Category Archives: Marketing

Hypocrisy, thy name is Penn; Gilbert doesn’t know Jack

Posted on January 12, 2018 by David McKee

Despite making a bunch of hifalutin’ noises about the unconstitutionality of mini-casinos in Pennsylvania, who else but Penn National Gaming won the first license. It did so by virtue of insane overkill, bidding $50 million and change for a license … Continue reading →

Posted in Dan Gilbert, Detroit, Harrah's, Law enforcement, Marketing, Maryland, Movies, Ohio, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Sheldon Adelson, The Strip | Comments Off on Hypocrisy, thy name is Penn; Gilbert doesn’t know Jack

Quote of the Day

Posted on January 8, 2018 by David McKee

“The problems may have been exasperated [sic], DeCree said, by the Lucky Dragon’s reliance on the highly competitive market for Asian customers.” — Las Vegas Sun reporter Thomas Moore on the closure of the Lucky Dragon’s casino. If there’s one thing … Continue reading →

Posted in Lucky Dragon, Marketing | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Exit the Dragon

Posted on January 5, 2018 by David McKee

In a story broken yesterday by VitalVegas, the Lucky Dragon Casino has abruptly shuttered its casino and restaurants. It will attempt to limp along for six months of ‘reorganization,’ sustained by hotel revenues. Were the Consumer Electronics Show not in … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Dining, Economy, Genting, Golden Gaming, Hard Rock International, Lucky Dragon, Marketing, Movies, Penn National, SLS Las Vegas, Station Casinos, Wall Street | 3 Comments

Strip’s Thanksgiving turkey; Sports betting overhyped?

Posted on December 29, 2017 by David McKee

Despite a neutral calendar (i.e., same number of weekend days) and a 2% increase in baccarat wagers, the Las Vegas Strip managed to plummet 25% in table game win, pulling overall revenue 6% downward. Had it not been for that game, … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boulder Strip, Delaware, Donald Trump, Hard Rock International, Internet gambling, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Lucky Dragon, LVCVA, Mandalay Bay Massacre, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Nevada, North Las Vegas, Regulation, Reno, Sports, Tribal, Trump Entertainment Resorts, TV | 1 Comment

Quote of the Day

Posted on December 26, 2017 by David McKee

“It always comes down to the same things: parking spaces, hotel rooms and gaming positions. All of the other things are nice, but if you get those three things right, your money will be well spent.” — Chumash Casino Resort General … Continue reading →

Posted in Marketing, Tribal | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Indiana, Missouri see happy days; Don’t count on Millennials

Posted on December 11, 2017 by David McKee

It looks like Penn National Gaming is picking a good time to acquire Pinnacle Entertainment, to judge by the healthy performance of the Missouri and Indiana markets (though it must be kicking itself for having missed the loophole that allowed … Continue reading →

Posted in Affinity Gaming, Ameristar, Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, California, Economy, Eldorado Resorts, Florida, Full House Resorts, Harrah's, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Marketing, Maryland, Missouri, North Las Vegas, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Tourism, Tropicana Entertainment | Comments Off on Indiana, Missouri see happy days; Don’t count on Millennials

Alon: Packer out, Wynn in; Expert: Millennials suck

Posted on December 7, 2017 by David McKee

We guess Steve Wynn couldn’t stand looking at a vacant lot across from Wynncore any longer. The former Alon site will now be Wynn’s Next-But-One Great Thing. Back when it was still the Plaza site, Wynn publicly mulled building a … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, James Packer, Marketing, Palms, Plaza, Sports, Steve Wynn, The Strip | 1 Comment

A taxing topic … but mostly good for gaming

Posted on December 5, 2017 by David McKee

As the Trump administration’s tax bill heads into the reconciliation process, it could spark a new era of fiscal responsibility. That’s if corporations behave as they are predicted to do in this analysis. It forecasts that, with the slashing of … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, California, Current, Economy, Harrah's, Illinois, Macau, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Nevada, Palms, Pennsylvania, Station Casinos, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street | Comments Off on A taxing topic … but mostly good for gaming

Wall Street loves Station; New wine in old bottles

Posted on November 28, 2017 by David McKee

Wall Street has identified one beneficiary of the tax bill currently before Congress: Station Casinos. As how it will affect those sought-after Millennials, well, companies like Station may have to re-do their math. (Pillaging discretionary income for people making less … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, e-sports, Economy, Entertainment, Harrah's, IGT, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Palms, Station Casinos, Taxes, Technology, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off on Wall Street loves Station; New wine in old bottles

Bullish Boyd; Inside Station’s crystal ball

Posted on November 13, 2017 by David McKee

Deutsche Bank analyst Carlo Santarelli met with Boyd Gaming‘s brain trust and liked what he heard, but I’ll let him tell it in his own words: “Within Las Vegas, management is encouraged by unrated play, particularly in the Downtown segment, … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Downtown, Economy, Florida, IGT, Internet gambling, Marketing, Palms, Reno, Seminole Tribe, Sports, Station Casinos, Taxes, Technology, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off on Bullish Boyd; Inside Station’s crystal ball

