Category Archives: Marketing

MGM, Sands & the cone of silence

Posted on April 8, 2010 by David McKee

While Las Vegas Review-Journal Publisher Sherman Frederick was fretting about the “troubling egg caper” in Searchlight, Nev., his newspaper wasn’t losing much sleep over a double-barreled casino scandal. Either a sudden malady had wiped out the gaming desk or somebody … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Current, Election, Harry Reid, Illinois, Macau, Marketing, MGM Mirage, North Las Vegas, Pansy Ho, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho, The Mob | Comments Off

From the S&G Twitter feed …

Posted on April 5, 2010 by David McKee

It’s a crazy day here and I’m deeply enmeshed in reportage (hint: it involves Station Casinos) so I’d like to take up some of the blogging slack by once more pimping the S&G Twitter feed (@stiffsgeorges), which can also be … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Archon Corp., Bally Technologies, Current, Election, Entertainment, Harrah's, Isle of Capri, James Packer, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Marketing, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Pinnacle Entertainment, Planet Hollywood, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Steve Wynn, Technology, Wall Street | Comments Off

From the mailbag

Posted on April 2, 2010 by David McKee

Our Los Angeles correspondent has a few things to say about Commerce Casino, whose craptastic new TV commercial was recently featured on S&G, to much derision. Ever see the billboards in L.A. trying to get people to bring their home … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Marketing, TV | Comments Off

Las Vegas is beaten at its own game …

Posted on April 2, 2010 by David McKee

Royal Casino SPA & Hotel Resort from Vivid Cafe on Vimeo. … by Riga? I want to hop the next plane to Latvia after seeing this extremely sexy short film (approx. 7 minutes) showcasing the Royal Spa & Casino, which … Continue reading →

Posted in International, M Resort, Marketing, MGM Mirage, The Strip, TV | Comments Off

“It’s not Vegas”

Posted on March 31, 2010 by David McKee

Unfortunately, that’s all too evident from this TV spot, which looks an awful lot like the ones you’d see for a second-tier Las Vegas locals casino like the El Cortez or Renata’s, or maybe a P.T.’s Pub. If I were … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, California, Downtown, Marketing, TV | 1 Comment

Confidence or desperation?

Posted on March 31, 2010 by David McKee

Casino operators must be feeling very bullish about recent, incremental increases in visitation to Las Vegas, even though customers continue to spend less. (This is the new business model which the industry as a whole is loath to acknowledge: being … Continue reading →

Posted in Cirque du Soleil, Current, Donald Trump, Economy, Entertainment, Harrah's, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Pennsylvania, Phil Ruffin, Planet Hollywood, Sahara, The Strip, Tribal, TV | 2 Comments

Re$ort fee$: the latest

Posted on March 23, 2010 by David McKee

Poor MGM Mirage; it can’t stay out of the news these days. At the moment, our LVA research staff is trying to get the skinny on the spread of “resort fees” through the company’s Strip properties. (Stock analysts love them … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Economy, Harrah's, Marketing, MGM Mirage, The Strip, Tourism | 26 Comments

Case Bets: Maryland, Foxwoods, problem gambling

Posted on March 23, 2010 by David McKee

It’s not even been 18 months since Maryland voters gave their assent to slot houses — a time in which the state has to erect a regulatory apparatus, vet applicants, and then wait for the latter to get up and … Continue reading →

Posted in Cordish Co., Current, Economy, Kansas, Marketing, Maryland, MGM Mirage, New York, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Problem gambling, Racinos, Regulation, Taxes, Tribal | 1 Comment

Signs of the Times

Posted on March 19, 2010 by David McKee

Seen today outside The Rio on Flamingo Road: Two chicks holding handmade, barely legible “Car Wash” signs. What the … ? Was this an official Rio event? There’s no mention of it either on the casino’s Web site nor on … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Entertainment, Harrah's, Marketing, Planet Hollywood, Regulation, Technology, The Strip | 2 Comments

What are …

Posted on March 18, 2010 by David McKee

… three casinos, two golf courses, a shooting range, a bunch of condos and some miscellaneous real estate worth? If they’re in Mesquite and they’re owned by the disaster area that is Black Gaming, they’re worth no more than $90 … Continue reading →

Posted in Cirque du Soleil, CityCenter, Economy, Entertainment, Marketing, Mesquite, MGM Mirage, Station Casinos, The Strip | 4 Comments

Case Bets: Lake Las Vegas, Todd English, the CityCenter smear, Harrah’s Chester, etc.

