Category Archives: Maryland

Masks back on, Las Vegas!; All’s right with the REITs

Mincing few words, MGM Resorts International CEO Bill Hornbuckle sent a letter to all employees, urging them to quit dithering and get their Covid-19 vaccinations, if they haven’t already. He pleaded, “In addition to the heart-wrenching thought of more illness … Continue reading

Posted in Bally, BetMGM, Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Charity, Churchill Downs, Conventions, Delaware, Derek Stevens, Dining, Economy, GLPI, Health, history, Indiana, Kentucky, Lake Tahoe, Las Vegas Sands, Laughlin, Maryland, MGM Resorts International, Mississippi, Nevada, North Las Vegas, Penn National, Real Estate, Resorts World LV, Singapore, Sports betting, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street | 3 Comments

Caesars massacres table games, renames Superdome; Bally’s boffo

At the risk of flogging a deceased equine, the emperor at Caesars Entertainment has yet again showed himself to be without clothes. The latest Eldorado-ization of the Roman Empire is the wholesale slaughter of table games along the Las Vegas … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Australia, Bally, Caesars Entertainment, Crown Resorts, Dining, Eldorado Resorts, Fontainebleau, Hard Rock International, Illinois, Jack Entertainment, Louisiana, Macau, Maryland, MGM Resorts International, Regulation, Resorts World LV, Rush Street Gaming, Sports, Taxes, The Strip, Virginia, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 5 Comments

Maryland keeps booming; Penn panned

Gaming’s recovery continues unabated in the Free State. Maryland gambling revenues for June were $161.5 million, a 13% gain on 2019. $64 million of that went to MGM National Harbor, up 12% and hoarding 39.5% market share. Maryland Live chugged … Continue reading

Posted in Barstool Sports, Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, Cordish Co., Cretins, DFS, FanDuel, Golden Gaming, Health, Internet gambling, Maryland, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, Nevada, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Sports betting, Wall Street, West Virginia | 3 Comments

Maryland heats up; Vegas restaurants rebound; Rivers is george

Casinos in the Free State jetted 13% above 2019 levels, grossing $172 million, a new record. MGM National Harbor led with $68.5 million (+16%) and 40% market share. Maryland Live was up 15% to $61.5 million for 35.5% market share, … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Caesars Entertainment, China, Churchill Downs, Colorado, Cordish Co., Cretins, Culinary Union, Dining, Economy, Golden Gaming, Health, Horseracing, Lotteries, Macau, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, New York, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Resorts World LV, Rush Street Gaming, Tribal, Virgin Hotels, Wall Street, West Virginia, Wynn Resorts | 2 Comments

Strip returns to form; Caesars nixes buffets, free play

Last month Nevada raced ahead of 2019 gambling-revenue benchmarks, up 11% to just over $1 billion. Locals-derived winnings ($245 million) jumped 18%, despite operating at 80% capacity. (Locals casinos saw 15% higher slot win 18% greater handle and 35.5% more … Continue reading

Posted in Australia, Boulder Strip, Caesars Entertainment, Connecticut, Crown Resorts, DFS, Dining, Donald Trump, Downtown, Economy, Election, Foxwoods, G2E, Health, Internet gambling, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Maryland, Massachusetts, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, Mesquite, Mississippi, Mohegan Sun, Nevada, North Las Vegas, Regulation, Reno, Sports betting, Stanley Ho, Station Casinos, Taxes, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Wendover | 1 Comment

DraftKings’ mixed results; Penn waxes, Iowa wanes

DraftKings exceeded analysts’ expectations with its 1Q21 revenues, leading Credit Suisse‘s Ben Chaiken to boost his 2021 revenue projection by $100 million, to $1.1 billion, in part “reflecting strength in new states such as Michigan.” Wall Street anticipated $239 million … Continue reading

Posted in AGA, Arizona, Barstool Sports, Baseball, BetMGM, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, California, Derek Stevens, Diversity, DraftKings, FanDuel, Golden Gaming, Illinois, Internet gambling, Iowa, Marketing, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New York, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Slot routes, Sports, Sports betting, Tribal, Virginia, Wall Street, William Hill, Wynn Resorts, Wyoming | 1 Comment

Recovery has legs; Resorts World LV impresses

Maryland didn’t just do well in April, it posted its third-best month ever. Gaming win grew 11.5% from 2019, to $162 million. That’s with 50% capacity constraints at MGM National Harbor and Horseshoe Baltimore (all other casinos are operating at … Continue reading

