Category Archives: Illinois

Sally Rand has left the building

Posted on November 26, 2008 by David McKee

That corpse you may have stumbled across while strolling the riverbanks of Pittsburgh is Pennsylvania’s ‘one and one-third‘ rule. It was a legislative fig leaf whose ostensible purpose was to prevent the prime casino/racino opportunities in the state from being … Continue reading →

Posted in Don Barden, Downtown, Harrah's, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Tropicana Entertainment | Comments Off on Sally Rand has left the building

Indiana: It's all relative

Posted on November 11, 2008 by David McKee

Sifting through my massive pile of unwritten Questions of the Day and unstudied analyst reports, we come to Indiana's October revenues. Ultimately, whether any particular metric is good or bad depends on context and perspective. To start with the big … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Boyd Gaming, Columbia Sussex, Don Barden, Economy, Harrah's, Illinois, Indiana, Pinnacle Entertainment | Comments Off on Indiana: It's all relative

Up in smoke

Posted on October 14, 2008 by David McKee

Few issues involving the casino industry cause such a conflict between intellect and emotion as that of second-hand smoke. Personally, I think even manure is less offensive to the nostrils than cigarette smoke — and it has fewer carcinogenic side … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Colorado, Environment, Harrah's, Illinois, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, The Strip | Comments Off on Up in smoke

On the other hand …

Posted on August 25, 2008 by David McKee

… if Illinois casinos are sucking wind (which they are), why hasn't this redounded more to the benefit of neighboring states? For instance, it looks like Indiana had a good July, but once you back out two new racinos, a … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Boyd Gaming, Columbia Sussex, Don Barden, Harrah's, Horseracing, Illinois, Indiana, Isle of Capri, Missouri, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment | Comments Off on On the other hand …

Case Bets: MGM Mirage, Ameristar, Penn National

Posted on August 5, 2008 by David McKee

It almost goes without saying right now that any earnings report is going to come in slightly below Wall Street’s consensus. That’s just the way the dice are bouncing these days. Such is the case with MGM Mirage, where Strip … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Colorado, Detroit, Harrah's, Illinois, Indiana, MGM Mirage, Penn National, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off on Case Bets: MGM Mirage, Ameristar, Penn National

The Ameristar war begins

Posted on July 17, 2008 by David McKee

Just a quick hit on my way out the door to spend an evening prepping for The Dark Knight by watching Batman Begins … Ameristar's in play. No news flash there and, for the life of me, I can't figure … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Boyd Gaming, Columbia Sussex, Harrah's, Illinois, Indiana, Isle of Capri, James Packer, MGM Mirage, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Pinnacle Entertainment, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off on The Ameristar war begins

Not smoking stunts your (revenue) growth

Posted on May 7, 2008 by David McKee

Let's get one thing clear: Smoking is a noxious habit that's likely to kill you and certain to alienate other people, in my opinion. (I had two grandparents who smoked until the air turned blue, then smoked some more, which … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Harrah's, Illinois, MGM Mirage, Penn National, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson | Comments Off on Not smoking stunts your (revenue) growth