Category Archives: Louisiana

Louisiana: Hot in June

Gambling revenues in the Pelican State enjoyed a 5% jump last month, reaching $213 million (not counting slot routes). How good was business? The “worst performing” market, Lake Charles, was up 1%. L’Auberge du Lac ($27 million) had an aberrantly … Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, California, Churchill Downs, Eldorado Resorts, GLPI, Harrah's, Isle of Capri, Law enforcement, Louisiana, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, Tilman Fertitta, Tribal, Tropicana Entertainment | Comments Off on Louisiana: Hot in June

Strip has a strong May; The robots are coming

Las Vegas Strip casinos posted a 3% revenue increase in May, led by a 12% upswing in baccarat revenue (on only 3% more wagering). Slot coin-in was up 4% but winnings were flat. Non-baccarat table games won 3% more even … Continue reading

Posted in Boulder Strip, Dining, Downtown, Entertainment, Environment, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Louisiana, North Las Vegas, Pinnacle Entertainment, Planet Hollywood, Regulation, Reno, Technology, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off on Strip has a strong May; The robots are coming

Pinnacle wins, Boyd loses in Louisiana

After a fairly calamitous May of 2016, last month was smooth sailing for Louisiana casinos, up 6% overall. True, Shreveport/Bossier City was flat but Lake Charles rose 9%, New Orleans increased 5% and Baton Rouge — look out! — was … Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Churchill Downs, Eldorado Resorts, GLPI, Harrah's, Louisiana, Pinnacle Entertainment, Tilman Fertitta, Tropicana Entertainment | Comments Off on Pinnacle wins, Boyd loses in Louisiana

SLS to get new owner; Boyd outlines strategy

Having failed to reinvent the north end of the Las Vegas Strip as the new place to party heartily, the owners of $415 million SLS Las Vegas are giving up and selling it to a relatively minor player: Meruelo Group. The … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, Cannery Casino Resorts, Environment, Harrah's, Louisiana, Lucky Dragon, Marketing, Mississippi, North Las Vegas, Palms, Reno, Sam Nazarian, SLS Las Vegas, Station Casinos, The Strip, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Pelican Brief; Miami Beach bans casinos

Despite having one less weekend day this year, April was a good month for Louisiana, as gambling revenue rose 5%. The growth was especially dramatic in the Pelican State market, up 19%. By contrast, Shreveport/Bossier City was down 3%. The increase … Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Eldorado Resorts, Galaxy Entertainment, GLPI, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, Isle of Capri, Japan, Louisiana, MGM Mirage, Oklahoma, Pinnacle Entertainment, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Technology, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Tribal, Tropicana Entertainment, TV, Wall Street | Comments Off on Pelican Brief; Miami Beach bans casinos

No casino is an Isle-and; Florida fails again

Eldorado Resorts took another big step toward gaming’s major leagues with its acquisition of Isle of Capri Casinos, a deal that closed earlier this week. The purchase gives Eldorado 12 more casinos, including a presence in the important Lake Charles … Continue reading

Posted in Dan Gilbert, Eldorado Resorts, Florida, GLPI, Hard Rock International, history, Internet gambling, Isle of Capri, Japan, Louisiana, Ohio, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Reno, Seminole Tribe, Technology | Comments Off on No casino is an Isle-and; Florida fails again

Wall Street hearts Boyd; Disunity in Pennsylvania

Boyd Gaming, the red-headed stepchild of the casino industry, got some love from Wall Street yesterday. JP Morgan analyst Joseph Greff wrote that “the improving free cash flow in the BYD story is not reflected in the current stock price, … Continue reading

Posted in Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, Cannery Casino Resorts, Greenwood Racing, Louisiana, North Las Vegas, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Pinnacle Entertainment, Slot routes, Wall Street | Comments Off on Wall Street hearts Boyd; Disunity in Pennsylvania