Posted in Barstool Sports, Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, Conventions, Cordish Co., Cosmopolitan, Dining, Entertainment, Genting, Golden Gaming, Health, Illinois, Internet gambling, Maryland, MGM Resorts International, Michigan, New Mexico, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Resorts World LV, Sports betting, Wall Street, West Virginia, World Series of Poker | 1 Comment

Palms brings $650 million; Murphy flirts with smoking ban

Earlier today, Station Casinos finally confirmed the worst-kept secret in town. It has sold the Palms Casino Resort to a subsidiary of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians in an all-cash, $650 million transaction. Thus closes a fairly disastrous … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, California, Churchill Downs, Colorado, Cordish Co., Culinary Union, Dining, DraftKings, Golden Nugget, Health, Horseracing, Internet gambling, Las Vegas Raiders, Maryland, MGM Resorts International, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, Palms, Penn National, Real Estate, Station Casinos, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off on Palms brings $650 million; Murphy flirts with smoking ban

MGM “roaring back”; LV recovery accelerates

That’s what Credit Suisse analyst Ben Chaiken had to say about MGM Resorts International, citing strength in regional casinos, Las Vegas and sports betting (in that order). First-quarter cash flow exceeded 2019 levels, aided in part by “strong demand reaching … Continue reading

Posted in BetMGM, Charity, Colorado, Conventions, Dining, Economy, Entertainment, Health, history, Macau, Marijuana, Marketing, Maryland, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, MGM Resorts International, Movies, Nevada, Resorts World LV, Sports, Sports betting, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation | 2 Comments

Trop flipped; Arizona, Maryland join sports-betting club

The Gaming & Leisure Properties Inc. regime at Tropicana Las Vegas was (as planned) a short-lived one. GLPI just announced that it has flipped the Trop to Bally’s Corp., which evidently couldn’t wait one minute longer to get onto the … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Atlantic City, Bally, Caesars Entertainment, Canada, Colorado, Delaware, Downtown, DraftKings, Entertainment, FanDuel, Foxwoods, GLPI, Golden Nugget, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Japan, Las Vegas Sands, Marketing, Maryland, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, Nevada, Penn National, Politics, Regulation, Sports, Sports betting, Tribal, Wall Street, William Hill | 1 Comment

Vegas hears wedding bells; Sahara upscales; Mega-Jottings

All-important Baby Boomer customers are ‘trickling‘ back to Las Vegas, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. That’s the latest positive augury for Sin City. Better still, the destination-wedding biz is “bursting,” per Forbes, and what place is more synonymous with … Continue reading

Posted in Alex Meruelo, Barstool Sports, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, China, Dining, Downtown, DraftKings, Economy, Entertainment, FanDuel, Greenwood Racing, Health, Illinois, Japan, Macau, Maryland, Mohegan Sun, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Real Estate, Regulation, Rush Street Gaming, Sports, Sports betting, The Rio, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Wall Street meets Las Vegas, Part II

Station Casinos dispatched Executive Vice President Rodney Atamian to meet with JP Morgan analysts last week. According to Joseph Greff, he reported, “solid/improving visitation and spend per visit trends.” A possible increase in Nevada casino-capacity limits to 50% should propel … Continue reading

Posted in Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Downtown, Economy, FanDuel, Golden Gaming, Hawaii, Health, Internet gambling, Las Vegas Sands, Louisiana, Macau, Marketing, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Nevada, New Jersey, Palms, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Slot routes, Sports betting, Station Casinos, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street, William Hill, Wynn Resorts | 3 Comments

Vegas’ Dream is TSA’s nightmare; MGM disses Chicago

Part Two of our survey of analyst reports on Vegas-based casino companies will have to wait a day, given a bevy of breaking news. First up, a major setback for the planned Dream Las Vegas on the south Strip. Airlines … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Arizona, Atlantic City, Bally, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, California, Cosmopolitan, Cretins, Dining, Diversity, Economy, Entertainment, Failsinos, Full House Resorts, Hard Rock International, Health, Illinois, Indiana, Las Vegas Sands, Mandalay Bay Massacre, Maryland, MGM Resorts International, Michael Gaughan, New York, Penn National, Rush Street Gaming, Security, Spectacle Entertainment, Station Casinos, Texas, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation, Tribal, Wynn Resorts | 2 Comments

Wall Street meets Las Vegas, Part I

JP Morgan analysts conducted a pilgrimage to Las Vegas to meet with the top brass of Big Gaming. First up was MGM Resorts International, represented by CEO Bill Hornbuckle, CFO Jonathan Halkyard and BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt. They see positive … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Atlantic City, Barstool Sports, Caesars Entertainment, California, Conventions, Detroit, DraftKings, Economy, Illinois, Indiana, Lake Tahoe, Las Vegas Sands, Louisiana, Macau, Maryland, MGM Resorts International, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Penn National, Reno, Singapore, Sports, Sports betting, Texas, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation, Tribal, TV, William Hill | 2 Comments

