Category Archives: Macau

Florida: Scott loses, big time; Coup d’etat in Atlantic City

Posted on November 11, 2016 by David McKee

Fourteen more years. That’s how long the Seminole Tribe can have exclusive rights to blackjack in Florida, thanks to a ruling by U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle. It’s a huge win for the Seminoles and not entirely unforeseen, given how … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Donald Trump, Economy, Election, Florida, Geoff Freeman, Georgia, Glenn Straub, Hard Rock International, Japan, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Marketing, Maryland, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Pennsylvania, Racinos, Rhode Island, Seminole Tribe, Sheldon Adelson, Taxes, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off on Florida: Scott loses, big time; Coup d’etat in Atlantic City

Mixed bag in Indiana; Don’t mess with Massachusetts

Posted on November 10, 2016 by David McKee

One less weekend day in October helped depress casino revenues in Indiana, down 3%. However, individual property results were all over the place, making generalizations perilous. For instance, Majestic Star II in Gary was down 9%, to $5 million, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Boyd Gaming, Election, Full House Resorts, Harrah's, Indiana, Law enforcement, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Majestic Star, Marketing, Massachusetts, Melco Crown Entertainment, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, Steve Wynn, Tropicana Entertainment | Comments Off on Mixed bag in Indiana; Don’t mess with Massachusetts

LV Monorail lives; MGM shatters expectations

Posted on November 7, 2016 by David McKee

Whether or not you consider the Las Vegas Monorail a while elephant, its trunk is going to grow a bit longer. Clark County is diligently pursuing the permits that would enable it to extend the Monorail to Mandalay Bay, where … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Detroit, GLPI, Harrah's, Illinois, Macau, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Neil Bluhm, Penn National, Sheldon Adelson, Slot routes, The Strip, Transportation, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Turnaround in Macao; Trop claims another victim

Posted on November 1, 2016 by David McKee

There’s finally solid ground for optimism with regard to Macao, admittedly a good market to be in even at the worst of times. October gaming revenues surged 9%. Deutsche Bank analyst Carlo Santarelli took the numbers with a couple of … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Entertainment, Macau, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, Stanley Ho, Steve Wynn, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Five-point solution for Atlantic City; The Crown 18

Posted on October 27, 2016 by David McKee

Will Atlantic City be the master of its domain or will Gov. Chris Christie (R) insist upon a state takeover? That’s the question after Mayor Don Guardian (R) steered a five-point rescue plan through a heavily divided city council. In … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Environment, Hard Rock International, James Packer, Law enforcement, Macau, Politics, Regulation, Taxes, Technology | Comments Off on Five-point solution for Atlantic City; The Crown 18

Casino moguls get stadium religion; Macao casinos not a Beijing priority

Posted on October 11, 2016 by David McKee

MGM Resorts International CEO Jim Murren has had a come-to-Jesus moment on Sheldon Adelson‘s proposed NFL stadium. After all, MGM stands the most to benefit from proximity to its all-but-certain Russell Road location. Failing to fund the stadium, Murren told … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Macau, MGM Mirage, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, Steve Wynn, Taxes, The Strip | 1 Comment

What is “good faith”?; Landslide shaping up in New Jersey

Posted on October 5, 2016 by David McKee

Who broke the compact between the State of Florida and the Seminole Tribe? That question is at the nub of a bench trial over the Seminoles’ disputed blackjack games. A win for Gov. Rick Scott (R) could be Pyrrhic, costing … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Delaware, Election, Florida, Galaxy Entertainment, Genting, Hard Rock International, International, Internet gambling, Macau, Melco Crown Entertainment, Nevada, Racinos, Regulation, Seminole Tribe, Sheldon Adelson, The Mob, Tribal | Comments Off on What is “good faith”?; Landslide shaping up in New Jersey

Crisis mode in Pennsylvania; Hard Rock unifies the brand

Posted on October 3, 2016 by David McKee

Although Pennsylvania lawmakers theoretically have three months to amend an “incredibly complex” state law that directs casino revenue to host cities and counties, the grim reality is that the Lege has only eight session days in which to get it … Continue reading →

Posted in Australia, Charity, Eldorado Resorts, Florida, G2E, Greenwood Racing, Hard Rock Hotel, Hard Rock International, International, Macau, Pennsylvania, Politics, Seminole Tribe, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, Taxes, Technology, TV, Wall Street | Comments Off on Crisis mode in Pennsylvania; Hard Rock unifies the brand

Trump: The art of losing (money); Daylight in Macao

Posted on October 3, 2016 by David McKee

Being the most inept casino developer in American history (four bankruptcies speak for themselves) has its advantages. The red ink hemorrhaged by Donald Trump‘s Atlantic City casinos spilled over onto his 1995 income-tax form, enabling the mogul to record a … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Donald Trump, Harrah's, Macau, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, Taxes, Tilman Fertitta, Wall Street | 3 Comments