Posted on March 16, 2010 by David McKee

Far on the outskirts of Sin City, the Kingdom of Make-Believe (aka Lake Las Vegas) is the newest and — in terms of acreage — biggest metaphor yet for the unrealistic expectations and sometimes insane assumptions which have laid our … Continue reading →

Posted in Archon Corp., CityCenter, Current, Dining, Dubai, Economy, Election, Harrah's, Harry Reid, Lake Las Vegas, Laughlin, Macau, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Pennsylvania, Sheldon Adelson, The Strip, TV | 14 Comments

Bad PR for gaming

Posted on March 12, 2010 by David McKee

Mike Ensign‘s 96 dimes of hush money to his son’s mistress’ pimp daddy (aka Doug Hampton) and “Casino Jack” Abramoff make cameo appearances in this attack ad (found via @RalstonFlash). Throw in the heavy-handed meddling in casino affairs of Gov. … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Election, Iowa, Marketing, New York, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Reno, Sahara, TV | Comments Off

This is getting nasty

Posted on March 11, 2010 by David McKee

Update: S&G sends its condolences to Sen. Reid after his wife and daughter were severely injured in an automobile accident this afternoon. Back when Archon Corp. Treasurer Sue Lowden (left) threw her hat into the 2010 U.S. Senate race, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Archon Corp., CityCenter, Current, Economy, Election, Harry Reid, Labor, Laughlin, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Sheldon Adelson, TV | 1 Comment

Did my eyes deceive me …

Posted on March 8, 2010 by David McKee

… or was that the skeleton of Echelon which was used to illustrate Nevada’s economic woes in the TV spot that Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) is running this week? That’s no outrage in and of itself: Echelon was a casualty … Continue reading →

Posted in Archon Corp., Boyd Gaming, CityCenter, Current, Economy, Election, Harry Reid, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Politics, Sheldon Adelson, The Strip, TV | 2 Comments

Blast from the past

Posted on February 26, 2010 by David McKee

Since we’ve been talking about Archon Corp. this week — and because I didn’t want the last post of the week to be about feet — here’s an old ad for the Wet ‘n Wild water park, whose closure really … Continue reading →

Posted in Archon Corp., Entertainment, Fontainebleau, Marketing, The Strip, Tourism | 6 Comments

Synchronicity @ work

Posted on February 26, 2010 by David McKee

In more senses than one. Harrah’s Entertainment CEO Gary Loveman‘s fascination with fabulous feminine footwear has been the talk of the office at LVA, although I was more intrigued by the bad hair day pictured below. In describing it to … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Environment, Harrah's, Marketing | Comments Off

The Pioneer strikes again

Posted on February 25, 2010 by David McKee

Maybe Archon Corp. Treasurer Sue Lowden was right to play down her casino-industry involvement, after all (although gaming executives aren’t hated around here with anything like the passion reserved for bankers). Her family’s Laughlin grind joint, the Pioneer, occasionally makes … Continue reading →

Posted in Harry Reid, Laughlin, Marketing, MGM Mirage, The Strip | 4 Comments

New Donny in town

Posted on February 25, 2010 by David McKee

As in Clay, Donny Clay, played by the versatile Jason Alexander in The Donny Clay Experience. This delightful one-man show will be a peripatetic and hopefully long-lived visitor to Planet Hollywood … unless Gary Loveman‘s crony Frank Biondi (ex-Viacom CEO) … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Cirque du Soleil, CityCenter, Current, George Maloof, Harrah's, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Movies, Planet Hollywood, The Strip, Tourism | 2 Comments

Lowden’s interesting omission

Posted on February 4, 2010 by David McKee

Here, for your viewing pleasure, is Archon Corp. Treasurer Sue Lowden‘s newest ad spot. I saw it on the tube this morning and was struck by the euphemistic way it gets around having to describe her as a “casino executive,” … Continue reading →

Posted in Archon Corp., Election, Marketing, Politics, TV | 5 Comments

Food for thought

Posted on January 28, 2010 by David McKee

“[Matt] Goss also would bring back some of Sinatra’s bygone sensibilities, chief among them being loyalty to friends.” That’s an interesting remark, considering that the singer began talks with Caesars Palace President Gary Selesner a month after Palms owner George … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, George Maloof, Harrah's, Marketing, The Strip, TV | Comments Off