Category Archives: history

F-blew: The incredible bulk

Posted on October 25, 2010 by David McKee

A friend of S&G was recently staying at Wynncore and got this rude surprise when he looked out his north-facing window: No, somebody didn’t topple the Stratosphere in the dead of night. So immense is the unfinished hulk of Fontainebleau … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Carl Icahn, Economy, Encore, Fontainebleau, Goldman Sachs, history, Planet Hollywood, Steve Wynn, The Strip | 6 Comments

Quote of the Day

Posted on October 15, 2010 by David McKee

“Blame for Nevada’s problems should be distributed around the state—not to the congressional delegation, but to governors and legislators from both parties who have relied on gaming revenue and federal projects. Not only have Democrats and Republicans alike done nothing … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, history | 2 Comments

Great moments in casino marketing

Posted on October 13, 2010 by David McKee

We associate Sega with video games but once upon a time, it was in the slot business. Those old machines do look awfully quaint unless … … you juxtapose a Sega one-armed bandit with über-mega-hot European sex goddess Edwige Fenech … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Carl Icahn, Columbia Sussex, Current, history, Marketing, Movies, Pennsylvania, Technology, The Strip, Tropicana Entertainment, Wall Street | Comments Off on Great moments in casino marketing

Days of Reckoning

Posted on October 5, 2010 by David McKee

Pinballing between projects, I’ll try to carom off the “blogging” bumper for a moment here … 1,075. That’s the magic number of feet below which Lake Mead cannot drop lest Hoover Dam should become inoperable — plunging Clark County into … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Current, Downtown, Economy, Environment, Harrah's, history, MGM Mirage, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Tourism | 5 Comments

CityCenter gets a visitor, deploys Vdara Death Ray

Posted on September 28, 2010 by David McKee

He’s not just any sightseer but the type of East Coast tastemaker MGM Resorts International CEO Jim Murren hoped to impress: New Yorker architecture critic Paul Goldberger. Heretofore, Goldberger’s most memorable pronouncement in re Vegas came 13 years ago, when … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, CityCenter, Cretins, Current, Encore, Fontainebleau, George Maloof, history, Marketing, MGM Mirage, The Strip, Tribal, TV, Vdara Death Ray, Wall Street | 4 Comments

Leaving Liberace

Posted on September 21, 2010 by David McKee

This is a cruel year for Nevada. Vision-care and dental programs for the elderly are being cut back, funding for treatment of problem gambling is in short supply, entire degree programs (you read that right) at UNLV are being eliminated … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Economy, Entertainment, history, TV | 2 Comments

Quote of the Day

Posted on September 17, 2010 by David McKee

This video clip is the stuff of Vegas legend. KVBC-TV morning anchor Kimberly Wagner experiences an on-air meltdown when she takes umbrage at a camera angle, in what is probably the only newscast to ever reference She-Ra.

Posted in history, TV | 2 Comments

Plaza postscript; exit Liberace; Teller spooks!

Posted on September 16, 2010 by David McKee

One of my conjectures in regard to yesterday’s disclosure that the Plaza Hotel was tentatively scheduled to be sold at foreclosure auction on Oct. 1 was that a postponement of the auction from Sept. 1 betokened an in-progress renegotiation of … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Current, Downtown, Entertainment, Harrah's, history, Regulation, The Strip | 3 Comments

Running silent

Posted on September 15, 2010 by David McKee

At the moment, I’m following up on some leads that might (I stress “might“) coalesce into a bigger story. I’ve also been trying to clear my desk of a flurry of Questions of the Day and sundry other essays. Topics … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Entertainment, history, The Mob, The Strip, Tourism, TV | 4 Comments

Once before it goes

Posted on September 13, 2010 by David McKee

Today’s schedule is taken up largely with conducting an autopsy of the Liberace Museum, as well as transcribing an (unrelated) interview with Teller. In the meantime, for those of you who haven’t seen the Museum and can’t make it before … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, history, Sahara, The Strip, TV | 1 Comment

Western Passage & the new Rat (Rod) Pack

Posted on September 8, 2010 by David McKee

Let’s try this again … Today’s guest blog hails from the keyboard of reader Jeff_in_OKC who recently paid not one, not two but three (brave man!) visits to the Western Hotel, on the fringe of downtown Las Vegas. The Western … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Archon Corp., Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, Current, Dining, Downtown, Economy, Entertainment, Harrah's, history, Laughlin, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Michael Gaughan, Oscar Goodman, Sahara, Tamares Group, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation | 12 Comments

