Category Archives: International

Atlantic City: Game over?

Posted on June 23, 2014 by David McKee

Atlantic City‘s last, best hope — sports betting — was swatted away by the U.S. Supreme Court. While keeping mum on its reasoning, the Supremes let stand a federal ban on sports wagering. Found at a charity softball game, Gov. … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Economy, Harrah's, International, Internet gambling, Japan, Lawrence Ho, Mohegan Sun, Sports, Tourism, Transportation | Comments Off

Restarting the clock in Massachusetts; Atlantic City, international destination?

Posted on June 13, 2014 by David McKee

It looks like it’s back to Square One for Massachusetts‘ southeastern region. No host community agreements have been executed. No referendums have been held (with a mid-July deadline looming). And, although the cutoff date has passed, new candidates want to … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Foxwoods, Harrah's, International, Massachusetts, Ohio, Regulation, Tourism, Transportation, Tribal | 1 Comment

Adelson: Another one bites the dust

Posted on June 12, 2014 by David McKee

If Sheldon Adelson wants to protect America from underage gambling, he might start at his Sands Bethlehem casino. The casino has racked up $305,000 in fines in five years. Six incidents this year have incited the latest fine: $85,000. Casino … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Detroit, Economy, Election, International, Internet gambling, Neil Bluhm, Pennsylvania, Politics, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Tribal | Comments Off

Making MGM Springfield happen; Dinner with Isaacs

Posted on June 12, 2014 by David McKee

MGM Springfield is shaping up as the most architecturally interesting casino project not only in Massachusetts but the nation as a whole, a charming mix of the new and the old. The company had been planning a few nods to … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Detroit, Dubai, history, International, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Regulation, Scientific Games, Shuffle Master, Wall Street | Comments Off

Adelson winning one-sided war

Posted on June 5, 2014 by David McKee

If it appears that Sheldon Adelson is rolling to victory in his jihad against Internet gambling, it’s primarily because his opposition has gone belly-up. First, MGM Resorts International CEO Jim Murren called the battle “a fight we cannot win,” then … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Florida, Geoff Freeman, Harrah's, Indiana, International, Internet gambling, MGM Mirage, Politics, Sheldon Adelson, South Carolina, Texas, Tribal | Comments Off

Boston gets bounced; Packer K.O.’s Sri Lanka; Cohen’s good deed

Posted on May 9, 2014 by David McKee

It could all wind up in court, further prolonging Wynn Resorts‘ and Mohegan Sun‘s agony, but for now Boston is a surrounding community. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission unanimously struck down Mayor Martin J. Walsh‘s demand for host-community status. Wynn was … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, California, International, James Packer, Massachusetts, Mohegan Sun, Regulation, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Tribal | Comments Off

A few minutes with Sheldon Adelson

Posted on May 9, 2014 by David McKee

On Internet gambling: On his fear of the Vegas High Roller: “They don’t care about Sheldon Adelson” COURTESY: Bloomberg News

Posted in Harrah's, International, Macau, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, The Strip | Comments Off

Genting OK’d for Vegas; James Packer packs a punch

Posted on May 7, 2014 by David McKee

So thirsty is the State of Nevada for new casino investment that it may feel pressure not to look too closely at Genting Berhad, as its license application goes before the Nevada Gaming Control Board. Not that we’ve ever heard … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, CityCenter, Cosmopolitan, Economy, Entertainment, Genting, International, James Packer, New York, Regulation, Singapore, Stanley Ho, The Strip | Comments Off

Wynn speaks … and speaks

Posted on May 2, 2014 by David McKee

With a dustup with George Clooney still making headlines and a quarterly reporting emerging, Steve Wynn could be expected to be in an expansive mood. He did not disappoint. Ironically, Wynn’s comments about people who “live in a very strange … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, CityCenter, Dining, Economy, Entertainment, International, Japan, Macau, Steve Wynn, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Genting courts skeptics; Mohegan Sun wants a refund

Posted on April 29, 2014 by David McKee

Genting Group may be in for some rough sledding in its pursuit of a casino resort in Tuxedo, New York. Genting would demolish Tuxedo Ridge Ski Center and replace it with an extensive, Edwardian-style resort. Skiing would still be part … Continue reading →

Posted in Election, Genting, International, Lawrence Ho, Massachusetts, Mohegan Sun, New York | 2 Comments