Maryland: More gamblers = more money; Illinois improving

What will prompt recovery in gaming? Stimulus money, yes, but we got a strong indicator of something else out of Maryland last weekend. Overall, casino revenues were down 16.5% but the story is more complicated than that. At facilities restricted … Continue reading

Posted in AGA, Australia, Bally, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Canada, Churchill Downs, Connecticut, Cordish Co., Crown Resorts, DraftKings, FanDuel, Foxwoods, Golden Gaming, Illinois, Internet gambling, Iowa, Maryland, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, Penn National, Problem gambling, Sports, Sports betting, TV, Wall Street, West Virginia, William Hill | Comments Off on Maryland: More gamblers = more money; Illinois improving

Sports bets a hit in Virginia; Vegas recovery an iffy prospect

Online sports betting was quick out of the gate in Virginia—$59 million in handle in 11 days—although books spent so much money acquiring customers that they took a loss on the month. “Debuting ahead of the NFL’s conference championship games … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Bally, Caesars Entertainment, Canada, Conventions, DraftKings, Economy, FanDuel, Health, history, IGT, Internet gambling, Las Vegas Sands, Lotteries, LVCVA, Marketing, Maryland, MGM Resorts International, Michigan, Resort fees, Rhode Island, Rush Street Gaming, Scientific Games, Sports betting, Tennessee, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation, United Kingdom, Virgin Hotels, Virginia, Wall Street, William Hill, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Sports bets a hit in Virginia; Vegas recovery an iffy prospect

Vegas locals strong, Strip stinks; Economic boom foreseen

Even with $600 extra in their pockets, gamblers could not be lured back to the Las Vegas Strip last month. Strip revenues of $321.5 million represented a 44% implosion from 2020. Statewide, the falloff was 26.5% to $762 million. Once … Continue reading

Posted in AGA, Atlantic City, Boulder Strip, Caesars Entertainment, Carl Icahn, Churchill Downs, Cordish Co., Derek Stevens, Dining, Downtown, Economy, Election, Health, history, Horseracing, Illinois, International, Kentucky, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Maryland, Mesquite, MGM Resorts International, Nevada, North Las Vegas, Pennsylvania, Reno, Security, Sports, Sports betting, Tennessee, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation, Wall Street, Wendover | 3 Comments

Normality in Ohio, disaster in Illinois; Planet Ho sale mooted

Maybe the ‘skinny stimulus’ helped Ohio. Gross gaming revenues of $153.5 million were only 8.5% off last year’s pace. The gambling houses are still operating at 50% capacity and under a curfew but the number remains impressive. Hollywood Toledo continues … Continue reading

Posted in Alabama, Bally, Boyd Gaming, Churchill Downs, Colorado, Dan Gilbert, Detroit, Dining, DraftKings, Economy, Georgia, Hard Rock International, history, Illinois, Jack Entertainment, Las Vegas Sands, Louisiana, Macau, Marketing, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mattress Mack, MGM Resorts International, North Carolina, Ohio, Penn National, Planet Hollywood, South Dakota, Sports betting, Texas, The Strip, Transportation, TV, Virginia, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Wynn surprises few; Maryland stabilizes, Iowa impresses

It’s earnings-report time for Wynn Resorts and JP Morgan analyst, Joseph Greff, for one, is feeling blasé about the numbers. “Overall, we’d characterize the quarter as in line with investors’ recent expectations, and its earnings conference call outlook commentary as … Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, California, China, Churchill Downs, Cordish Co., Dining, DraftKings, Entertainment, FanDuel, Golden Gaming, Health, International, Internet gambling, Iowa, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, Marketing, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Michigan, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Rush Street Gaming, Sports, The Strip, Wall Street, West Virginia, William Hill, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Wynn surprises few; Maryland stabilizes, Iowa impresses

Maryland craters; MGM ‘snow’ job; Mob Museum in your ear

It’s pretty clear that the casino industry is entering its second recession in 10 months and too soon to know if the ‘skinny’ stimulus will bring a January boost. One of the most reliable markets in the U.S., Maryland plunged … Continue reading

Posted in Caesars Entertainment, China, Churchill Downs, Cordish Co., Economy, Golden Gaming, history, Japan, Maryland, MGM Resorts International, Oscar Goodman, Pansy Ho, Penn National, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, The Mob, Wall Street, West Virginia | Comments Off on Maryland craters; MGM ‘snow’ job; Mob Museum in your ear