Ho, Regulation, Station Casinos, The Strip, Tourism, Tropicana Entertainment, Wall Street | Comments Off on $290 million for Borgata

Dept. of Wishful Thinking

Posted on March 26, 2010 by David McKee

Whatever became of Elad Properties‘ metaresort-sized Plaza project, built upon the ruins of the New Frontier? Reed Construction Data Project Research claims it’s on. Never mind that Elad’s not put so much as a shovel into the ground … or … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Economy, Environment, Gary Goett, Harrah's, M Resort, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New York, Phil Ruffin, Plaza, Racinos, The Strip, Tribal | Comments Off on Dept. of Wishful Thinking