Quote of the Day

Posted on September 6, 2010 by David McKee

“This Labor Day, if you find yourself drinking a cold brewski, cooking brats on the Weber, and complaining to your neighbor about your g.d. boss, your g.d. mortgage, and your g.d. Congress, well … you can think of those poor … Continue reading →

Posted in history | 2 Comments

Eastside Cannery, muse

Posted on August 27, 2010 by David McKee

The neon-bathed casino on the Boulder Strip seems to have quite an inspirational effect on artists, as seen in the music video above. “ECan” has also impelled a poem from the pen of local playwright and author Ernie Curcio, who … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Boulder Strip, Cannery Casino Resorts, Entertainment, history | Comments Off on Eastside Cannery, muse

Mothers of invention; Fernwood 2night

Posted on August 24, 2010 by David McKee

“Stacked” casino floors are a rarity in Las Vegas, usually necessitated by a limited footprint. That’s certainly the case with the Cosmopolitan, jimmied into a narrow slot just north of CityCenter (and often mistaken for part of that complex). However, … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Architecture, Cannery Casino Resorts, CityCenter, Cosmopolitan, Current, Dining, Economy, Entertainment, Harrah's, history, Isle of Capri, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Missouri, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tourism | 3 Comments

Caesars Cincinnati? Invaders repulsed at Gettysburg (again)

Posted on August 18, 2010 by David McKee

Here at S&G, we think the Caesars brand is more than worthy of the Queen City. Others don’t share our enthusiasm. Using the Horseshoe hoofprint doesn’t make sense, given that Harrah’s Entertainment rather expensively deployed that just downriver in Evansville. … Continue reading →

Posted in Harrah's, history, Illinois, International, Kansas, Lyle Berman, Missouri, Ohio, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Pinnacle Entertainment, Politics, Regulation, Tribal | 6 Comments

Singapore packs ’em in

Posted on August 16, 2010 by David McKee

Results are in for the first quarter of a fully operational Resorts World Sentosa and they point to a $2.5 billion gross this year, $1.5 billion in cash flow and an ROI of 32% at the $4.74 billion metaresort. J.P. … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Genting, history, Pennsylvania, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Wall Street | 1 Comment

The Summer of Love(man)

Posted on August 12, 2010 by David McKee

It may be hard to believe in retrospect, but at the time of Harrah’s Entertainment‘s LBO, some analysts thought it would be partly amortized by selling off the company’s regional properties. That prompted me to write something to the effect … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Australia, Current, Detroit, Dining, Economy, Entertainment, Harrah's, history, Horseracing, Kansas, Marketing, Ohio, Racinos, Regulation, Station Casinos, Taxes, Tourism, Tribal, Wall Street | 2 Comments

Gone baby, gone

Posted on August 5, 2010 by David McKee

“[T]he confidence that ­property prices and stock markets would permanently defy gravity” is a phrase that perfectly encapsulates how the casino industry got itself into its present pickle. In what other mindset could an industry convince itself that it could … Continue reading →

Posted in Archon Corp., Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Cannery Casino Resorts, CityCenter, Colony Capital, Cosmopolitan, Current, Dining, Economy, Encore, Entertainment, Environment, Fontainebleau, Harrah's, history, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Regulation, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street | 4 Comments

The Tamares shuffle

Posted on August 4, 2010 by David McKee

Musical chairs continue at Tamares Group‘s downtown Las Vegas collection of crumbling casinos. Bobby Ray Harris is out as casino manager and Anthony F. Santo is in. Otherwise, it was the same old song and dance. $20 million worth of … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Carl Icahn, Current, Downtown, Harrah's, history, International, Regulation, Station Casinos, Tamares Group, Transportation, Tropicana Entertainment | 2 Comments

Quote of the Day

Posted on July 27, 2010 by David McKee

“The gaming industry in particular viewed itself as nearly invulnerable, and Las Vegas … viewed itself as a place that could continually transform and develop a new destination that would be successful. This time around, it just didn’t work.” — … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, history, The Strip | 1 Comment