Category Archives: Law enforcement

Top Golf’s impressive debut; Lucky Dragon’s calculated risk

Posted on May 18, 2016 by David McKee

“My only problem is A.D.D.” read the T-shirt of one of the celebrants at last night’s opening of Top Golf, on the MGM Grand campus. He was certainly in the right place. If you are serious about honing your skills, … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Churchill Downs, Entertainment, Foxwoods, G2E, Geoff Freeman, Illinois, Internet gambling, Law enforcement, Lucky Dragon, Macau, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, Pennsylvania, Philippines, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, SLS Las Vegas, Sports, Station Casinos, Technology, The Strip | Comments Off

Adelson bill makes unwelcome return; Downtown Vegas’ new face

Posted on May 16, 2016 by David McKee

His presidential aspirations having turned to dust, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) is back to doing Sheldon Adelson‘s business, resurrecting RAWA. He has appended to an unrelated spending bill the following language: “Internet Gambling—Since 1961, the Wire Act has prohibited nearly all … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, California, Dining, Downtown, Entertainment, Internet gambling, Law enforcement, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, PokerStars, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, The Strip | Comments Off

Palms purchase confirmed; Adelson gets rapped

Posted on May 12, 2016 by David McKee

It’s official: Red Rock Resorts has purchased The Palms for $312.5 million. It got a bargain when one considers the inventory that comes with the deal — the Palms Place condo tower, 710 hotel rooms, 85 of the most famous … Continue reading →

Posted in Culinary Union, Economy, Law enforcement, Macau, Palms, Philippines, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Station Casinos, The Strip | 1 Comment

Dicey casino drive calls it quits; Steve Wynn’s newest mousetrap

Posted on May 2, 2016 by David McKee

Casino speculator Shawn Scott is skulking out of Maine, his attorney having withdrawn an appeal of Superior Court Justice Michaela Murphy’s ruling on the (in)validity of petitions filed by Scott and his sister Lisa, who was bankrolling the referendum drive. … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Economy, Election, Encore, Entertainment, Kansas, Law enforcement, Louisiana, Macau, Maine, Massachusetts, Mohegan Sun, Sports, Steve Wynn, Tribal | Comments Off

What did Wynn know and when did it know it?; MGM REIT a hit

Posted on April 26, 2016 by David McKee

An unwelcome sideshow for Wynn Boston Harbor is playing out in a Massachusetts courtroom, in a court case of “excruciating details.” What is at issue is whether Dustin DeNunzio, Anthony Gattineri and Charles Lightbody attempted to defraud Wynn Resorts by concealing convicted … Continue reading →

Posted in Internet gambling, Law enforcement, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Oklahoma, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Steve Wynn, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off

Straub’s better mousetrap; Sparks Nugget in the clear

Posted on April 22, 2016 by David McKee

By now it is something of an understatement to say that Revel owner Glenn Straub thinks outside the box. Or, as the Philadelphia Inquirer put it, his “plans for the massive property have veered erratically from mud slides to academic … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Dining, Economy, Entertainment, Environment, Geoff Freeman, Glenn Straub, International, Law enforcement, Macau, Marnell Gaming, Pinnacle Entertainment, Regulation, Reno, Revel, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, Taxes | Comments Off

Station: New name, same old shtick

Posted on April 19, 2016 by David McKee

We’re going to have to get used to calling Station Casinos by its new corporate moniker, Red Rock Resorts (ticker symbol RRR). Oh, the Station brand isn’t going anywhere: For consumer-oriented purposes, all the Stations and Wildfires and so on … Continue reading →

Posted in Golden Gaming, Law enforcement, Massachusetts, Penn National, Reno, Slot routes, Station Casinos, Wall Street | Comments Off

Sexcapade case closed; GLPI/Pinnacle deal a certainty

Posted on April 12, 2016 by David McKee

Followers of jurisprudence will be denied one of the more prurient evidentiary hearings in history now that Vegas High Roller sexpot Chloe Scordianos has decided to plead guilty to disorderly conduct rather than face trial for committing sex acts in … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Architecture, Entertainment, Environment, GLPI, Harrah's, history, Illinois, Law enforcement, Missouri, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Regulation, Riviera, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tropicana Entertainment | Comments Off