Penn shows Trop little love; Big plans at Caesars

Posted on October 26, 2017 by David McKee

Penn National Gaming‘s quarterly report was about what you’d expect: strength in Ohio, weakness in West Virginia, and negative impacts from Hurricane Nate and the Mandalay Bay massacre. Also, Penn is looking toward the Canada market for expansion. As Deutsche … Continue reading →

Posted in Harrah's, International, Japan, Mandalay Bay Massacre, Marketing, Mohegan Sun, Ohio, Penn National, Planet Hollywood, Regulation, South Korea, Technology, The Strip, Wall Street, West Virginia | Comments Off on Penn shows Trop little love; Big plans at Caesars

The future of Caesars; Larry Ellison buys Cal-Neva

Posted on October 25, 2017 by David McKee

Executives from Caesars Entertainment flew to New York to meet with Wall Street analysts and lay out their vision of the company’s post-bankruptcy future. According to Deutsche Bank‘s Carlo Santarelli, internal research “displays a healthy Millenial participation rate, a long … Continue reading →

Posted in Aristocrat, Boyd Gaming, Economy, Entertainment, Golden Gaming, Harrah's, history, Lake Tahoe, Mandalay Bay Massacre, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Regulation, Scientific Games, Station Casinos, Technology, The Strip, Wall Street | 1 Comment

New MGM ad stirs controversy; Macao heightens security

Posted on October 19, 2017 by David McKee

Among the victims of Stephen Paddock‘s domestic terrorism was MGM Resorts International‘s “Welcome to the Show” ad campaign. The aftermath of a mass murder was hardly the time to be proclaiming that you’re “in the ‘Holy Sh*t!’ business” or to promise … Continue reading →

Posted in Genting, Harrah's, Macau, Mandalay Bay Massacre, Marijuana, Marketing, Maryland, MGM Mirage, Pennsylvania, Philippines, Regulation, Technology, The Strip, TV, Unite-Here | Comments Off on New MGM ad stirs controversy; Macao heightens security

Resorts World a ‘go’; House of Blues a ‘drag’

Posted on October 19, 2017 by David McKee

With a great sigh of relief, we note that Resorts World Las Vegas has gone from being just a logo and some nifty renderings to becoming a living, breathing construction project (video here). Genting Group has hired a construction manager and … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Entertainment, Genting, Harrah's, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Penn National, Station Casinos, Technology, The Strip, Vdara Death Ray, Westgate LV | Comments Off on Resorts World a ‘go’; House of Blues a ‘drag’

Freeman goes native; MGM hits a three-pointer

Posted on October 18, 2017 by David McKee

American Gaming Association President Geoff Freeman was in Oklahoma City yesterday to talk up the economic benefits of Native American gaming. While one might be tempted to say they speak for themselves, the AGA rolled out some pretty powerful numbers. … Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska, Animals, California, Cosmopolitan, Florida, Foxwoods, George Maloof, Mandalay Bay Massacre, Marketing, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, Oklahoma, Sports, Texas, The Strip, Tribal, TV | Comments Off on Freeman goes native; MGM hits a three-pointer

Warm September for Atlantic City

Posted on October 13, 2017 by David McKee

Things continue to look up for the Boardwalk. Last month, Atlantic City casinos showed a 2.5% revenue increase on a same-store basis. Toss the dead weight of Trump Taj Mahal out of the year/year comparison and the growth is an … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Dan Gilbert, Detroit, Entertainment, Glenn Straub, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, Internet gambling, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, Revel, Tilman Fertitta, Tropicana Entertainment, Trump Entertainment Resorts, Wall Street | Comments Off on Warm September for Atlantic City

Adverse Golden Week in Macao; Ho, Caesars jockey for position in Japan

Posted on October 11, 2017 by David McKee

Golden Week is an important holiday for Macao casinos and it failed to deliver this year. Visitor traffic was down 1%, causing stocks of both Sands China and Galaxy Entertainment Group to be punished on Hong Kong‘s Hang Seng Index. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election, Galaxy Entertainment, Harrah's, Japan, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Marketing, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho, Steve Wynn, Tourism, Wall Street | Comments Off on Adverse Golden Week in Macao; Ho, Caesars jockey for position in Japan

Quote of the Day

Posted on October 9, 2017 by David McKee

“We’re going to let people know that we are strong, and that we’ll be coming through this and coming out of this in a strong fashion. A lot of people spent a lot money and a lot of years building this … Continue reading →

Posted in LVCVA, Mandalay Bay Massacre, Marketing | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Quote of the Day

Posted on October 5, 2017 by David McKee

“Their parents did not grow up playing video games and attached to technology since birth like a prosthetic limb.” — Downtown Grand CEO Seth Schorr on Millennials, traditional slots and skill-based slots.

Posted in Downtown Grand, Marketing, Technology | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Caesars exits bankruptcy; Station’s California headache

Posted on October 3, 2017 by David McKee

Caesars Entertainment‘s long Chapter 11 nightmare is finally at an end. Regulators in Missouri and Louisiana have signed off on a reorganization that will leave Caesars creditors $10 billion lighter in the wallet. The consummation of the deal is a … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, California, Harrah's, Illinois, Louisiana, Marketing, Maryland, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Missouri, Regulation, Station Casinos, Technology, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off on Caesars exits bankruptcy; Station’s California headache