Category Archives: Laughlin

Great month for the Strip, for Louisiana not so much

Buoyed by heavy baccarat play, the Las Vegas Strip registered a 22.5% gain in June. The house played very lucky, too, with win up a staggering 155%. At the other end of the gaming spectrum, those slots must have been … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Churchill Hill, Downtown, Economy, Harrah's, Isle of Capri, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Louisiana, North Las Vegas, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, Reno, The Strip, Tropicana Entertainment | 1 Comment

Camptown Races; Concord in Boston

What if they gave a casino and nobody came? That’s what happened to Kansas, which drew nary a bidder on its fourth and final casino license, deemed by many to be too close to Oklahoma (rife with casinos) to be … Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Carl Icahn, Columbia Sussex, Dotty's, Kansas, Laughlin, Massachusetts, Mohegan Sun, Oklahoma, Phil Ruffin, Steve Wynn, Tropicana Entertainment | 1 Comment

Boffo May in Vegas; The power of convenience

Wall Street was pleasantly surprised by May’s gambling numbers from Nevada and especially the Las Vegas Strip, which was up 17%. Statewide, revenues rose 8%, reflecting the dilutive effect of an 8% decline in locals gaming revenue. A 3% dip … Continue reading

Posted in Boulder Strip, Downtown, Economy, Election, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, Illinois, Laughlin, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, North Las Vegas, Ohio, Penn National, Problem gambling, Racinos, Regulation, Slot routes, The Strip, Wall Street | 3 Comments

Pacquiao impact punchless

April’s gaming numbers from Nevada were received with varying degrees of gloom. Not even a Manny Pacquiao fight could drive up the revenue figures, generally speaking. Baccarat, it goes without saying, was a different story, with 40% more revenue and … Continue reading

Posted in Boulder Strip, Downtown, Economy, Laughlin, North Las Vegas, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal, Wall Street, Wisconsin | Comments Off on Pacquiao impact punchless

Vegas: A return to the halcyon years? It looks that way

Las Vegas recorded its highest visitation numbers of all time last March, helping to drive gambling revenue 8% upward. We had 3.7 million tourists, 4% than the previous year. Despite fewer conventions, a 20.5% leap in convention attendance (with the … Continue reading

Posted in Downtown, Economy, Harrah's, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Mesquite, MGM Mirage, North Las Vegas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Reno, Sam Nazarian, Tourism, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Gambling: It’s not what it used to be

Nevada‘s casino industry is still in the Great Recession, if profits and losses are anything by which to go. Posting their fifth consecutive year of losses, they were $1.35 billion in the red, on $24 billion in revenues. No surprise, … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, Dining, Downtown, Economy, Entertainment, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Planet Hollywood, Reno, Sheldon Adelson | Comments Off on Gambling: It’s not what it used to be

Save the whales; Boffo contract in Wisconsin

824 grand. That’s how much online poker revenue Nevada generated in February, the first month in which it has reported such numbers. (Sheldon Adelson‘s fear of Internet poker is like an elephant cowering before a mouse.) Since online play went … Continue reading

Posted in Boulder Strip, Downtown, Economy, Foxwoods, Internet gambling, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, North Las Vegas, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, Tribal, Wall Street, Wisconsin | Comments Off on Save the whales; Boffo contract in Wisconsin

Casino proposed for Albany; The smell of gambling

E23. That’s the provisional name for a casino complex that developer David Flaum has proposed for the Albany area, right on the New York State Thruway. The budget ($300 million-$400 million) is modest. Flaum is not. “This thing, frankly, is going … Continue reading

Posted in Environment, Laughlin, Marketing, Massachusetts, Mohegan Sun, New York, Ohio, Politics, Tribal | Comments Off on Casino proposed for Albany; The smell of gambling

Boyd under siege? Tight (slots) on the East Coast

Yesterday, Elliott Management announced that it owns 5% of Boyd Gaming. Shares of the company, which had closed just under $12, opened at $14. But is this a vote of confidence in Boyd? According to Seeking Alpha, “Elliott has a … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Columbia Sussex, Florida, Internet gambling, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Neil Bluhm, New York, Pennsylvania, Pinnacle Entertainment, Regulation, Reno, Technology, Tourism, Tropicana Entertainment, Wall Street, West Virginia | Comments Off on Boyd under siege? Tight (slots) on the East Coast

Buoyancy in Vegas, contentment at Wynn

Despite somewhat less money being dropped on the Las Vegas Strip, revenue was up 13% last December, closing out a strong 4Q13. Statewide, revenue was up 10%, slightly over a billion dollars. Tighter slot hold on the Strip helped fuel … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, Downtown, Economy, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Macau, Massachusetts, Mohegan Sun, Racinos, Reno, Steve Wynn, Taxes, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off on Buoyancy in Vegas, contentment at Wynn

