Category Archives: Illinois

Election special

Posted on August 23, 2018 by David McKee

A constitutional amendment to disempower Florida‘s Legislature from handling gambling expansion and put it solely to matters of popular vote was on the topics debated by Democratic candidates jockeying to replace outgoing Gov. Rick Scott (R). Their Republican counterparts did … Continue reading →

Posted in Arkansas, Election, Florida, G2E, Illinois, MGM Resorts International, Politics, Seminole Tribe, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, Wisconsin | Comments Off on Election special

Indiana comes up short; Too gay for Vegas

Posted on August 9, 2018 by David McKee

One less weekend day made all the difference for Indiana in July, as statewide gambling revenues were 1% down. The statewide gross was $191 million, with refugee players from Chicago helping to lead the way. (Remember, you can still smoke in … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Dining, Full House Resorts, Illinois, Indiana, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tribal, Tropicana Entertainment, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Indiana comes up short; Too gay for Vegas

Illinois takes a dive; Okada gets nabbed

Posted on August 7, 2018 by David McKee

Illinois casinos had been bumping along nicely in the Trump economy until they hit a plain old speed bump last month, with revenues down almost 4%, on a gross of $119 million, $39 million of which was generated by Rivers … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Australia, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Crown Resorts, Economy, GLPI, Illinois, Kazuo Okada, Law enforcement, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Penn National, Regulation, Rush Street Gaming, Scientific Games, Slot routes, Sports betting, Technology, Wall Street, Wendover, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Illinois takes a dive; Okada gets nabbed

MGM gets panned; Eldorado reaps laurels

Posted on August 3, 2018 by David McKee

First, the good news. Park MGM generated $9 million across the last three quarters, which is pretty good when you consider that it’s essentially a construction site. JP Morgan analyst Joseph Greff opines that this partly makes up for “weak” … Continue reading →

Posted in Eldorado Resorts, Florida, Illinois, Japan, Louisiana, Macau, Marketing, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Ohio, Racinos, Reno, Scientific Games, Sports betting, The Strip, Tropicana Entertainment, Wall Street | Comments Off on MGM gets panned; Eldorado reaps laurels

MGM, Boyd make sports-betting pact; Win-win for Dover Downs

Posted on July 31, 2018 by David McKee

“We are in an envious position when it comes to this growth opportunity. Few companies can match our 40 plus years of experience in sports wagering, our significant sports betting infrastructure here in Nevada and our growing geographical footprint across … Continue reading →

Posted in Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Election, Greenwood Racing, Illinois, Indiana, Internet gambling, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Mississippi, Missouri, Neil Bluhm, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Racinos, Regulation, Rhode Island, Sports betting, Taxes, Tribal, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Penn bullish on Trop; Boyd wows Wall Street

Posted on July 27, 2018 by David McKee

M Resort and Tropicana Las Vegas are no longer the charity cases of Penn National Gaming. The company made a point of lauding them during this week’s earnings call, with JP Morgan analyst Joseph Greff characterizing their performance — along … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Derek Stevens, Downtown, Geoff Freeman, Illinois, Indiana, International, Las Vegas Sands, M Resort, Massachusetts, Missouri, Ohio, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, Sheldon Adelson, Slot routes, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Quote of the Day

Posted on July 25, 2018 by David McKee

“The golf industry isn’t necessarily booming.” — Green Valley Golf Range owner Cindy Scardina, justifying the extension of slot routes to golf courses in Hanover Park, Illinois.

Posted in Economy, Illinois, Slot routes, Sports | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

The pleasant clink of coins

Posted on July 13, 2018 by David McKee

Only Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs and Lady Luck Nemacolin saw revenue declines at the slot machines last month. All other Pennsylvania casinos were revenue-positive, especially Parx Casino, up 10.5% to $35 million. Another overachiever was Valley Forge Resort Casino, … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Charity, Churchill Downs, Eldorado Resorts, Genting, Greenwood Racing, Illinois, Las Vegas Sands, Mohegan Sun, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Pinnacle Entertainment, Rush Street Gaming, Slot routes | Comments Off on The pleasant clink of coins

Sheldon snuggles up to Commies; Elaine tests her clout

Posted on July 10, 2018 by David McKee

If toupée-collecting Sheldon Adelson were offered the chance to build Venetian Tehran he’d immediately become a peacenik regarding Iran, a country he lusts to nuke. Instead of making nice with mullahs, he’s doing the next best thing, warbling sweet nothings to Kim … Continue reading →

Posted in Caesars Entertainment, Elaine Wynn, Galaxy Entertainment, history, Illinois, International, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Nevada, Planet Hollywood, Politics, Regulation, Sexual misconduct, Sheldon Adelson, South Korea, Sports, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Unite-Here, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Sheldon snuggles up to Commies; Elaine tests her clout

A tale of four states

Posted on July 10, 2018 by David McKee

Illinois‘ casino industry has never recovered from the Great Recession. We’ll never know if it would have done so but the inception of slot routes has basically nipped any recovery in the bud. As such, the Land of Lincoln will … Continue reading →

Posted in Affinity Gaming, Ameristar, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Centaur Gaming, Dan Gilbert, Economy, Eldorado Resorts, Full House Resorts, GLPI, Illinois, Indiana, Majestic Star, MGM Mirage, Ohio, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, Rush Street Gaming, Slot routes, Tribal, Tropicana Entertainment, Wall Street | Comments Off on A tale of four states