Big bounce in Louisiana; Poker and booze go better together

Compared with a flood-plagued March of 2015, business was booming  at Louisiana casinos, up 10%, especially Baton Rouge (+20.5%), although New Orleans was flat. JP Morgan analyst Joseph Greff is predicting less salubrious results in April, blaming the Easter Bunny, among … Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Churchill Downs, Economy, Eldorado Resorts, Foxwoods, Genting, GLPI, Harrah's, IGT, Internet gambling, Isle of Capri, Louisiana, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, Pinnacle Entertainment, Politics, Regulation, South Korea, Taxes, Tilman Fertitta, Tourism, Tribal, Tropicana Entertainment, Wall Street | Comments Off on Big bounce in Louisiana; Poker and booze go better together

Gaming up nationally — but Louisiana gets hammered

America‘s casino industry had a winning month in January, up 3.5% to $3.4 billion. Even Illinois, which has never recovered from the smoking ban, was in the top four, behind Nevada (naturally), Pennsylvania and Louisiana. The only serious loser was … Continue reading

Posted in Affinity Gaming, Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Churchill Downs, Economy, Eldorado Resorts, GLPI, Harrah's, Illinois, Internet gambling, Isle of Capri, Louisiana, Marketing, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Pinnacle Entertainment, Sheldon Adelson, Taxes, Tilman Fertitta, Tropicana Entertainment, West Virginia | Comments Off on Gaming up nationally — but Louisiana gets hammered

Business as usual at Boyd; Pinnacle looks to expand

* Top brass at Boyd Gaming met with J.P. Morgan analyst Joseph Greff and reported a relatively unruffled start to 2017, although the delayed mailing of income-tax refunds (about three weeks later than usual) was retarding results a bit. Still, … Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, California, Cannery Casino Resorts, Colorado, Current, Economy, Louisiana, Marketing, MGM Mirage, North Las Vegas, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Tribal, Wall Street, West Virginia | 1 Comment

Caesars: The comedy is (almost) finished; Lawmaker gets high — on revenue

By merging Caesars Acquisition Co. (which holds most of the goodies) with Caesars Entertainment, the conglomerate may be finally able to ring the curtain on its bankruptcy. It’s been a long-running show, often replete with elements of farce. What seems … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Environment, Florida, Harrah's, Louisiana, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Neil Bluhm, Nevada, New York, Politics, Regulation, Taxes, Technology | Comments Off on Caesars: The comedy is (almost) finished; Lawmaker gets high — on revenue

MGM National Harbor a hit with players; Fertitta talks a good game

Given its high profile, MGM National Harbor had to hit a home run for MGM Resorts International and, judging by the numbers, it’s done just that. Last month it grossed $49 million, which — when the numbers are adjusted to … Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Cordish Co., Downtown, GLPI, Golden Gaming, Goldman Sachs, Harrah's, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Neil Bluhm, Nevada, New York, Penn National, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Slot routes, Sports, Station Casinos, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Wall Street, West Virginia | Comments Off on MGM National Harbor a hit with players; Fertitta talks a good game

Lukewarm Christmas in Louisiana; New casino for Indiana?

Despite an extra weekend in December, Louisiana gaming revenues were only modestly up, +4%, although gambling fever sure gripped Baton Rouge, where casinos won 14% more than last year. New Orleans has fallen to a distant third ($47 million) as … Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, California, Churchill Downs, Dan Lee, Florida, Full House Resorts, GLPI, Harrah's, Indiana, Isle of Capri, Louisiana, Maryland, MGM Mirage, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, Seminole Tribe, Taxes, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Tribal, Tropicana Entertainment, Wall Street, West Virginia | Comments Off on Lukewarm Christmas in Louisiana; New casino for Indiana?