Well, that’s the end of that; A win for Wynn

Posted on April 28, 2014 by David McKee

Caving to opposition forces, the government of Sri Lanka has reversed course and nixed casinos from three planned resorts. The most prominent was a $550 million Crown Resorts project. Now James Packer has to decide whether it’s worth the investment … Continue reading →

Posted in Dennis Gomes, Entertainment, International, James Packer, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, Regulation, Riviera, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta | Comments Off

Packer sparks protests; Heads roll at Zynga

Posted on April 24, 2014 by David McKee

Just the prospect of a James Packer-owned casino was enough to spur a Buddhist-driven protest march in Sri Lanka. Packer’s Crown Resorts has concessions to develop three resort properties and the Sri Lanka government has been talking out of both … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Churchill Downs, International, Internet gambling, James Packer, Kentucky, Lawrence Ho, Maine, New York, Ohio, Politics | Comments Off

IGT: Don’t cry for them Argentina

Posted on April 23, 2014 by David McKee

A 66% drop in profits for International Game Technology was one of yesterday’s headline events. Net revenues were off 15%. That $30 million in workforce cuts didn’t come soon enough to save the quarter, evidently. Wall Street analysts were remarkably … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Cosmopolitan, IGT, International, Internet gambling, Pets, Technology, Wall Street | Comments Off

Caesars: The day after

Posted on April 23, 2014 by David McKee

New York resort developers may be reeling from the sudden entry of Caesars Entertainment into the picture, but that doesn’t mean they’ve given up the fight. After all, Caesars’ move only impacts the Catskills region, not the Capital one nor … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Cordish Co., Foxwoods, Genting, Harrah's, Horseracing, International, Macau, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, New York, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Racinos, Sheldon Adelson | Comments Off

Last-minute scramble in New York

Posted on April 22, 2014 by David McKee

Saratoga Springs Mayor Joanne Yepsen (below) must be the optimistic politician alive. She’s not only OK with Saratoga Raceway & Casino taking its expansion plans elsewhere, she actually gave it her blessing, boasting of her city’s “thriving downtown, successful city center, … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, International, New York, Racinos | 1 Comment

The right amount of wrong ideas

Posted on April 22, 2014 by David McKee

When it comes to the U.S. gaming market, there’s nothing that can stand between James Packer and a bad investment, it seems, common sense least of all. According to Australian media reports, Deutsche Bank wants $1.5 billion-$2 billion for The … Continue reading →

Posted in Cosmopolitan, Dining, Entertainment, Fontainebleau, Harrah's, IGT, International, James Packer, Japan, Macau, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Station Casinos, The Strip, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Look out, Macao, here comes Crimea

Posted on April 21, 2014 by David McKee

That’s the message from Crimea‘s puppet leader, Rustam Temirgaliyev, who claims that Crimea could outdo Monaco, Las Vegas and even Macao. (It is not recorded whether anyone laughed at his assertion.) “Our task is to create a tourist cluster, which will … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Greenwood Racing, Harrah's, International, Massachusetts, Mohegan Sun, North Las Vegas, Pennsylvania, Racinos, Regulation, Steve Wynn, Taxes | 1 Comment

Cosmo: The right amount of money; MGM learns Arabic

Posted on April 16, 2014 by David McKee

A camel is a horse designed by a committee, the saying goes, and The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas resembles nothing so much as a camel — and Deutsche Bank executives are accused of dabbling in its design. If Bloomberg News‘ … Continue reading →

Posted in CityCenter, Cosmopolitan, Harrah's, International, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn | 1 Comment

Ivey, cheater or genius?

Posted on April 15, 2014 by David McKee

Phil Ivey‘s run-in with the Borgata wasn’t his first instance of collision with a casino that thought it had been cheated. In both instances the casinos would appear to have themselves to blame for getting gulled by Ivey’s charm and … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Dining, International | 1 Comment

Paint them black; New ideas for Atlantic City

Posted on April 11, 2014 by David McKee

“Fortunately for police, the chips floated.” That was the undoing of casino cheat Vuong Q. Truong, who tried to hide the better part of $150,000 worth of forged casino chips at the bottom of a lake. No go. The ongoing Truong … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Entertainment, Harrah's, Illinois, International, Marketing, Maryland, Missouri, New York, Penn National, Transportation, West Virginia | 1 Comment