Category Archives: Illinois

Unhappy Easter in Illinois; Money-laundering mess in Sparks

Posted on April 7, 2016 by David McKee

Easter, if you can believe it, is being blamed for a 2% decline in Illinois casino revenues last month. Argosy Belle continued to be the problem child of the state, down 13% (to $5 million). Slot-route competition continued to do … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Cordish Co., Dan Gilbert, GLPI, Harrah's, Illinois, International, Internet gambling, Laughlin, Law enforcement, Macau, Maryland, MGM Mirage, Penn National, Racinos, Regulation, Riviera, The Strip, Tourism | 1 Comment

Freeman rakes Wolf; The delights and dangers of DFS

Posted on April 5, 2016 by David McKee

American Gaming Association President Geoff Freeman is throwing down against Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) and the latter’s desire to tax casino free play. If Wolf’s proposal had been in effect last year, the state would have netted slightly less … Continue reading →

Posted in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Geoff Freeman, Illinois, International, Internet gambling, Marketing, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, PokerStars, Taxes, Tribal | Comments Off

Penn accentuates the positive

Posted on March 29, 2016 by David McKee

“Wait ’til next year” seems to be Penn National Gaming‘s mantra for the Tropicana Las Vegas. At present, the company is still installing Marquee Rewards, replacing older slot machines and getting out of any leased-game arrangements. It doesn’t expect any … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Cordish Co., Dan Gilbert, Economy, Harrah's, Illinois, Internet gambling, Marketing, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Penn National, PokerStars, Slot routes, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street, West Virginia | Comments Off

DFS in retreat; Pinnacle fights smoking ban

Posted on March 23, 2016 by David McKee

What Attorney General Eric Schneiderman couldn’t do, gun-shy payment processors have accomplished: Put DraftKings and FanDuel out of business in New York State. The two have said they will refrain from taking wagers from the Empire State through the end … Continue reading →

Posted in Churchill Downs, Environment, GLPI, Harrah's, history, Illinois, Internet gambling, Law enforcement, Louisiana, Neil Bluhm, New York, Pennsylvania, Pinnacle Entertainment, Regulation, Sports, Tribal, Tropicana Entertainment, TV | Comments Off

Wynn, Sands, Penn meet the Street

Posted on March 11, 2016 by David McKee

JP Morgan analyst Joseph Greff has had a busy week, meeting with most of the top companies in gaming. First up was Penn National Gaming, which had little new to report on the Tropicana Las Vegas other than it was … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, GLPI, Illinois, M Resort, Macau, Marketing, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Penn National, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Slot routes, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off

Rosy prospects for Boyd; Victories in Indian Country

Posted on March 10, 2016 by David McKee

Top Boyd Gaming executives sat down with JP Morgan analyst Joseph Greff and sketched out their program for the coming year, with includes new restaurant concepts at 12 casinos (including 20 new restaurants this year) and 167 hotel rooms at … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Election, history, Illinois, International, Law enforcement, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Nevada, Philippines, Taxes, Tribal, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Galaxy thinks big; Hoping against hope in Illinois

Posted on March 9, 2016 by David McKee

Feeling the pressure to diversify the market appeal of his casino resorts, Galaxy Entertainment CEO Lui Che-Woo is talking vaguely about a theme park, “something special and high-tech,” similar to the movie Avatar. Note that James Cameron isn’t explicitly involved … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Galaxy Entertainment, Illinois, Kentucky, Macau, Politics, Sheldon Adelson | Comments Off

Illinois casinos stave off competition; Palms potentially for sale

Posted on March 7, 2016 by David McKee

Despite being increasingly besieged by slot routes, Illinois casinos had a good February, up 5%. Foot traffic was 3% higher and customer spending rose 2%. Two operators had revenue-negative months, with MGM Resorts International off 1% at Grand Victoria Elgin, while … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Carl Icahn, Entertainment, Fontainebleau, George Maloof, GLPI, Harrah's, Illinois, Macau, MGM Mirage, Neil Bluhm, Penn National, Slot routes, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Wall Street | 2 Comments

A Revel by any other name; Hard Rock thinks globally; Hard times for Boyd

Posted on March 2, 2016 by David McKee

What’s in a name? That’s the question confronting Glenn Straub, for whom the days are counting down until he can reopen the hotel portion of his casino with a new name. We don’t agree that Revel is a meaningless word, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Glenn Straub, Hard Rock International, Illinois, International, Iowa, Japan, Politics, Revel, Slot routes, Tourism, Vietnam, Warner Gaming | Comments Off

Scientific’s surprising results; Gaming advancing in Georgia

Posted on February 26, 2016 by David McKee

An upturn in the replacement cycle (8,990 slots shipped) helped Scientific Games post a 10% revenue increase last quarter. A mix of impairment charges, writedowns and consolidation costs led the mega-supplier to a $128 million loss for the quarter, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Economy, Georgia, Illinois, International, Internet gambling, Macau, Massachusetts, Mohegan Sun, PokerStars, Problem gambling, Scientific Games, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, Technology, Transportation, Wall Street | 1 Comment