Trump Taj saves Atlantic City; Barrack resurfaces; Visiting Memory Lane

When we rounded up Atlantic City gaming numbers yesterday, we didn’t get into market-adjusted comparisons and thus buried the lead. The Boardwalk’s surviving casinos saw, on average, a 6% increase in gaming revenue, thanks to the Oct. 10 closing of … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Atlantic City, Carl Icahn, Cirque du Soleil, Colony Capital, Donald Trump, Economy, Entertainment, Genting, history, Internet gambling, Japan, Law enforcement, Louisiana, Macau, Maryland, Mississippi, Ohio, PokerStars, Regulation, Revel, Sahara, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, Steve Wynn, Taxes, The Strip, West Virginia, Wisconsin | 1 Comment

Boyd: The big squish; Trump’s double-dip

“Squishy.” That was how JP Morgan analyst Joseph Greff described Boyd Gaming‘s third quarter. The soggy verbiage was probably inspired by flooding that has vexed Boyd in Louisiana. The company is also facing stiff, new competition for IP Biloxi on … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Cannery Casino Resorts, Culinary Union, Donald Trump, Economy, Geoff Freeman, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, Regulation, Sports, Station Casinos, Taxes, Trump Entertainment Resorts, Wall Street | Comments Off on Boyd: The big squish; Trump’s double-dip

Big Gaming meets the Street

Deutsche Bank analyst Carlo Santarelli has been in town and conducting a busy schedule of meetings. Pride of place must go to Wynn Resorts, which declared the opening of Wynn Palace “very clean,” with “solid” VIP business. Hotel occupancy is … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, California, Cannery Casino Resorts, Culinary Union, Economy, Glenn Straub, GLPI, Illinois, Louisiana, Macau, Marketing, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Missouri, North Las Vegas, Pinnacle Entertainment, Reno, Revel, Sheldon Adelson, Slot routes, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off on Big Gaming meets the Street

Eldorado captures Isle; Adelson thwarted; Perlman dies

Scratch one more casino company from the checkerboard. This morning it was announced that Eldorado Resorts was buying Isle of Capri Casinos (long mooted as a takeover target. Eldorado will pay $1.7 billion for Isle — or $23 a share … Continue reading

Posted in Alabama, Atlantic City, Eldorado Resorts, Florida, Foxwoods, Geoff Freeman, Harrah's, history, Internet gambling, Isle of Capri, Louisiana, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Missouri, Mohegan Sun, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Politics, Reno, Sheldon Adelson, Taxes, The Mob, The Strip, Tribal, Vietnam, Wall Street | Comments Off on Eldorado captures Isle; Adelson thwarted; Perlman dies

Analysts not sold yet on Macao recovery; Soggy month for Louisiana

They came, they saw, they were unconvinced. “The re-affirmation that mass is improving was pronounced,” reported Deutsche Bank analyst Carlo Santarelli, adding that projections were all over the place. “We get the sense that expectations remain low with respect to … Continue reading

Posted in Australia, Boyd Gaming, Churchill Downs, Economy, Eldorado Resorts, Galaxy Entertainment, GLPI, Harrah's, Isle of Capri, Louisiana, Macau, Massachusetts, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, Sheldon Adelson, South Korea, Steve Wynn, Tilman Fertitta, Tropicana Entertainment, Wall Street | Comments Off on Analysts not sold yet on Macao recovery; Soggy month for Louisiana

Galaxy cautious on Macao; No smoking in Mesquite?

One swallow doesn’t make a spring and, if you’re Galaxy Entertainment CEO Lui Che-Woo, one month of 1% growth in gambling revenue doesn’t constitute a recovery in Macao: “Give me two more years to see if there’s a recovery here.” Now … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Atlantic City, California, Donald Trump, Economy, Environment, Galaxy Entertainment, Illinois, Louisiana, Macau, Marketing, Mesquite, MGM Mirage, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, The Mob, Tribal | Comments Off on Galaxy cautious on Macao; No smoking in Mesquite?

Caesars crashes, burns in Louisiana; DFS takes two steps forward, one back

Despite having an extra weekend day, Louisiana casinos saw revenue fall 7% in July. (JP Morgan analyst Joseph Greff blames flooding for the waterlogged numbers.) Pinnacle Entertainment did the best among major operators, up 4%, while Caesars Entertainment went into the … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Churchill Downs, Eldorado Resorts, GLPI, Harrah's, Internet gambling, Isle of Capri, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Pinnacle Entertainment, Problem gambling, Sports, Taxes, Technology, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Tropicana Entertainment | Comments Off on Caesars crashes, burns in Louisiana; DFS takes two steps forward, one back