Nevada finishing year strong; Christie’s choler

With a little help from one extra weekend day, Nevada gross gaming revenues shot upward 12% statewide in November and 23% on the Strip. Baccarat players lost their shirts, with the house winning 94% more than the previous year. Less … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Boulder Strip, Cordish Co., Current, Downtown, Economy, Harrah's, Laughlin, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, North Las Vegas, Penn National, Regulation, Reno, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Trump Entertainment Resorts | 2 Comments

Falling upward in Nevada; MGM: The Lion meows

Helped by a wee bit of late-August slot revenue, Nevada posted a 7% revenue gain this month, for a $959 haul. The Strip performed spectacularly, up 13%, and Downtown edged 2% higher. Lake Tahoe vaulted 23% but Reno fell off … Continue reading

Posted in Boulder Strip, CityCenter, Current, Downtown, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Macau, Mesquite, MGM Mirage, North Las Vegas, Reno, Sheldon Adelson, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation, Wall Street | Comments Off on Falling upward in Nevada; MGM: The Lion meows

August: Hot on the Strip

Boy, did the house win big last August. Las Vegas Strip gambling revenues were up 20%, driven by exceptionally lucky baccarat play (win up 55.5%), in a month when 1.5% less was wagered on the game. (A modest increase in … Continue reading

Posted in Boulder Strip, Current, Downtown, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, North Las Vegas, Reno, The Strip | Comments Off on August: Hot on the Strip

Tilman impresses again; N.Y. nudges casino question

You have to hand it to Tilman Fertitta: He keeps reinvesting in his casino properties, unlike some people we could name. (*cough*Gary Loveman*cough*) Although “high roller” and “Laughlin” seem oxymoronic, that hasn’t stopped Fertitta from dropping a bundle on the … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Election, Laughlin, New York, Tilman Fertitta | 1 Comment

“Ugly” month on the Strip

That’s the word that normally temperate J.P. Morgan analyst Joseph Greff employedd to describe a July in with Las Vegas Strip winnings fell 14% (as opposed to 8% statewide; others had a different perspective). And since the month began and … Continue reading

Posted in Current, Downtown, Economy, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, North Las Vegas, Reno, The Strip | 1 Comment

Another reason to hate Allegiant; Fertitta gets an “F”

That airline that charges you for checking bags, then floated the idea of charging you for not checking bags has found yet another way to screw its customers, as a planeload of them discovered last weekend in Las Vegas. Yes, … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Downtown, Laughlin, Mississippi, Tilman Fertitta, Tourism, Transportation | 4 Comments

Tilman’s Golden touch; Dotty’s gets respectable

Tilman Fertitta forked over $45 million to purchase Isle of Capri Biloxi. He is currently putting another $100 million into expansions and upgrades. From the look of things, he shouldn’t have any trouble making his money back. (Interestingly, parts of … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Boulder Strip, Current, Downtown, Economy, Environment, Internet gambling, Isle of Capri, Laughlin, Mississippi, Planet Hollywood, Riviera, Tilman Fertitta | 3 Comments

What’s new in Sparks?; Tomato King strikes again; Bluhm’s bad luck

Arising from the grave of the Silver Club, the brand-new Bourbon Square Casino was finished just in the nick of time for yesterday’s opening. Owner Nevada Casino Holdings has done well, delivering a “new” casino for just $5 million. It … Continue reading

Posted in Boulder Strip, Columbia Sussex, Current, Don Barden, Laughlin, Massachusetts, Neil Bluhm, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Reno, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Tomato King Procacci | Comments Off on What’s new in Sparks?; Tomato King strikes again; Bluhm’s bad luck

LV in June: The house lost big-time

Despite only a minor dip in visitation, Las Vegas casinos got hammered in June. Players kept their wallets shut and the cards weren’t turning in the house’s favor. The amount of money played on the Las Vegas Strip was off … Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Current, Downtown, Economy, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, North Las Vegas, Reno, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street | 2 Comments

Chicken Lady rides again

Responding to the deafening disinterest of a Nevada electorate that has largely forgotten her, Pioneer Hotel & Gambling Hall Treasurer Sue Lowden — touting her casino expertise — has thrown her tiara into the ring in the contest to be … Continue reading

Posted in Archon Corp., Current, Election, Laughlin, Sheldon Adelson | Comments Off on Chicken Lady rides again