I’ve got a historical horse right here, his name is Paul Revere

Posted on July 6, 2018 by David McKee

Damn the laws, full speed ahead: That’s the mentality of Illinois horse tracks as they push for ‘historical racing,’ VLTs where you can bet on the outcome of past races. The Illinois Racing Board voted it through unanimously. “We’re out of … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Bruce Deifik, Florida, Hard Rock International, Horseracing, Illinois, Indiana, Internet gambling, Kentucky, Law enforcement, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Politics, Racinos, Slot routes | Comments Off on I’ve got a historical horse right here, his name is Paul Revere

Penn, Caesars come together; Big bet in smallest state

Posted on June 19, 2018 by David McKee

Penn National Gaming swooped in and bought itself a nice little operating contract in Louisiana, the Margaritaville Casino Resort, for $115 million. Considering that the price translates to 5.5X cash flow, Penn got itself quite a bargain. It’s also a vote … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Churchill Downs, Eldorado Resorts, GLPI, Harrah's, Illinois, Isle of Capri, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Pinnacle Entertainment, Politics, Regulation, Rhode Island, Sports, Taxes, Tilman Fertitta | Comments Off on Penn, Caesars come together; Big bet in smallest state

New Jersey ready for action; Strip club upstages Hard Rock

Posted on June 13, 2018 by David McKee

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) still plans to place his first sports wager at Monmouth Park tomorrow but Borgata is trying to crash the party. The megaresort issued a statement saying “we are moving ahead with all possible speed … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Delaware, Hard Rock International, Illinois, International, Internet gambling, Macau, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Racinos, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, Sports, Stanley Ho, Taxes, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Tourism, West Virginia, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Midwest torpor; Freeman says goodbye

Posted on June 11, 2018 by David McKee

A wave of prosperity among Midwest casinos has hit the wall, at least for the near term. Indiana and Missouri joined Illinois, Ohio and Iowa in reporting flat year/year gaming revenues for May. In Indiana, gamblers were losing 15.5% more … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Boyd Gaming, Brazil, Centaur Gaming, Eldorado Resorts, Full House Resorts, Geoff Freeman, Harrah's, Illinois, Indiana, Internet gambling, Iowa, Isle of Capri, Law enforcement, Macau, Majestic Star, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, Missouri, Ohio, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Sheldon Adelson, Tribal, Tropicana Entertainment | Comments Off on Midwest torpor; Freeman says goodbye

Fertitta shut out; Gaming blogger shut down

Posted on June 8, 2018 by David McKee

A provision in New Jersey‘s sports-betting law is good news for MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment, and bad news for Tilman Fertitta. The law bars owners of major-league teams from also offering sports betting. But a loophole exempts owners … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Harrah's, Illinois, Internet gambling, MGM Mirage, Slot routes, Sports, Technology, Tilman Fertitta | 3 Comments

Illinois doldrums; The dog ate her homework

Posted on June 7, 2018 by David McKee

Although all but two of its casinos were revenue-negative last month, Illinois gaming revenues were flat. The primary driver was Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, leaping 11% to $42 million (or over 1/3 of the state’s $120 million gross). Long-suffering … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, e-sports, Florida, GLPI, Harrah's, Illinois, Neil Bluhm, Penn National, Taxes, Tribal | Comments Off on Illinois doldrums; The dog ate her homework

Las Vegas thrives; Palms ad backfires

Posted on May 30, 2018 by David McKee

Yesterday, we spotlit the Debbie Downer view of Las Vegas of one online columnist. And while a lengthy slide in visitation numbers remains a concern, dark and anecdotal snapshots of Sin City are contradicted by the numbers. The latter are … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Cosmopolitan, Eldorado Resorts, George Maloof, Harrah's, Horseracing, Illinois, Indiana, Laughlin, Macau, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Palms, Pennsylvania, Politics, Racinos, Reno, Sheldon Adelson, Slot routes, Station Casinos, Tribal, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 2 Comments

Quote of the Day

Posted on May 30, 2018 by David McKee

“The studies we saw told us our players were spending significant time at their local bars or restaurants playing VGTs. If that’s the case, we want to be where our customers are.” — Boyd Gaming CEO Keith Smith, explaining why the … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Illinois, Slot routes | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Atlantic City: Calm before the storm; Stormy weather in Louisiana

Posted on May 15, 2018 by David McKee

Atlantic City was stable last month, defying an unfavorable calendar (one less weekend day) and grossing $191.5 million, while online gambling had its second-best-ever month, pulling in $23 million (+10.5%). Slot handle was down 3.5%, as was revenue, while a … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Bruce Deifik, Columbia Sussex, Dan Gilbert, Detroit, Eldorado Resorts, GLPI, Greenwood Racing, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, Illinois, Internet gambling, Isle of Capri, Louisiana, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, Neil Bluhm, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Pinnacle Entertainment, Sheldon Adelson, Slot routes, Tilman Fertitta, Tropicana Entertainment | Comments Off on Atlantic City: Calm before the storm; Stormy weather in Louisiana

Sports betting: A new era

Posted on May 15, 2018 by David McKee

Yesterday, the Supreme Court handed down its much anticipated ruling in Murphy v. NCAA and it was pure win for states and casinos itching to offer legalized sports betting, although there was some predictable disapproval. As Arizona Attorney General Mark … Continue reading →

Posted in Arizona, Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Delaware, DFS, Eldorado Resorts, Election, Geoff Freeman, Harrah's, IGT, Illinois, Law enforcement, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Nevada, New York, Penn National, Politics, Regulation, Rhode Island, Scientific Games, Sports, Texas, Tilman Fertitta, Tribal, Wall Street, West Virginia | Comments Off on Sports betting: A new era