Stadium debate heats up; Seminole Tribe ousts boss

Posted on September 30, 2016 by David McKee

  While it looked for a moment like the wheels were greased for an NFL stadium on the Las Vegas Strip, financed primarily by hotel-room taxes, there’s a bit less certainty today. For one thing, Sheldon Adelson either assumed or … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Economy, Florida, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, Macau, MGM Mirage, Politics, Seminole Tribe, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, Taxes, The Strip | 2 Comments

New obstacle for Icahn; Macao’s loss is Packer’s gain

Posted on September 29, 2016 by David McKee

Could Carl Icahn‘s real plan for Trump Taj Mahal be to close it on Oct. 10, then reopen it as a scab property? Not if state Sen. James Whelan (D) has anything to say about it. He’s advancing a bill … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Australia, Carl Icahn, Glenn Straub, James Packer, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Tribal, Tropicana Entertainment, Unite-Here, Wisconsin | 1 Comment

Big Gaming meets the Street

Posted on September 26, 2016 by David McKee

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

Round One to Adelson; Berman honored; Atlantic City winning in polls

Posted on September 21, 2016 by David McKee

Sands China has been getting mad props for its handling of the Parisian rollout last week. Compared to Wynn Palace‘s “passive” approach to the market (and despite a hailstorm of upbeat verbiage from Steve Wynn), analyst Christopher Jones wrote, “The awareness … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Carl Icahn, Election, Harrah's, history, International, Lyle Berman, Macau, Marketing, Melco Crown Entertainment, Mississippi, Nevada, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Transportation, Wall Street, World Series of Poker | 1 Comment

Macao: Dirty money; What Millennial problem?

Posted on September 21, 2016 by David McKee

Is Macao‘s gaming prosperity built on “often shady links to organised crime and racketeering” through the junket business? The South China Morning Post‘s Niall Fraser contends that it is. As of 2013, $202 billion in ill-gotten-gains were flowing through the … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Downtown, Harrah's, history, International, Internet gambling, Macau, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Pinnacle Entertainment, Riviera, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, The Mob, The Strip | Comments Off on Macao: Dirty money; What Millennial problem?

Quote of the Day

Posted on September 21, 2016 by David McKee

“By 2018, at the latest, some casinos failing to make ends meet would be forced to restructure. But the point is, why does the market cling to the hope of a turnaround,defying the fact that the gambling business has already developed … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Macau | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Revel becomes Ten; Bluhm enters Atlantic City market

Posted on September 21, 2016 by David McKee

As we enter the waning months of 2016, Glenn Straub has decided to wait until next year to reopen Revel. He also announced its long-awaited new name: Ten (actually it’s “TEN” but we don’t go for that all-caps tomfoolery at … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Glenn Straub, Internet gambling, Macau, Neil Bluhm, Pennsylvania, Philippines, Regulation, Revel, Tilman Fertitta, Tropicana Entertainment, Unite-Here | 1 Comment

Judge to Caesars: Get naked; Bite the wax tadpole

Posted on September 16, 2016 by David McKee

“These folks are going to have to pony up the paper,” said U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Benjamin Goldgar, stripping the fig leaf from Caesars Entertainment owners Marc Rowan, David Bonderman and others. They’ll have to reveal details of their personal … Continue reading →

Posted in Dining, Economy, Georgia, Harrah's, International, Lucky Dragon, Macau, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, Steve Wynn, Taxes, The Strip, Transportation, Wall Street | Comments Off on Judge to Caesars: Get naked; Bite the wax tadpole

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

Posted on September 16, 2016 by David McKee

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

Parisian debuts, Adelson still thinking big

Posted on September 14, 2016 by David McKee

Sheldon Adelson™ has refrained from pre-hyping his Parisian Macao, preferring to let the product speak for itself. It opened last night to the customary fireworks display, as well as a dazzling light show on the megaresort’s half-size Eiffel Tower. Additional … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Cirque du Soleil, Entertainment, International, Macau, MGM Mirage, Movies, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Stanley Ho, Steve Wynn | Comments Off on Parisian debuts, Adelson still thinking big

Parisian opens amid uncertainty; Jones attacks old-boy network

Posted on September 13, 2016 by David McKee

While Sheldon Adelson‘s Las Vegas Review-Journal covered the opening of Wynn Palace from a safe distance, it has sent Richard Velotta to Macao to be on hand for today’s opening of Parisian Macao. What he discovered, among other things, was … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Boyd Gaming, California, Galaxy Entertainment, Harrah's, IGT, International, Japan, Macau, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Nevada, Pinnacle Entertainment, Scientific Games, Sheldon Adelson, South Korea, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Wall Street | Comments Off on Parisian opens amid uncertainty; Jones attacks old-boy network