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

DFS becomes political football; More trouble for PokerStars

Posted on March 28, 2016 by David McKee

Add Yahoo to the list of daily fantasy sports providers that are tiptoeing out of New York State under an accord with state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. The latter has said that if the issue can’t be resolved in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Arizona, Election, Florida, Harrah's, Indiana, Internet gambling, Law enforcement, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Oklahoma, PokerStars, Politics, South Korea, Wisconsin | 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

Freeman slags Guardian; The truth remains out there

Posted on March 22, 2016 by David McKee

In a risky move, American Gaming Association President Geoff Freeman lashed out at Atlantic City Mayor Don Guardian, after the latter reiterated his opposition to northern New Jersey casinos in a spirited public debate. Hizzoner wasn’t the only skeptic: Resorts … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Downtown, Geoff Freeman, Harrah's, Law enforcement, Politics, Texas | Comments Off

Vegas philanderer meets grisly fate; Hot water for Westgate

Posted on March 21, 2016 by David McKee

Phillip Frank Panzica should have wiped that grin off his face. After being caught in Las Vegas performing public sexual acts on the Vegas High Roller, he pled out to a misdemeanor charge and had scarcely returned to Texas before … Continue reading →

Posted in Law enforcement, Regulation, SLS Las Vegas, Texas, The Strip, Westgate LV | Comments Off

Trouble at the Trop; Liberace resurgence in Vegas

Posted on March 18, 2016 by David McKee

After a methodical — or at least slow-moving — investigation, FBI agents dropped the hammer on Tropicana Las Vegas‘ resident illusionist, Jan Rouven. The latter is accused of felony child pornography, having allegedly had myriad violent child-porn images and videos … Continue reading →

Posted in ABBA, Alex Yemenidjian, Economy, Entertainment, history, Law enforcement, Penn National, Riviera, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Wayne F. Newton | Comments Off

Adelson sets the pace; Philippine gaming scandal grows legs

Posted on March 15, 2016 by David McKee

As March gets off to a week start in Macao, operators who don’t yet have a presence on the giant landfill known as Cotai — namely Wynn Resorts, MGM Resorts International and Sociedade de Jogos de Macau — are being … Continue reading →

Posted in Law enforcement, Macau, Marketing, Massachusetts, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Penn National, Philippines, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho, Steve Wynn, Wall Street | Comments Off

Hang up for MGM National Harbor; Dances with insolvency

Posted on March 11, 2016 by David McKee

If a July opening of MGM National Harbor, in Maryland, sounded too good to be true, it was. The company says “things got more and more real” and the Washington Post reports that MGM executives told it the target “was … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Internet gambling, Law enforcement, Maryland, MGM Mirage, Movies, New York, Philippines, Regulation, South Dakota, Tribal, Tropicana Entertainment | 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

Sex in the sky; Great month for Indiana

Posted on March 9, 2016 by David McKee

Gary Loveman‘s beloved Vegas High Roller has become Las Vegas‘ favorite place to expose oneself, with eight known instances to date. Let’s not pretend to be surprised by this. Anyway, proving that what happens here often leads to a misdemeanor … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Full House Resorts, Harrah's, Indiana, Law enforcement, Majestic Star, Ohio, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, The Strip, Tropicana Entertainment, Wall Street | Comments Off

The party’s over; DFS sniffs at Nevada regulation

Posted on March 8, 2016 by David McKee

It’s no party for two executives at Bwin.Party. The Austrian government has leveled charges of corruption, “breach of trust” and money laundering at Bwin’s Norbert Teufelberger and Manfred Bodner. The indictment was filed two months ago but is only now … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Dining, Donald Trump, International, Internet gambling, Law enforcement, Nevada, North Las Vegas, Regulation | Comments Off

Study: Triads rampant in Macao casinos

Posted on March 3, 2016 by David McKee

Wow, what a shocker — not. A new study by T. Wing Lo and Sharon Ingrid Kwok of the City University of Hong Kong for the British Journal of Criminology reports that casino operators look for junket partners who have ‘dor’ or … Continue reading →

Posted in Election, Law enforcement, Macau, Marketing, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Neil Bluhm, Regulation, Rhode Island, Stanley Ho, Steve Wynn, The Mob, Tribal | Comments Off