It’s a new day at the Cosmo; Atlantic City’s fate in Borgata’s hands

Posted on February 8, 2016 by David McKee

“The bottom line is you have a casino. Instead of downplaying that, let’s celebrate it.” That’s Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas CEO Bill McBeath outlining the besetting sin of his predecessors, ignoring the central role of gambling as the Cosmo’s revenue … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Cosmopolitan, Entertainment, Illinois, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Regulation, Slot routes, Taxes, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off

Illinois beats the odds; MGM goes au naturel

Posted on February 8, 2016 by David McKee

Well, here’s a novel piece of news out of Illinois, where it always seems that gloom and doom hold sway. Gaming revenues were up 2% last month. That’s even more impressive when you consider that it’s being measured against a … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Culinary Union, Entertainment, Environment, GLPI, Harrah's, Illinois, MGM Mirage, Neil Bluhm, Nevada, Penn National, Technology, The Strip, Transportation, Wall Street | Comments Off

Crosby: DFS equals Internet gambling; Macao’s newfound love for slot players

Posted on January 13, 2016 by David McKee

Although state Attorney General Maura Healey continues to draw a road map for daily fantasy sports in Massachusetts, the state’s gambling regulatory body has stepped forward to volunteer its services as an enforcement agent. Yes, DFS would be classified as … Continue reading →

Posted in Illinois, Internet gambling, Macau, Marketing, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Missouri, New York, Penn National, Regulation, Stanley Ho, Tribal, Tropicana Entertainment, Wall Street | Comments Off

Christie takes sides in casino fight; Healthy month in Missouri

Posted on January 11, 2016 by David McKee

“I can’t say it won’t ever happen, but by 2018, New York will have approved a casino in Staten Island. It needs to be now because we have the opportunity now.” Thus spake New Jersey State Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D), … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Atlantic City, Georgia, Harrah's, Illinois, Isle of Capri, Massachusetts, New York, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Politics, Regulation, Steve Wynn, Tribal, Tropicana Entertainment, Unite-Here | Comments Off

Illinois down, Indiana up

Posted on January 8, 2016 by David McKee

While surrounding states prosper at their casinos, Illinois‘ continue to suffer, especially now that they must compete with slot routes. Deutsche Bank analyst Carlo Santarelli crunched the numbers and found that even though bettors were wagering 2% more, there was … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Boyd Gaming, Dan Lee, GLPI, Harrah's, Illinois, Indiana, MGM Mirage, Neil Bluhm, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, Tropicana Entertainment | Comments Off

Arc de scandale; New Illinois casino nominee

Posted on January 7, 2016 by David McKee

Macao is still reeling from an embezzlement scandal involving a Wynn Macau junket operator and now $13 million has gone missing from L’Arc, a sublicensee of Sociedade de Jogos de Macau and owned by SJM’s Angela Leong. This immediately raised … Continue reading →

Posted in Foxwoods, Galaxy Entertainment, Illinois, Macau, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, Penn National, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho, Steve Wynn, Wall Street | Comments Off

DFS advances in Iowa, regroups in Illinois

Posted on December 31, 2015 by David McKee

Legalization of daily fantasy sports got halfway to the goal line in the 2015 Iowa Legislature. State Rep. Jake Highfill (R) hopes to get into the endzone in 2016 with a revised version of a bill that already cleared the … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Dining, Entertainment, Glenn Straub, Illinois, Internet gambling, Iowa, MGM Mirage, New York, Regulation, Revel | Comments Off

Indiana: Visiting less, spending more

Posted on December 8, 2015 by David McKee

That’s the verdict of Deutsche Bank analyst Carlo Santarelli, who reports that foot traffic at Indiana casinos was 11% down last month, implying a 7% spending increase. If free play is counted, casino revenues fell 5%, with the southern tier … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Boyd Gaming, Full House Resorts, Harrah's, Illinois, Indiana, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, Slot routes, Tropicana Entertainment, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Continued erosion in Illinois

Posted on December 7, 2015 by David McKee

Illinois gamblers visited measurably less (-8%) and spent slightly more (+3%), as casino business in the Land of Lincoln took a 5% dip in November. The calendar had one less weekend day than last year, which surely didn’t help. Even … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Economy, GLPI, Harrah's, Illinois, MGM Mirage, Movies, Neil Bluhm, Penn National | 1 Comment

Penn charms Wall Street

Posted on December 3, 2015 by David McKee

JP Morgan analyst Joseph Greff recently sat down with Penn National Gaming COO Jay Snowden and, of course, the big topic of conversation was Plainridge Park. Penn doesn’t see Wynn Everett — when it opens in 2018 — as a … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Economy, Illinois, M Resort, Marketing, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Missouri, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Racinos, Rhode Island, Slot routes, Sports, Steve Wynn, Taxes, The Strip, Tribal, West Virginia | 1 Comment