Category Archives: Massachusetts

Atlantic City impresses; MGM plays lacrosse

Posted on January 15, 2020 by David McKee

In a de facto win for Atlantic City, gaming revenue held steady in December, despite one less weekend day to bring in the gamblers. The Garden State also closed out the year with over $4.5 billion in sports-betting handle, economic … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Caesars Entertainment, Culinary Union, DraftKings, Eldorado Resorts, Election, FanDuel, Hard Rock International, Internet gambling, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, Movies, Ocean Resort, Scott Butera, Sexual misconduct, Sports, Sports betting, Tilman Fertitta | 3 Comments

Big MGM payday; Halting casino extortion; Wynn scammed

Posted on January 14, 2020 by David McKee

Betting the farm on Japan, CEO of MGM Resorts International Jim Murren has realized his goal of selling MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay. The price was a sweet $4.6 billion it will only cost MGM $292 million a year to lease … Continue reading →

Posted in Caesars Entertainment, Eldorado Resorts, Environment, Hard Rock International, Indiana, Japan, Law enforcement, Louisiana, Macau, Massachusetts, Maverick Gaming, MGM Resorts International, Ohio, Penn National, Philippines, Spectacle Entertainment, Sports betting, Taxes, The Strip, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off

California scheming; Exploitation in Cambodia

Posted on January 13, 2020 by David McKee

Don’t hold your water but lawmakers in California have gone so far as to hold an actual, living, breathing, preliminary hearing (emphasis on “preliminary”) on the issue of sports betting. The endgame here is not to legalize sports betting via the … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Cosmopolitan, Dining, Election, Fontainebleau, International, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Palms, Politics, Regulation, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Steven Witkoff, The Strip, Tribal, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off

Grumpy old Dems; A Titan-ic sports book win

Posted on January 13, 2020 by David McKee

Prude of the Month has to go to Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D), who certainly looks like a cranky old battle-axe. She vetoed a bill that would have legalized sports betting in her state, sniffing, “the majority of Maine people … Continue reading →

Posted in Cantor Gaming, China, DraftKings, Las Vegas Raiders, Macau, Maine, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Michael Gaughan, Movies, New Hampshire, Sports, Sports betting, Vermont, Wall Street, Westgate LV | Comments Off

Japan scandal grows; Caesars slammed

Posted on January 6, 2020 by David McKee

Japan‘s 500.com bribery case continues to spread. An additional five Nipponese lawmakers have been implicated, accused of taking $9,249. The notion that Japanese solons would sell their souls for such chump change indicates how desperately they want to get in on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Caesars Entertainment, Columbia Sussex, Dining, Eldorado Resorts, Illinois, Indiana, Japan, Lake Tahoe, Law enforcement, Marketing, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, North Carolina, Politics, Sports betting, Taxes, The Strip | 3 Comments

Stitt escalates Oklahoma conflict; The new N-word

Posted on January 6, 2020 by David McKee

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt‘s jihad against the state’s gaming tribes has claimed its first casualty. Secretary of Native American Affairs Lisa Billy resigned, writing that the governor was “committed to an unnecessary conflict … [You have] remained intent on breaking faith with them,” … Continue reading →

Posted in Churchill Downs, Connecticut, Genting, Hooters, International, Las Vegas Raiders, Marketing, Massachusetts, Movies, New York, Oklahoma, Problem gambling, Sexual misconduct, Sports, Sports betting, Taxes, Tribal, TV, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off

Cautious peace in Oklahoma

Posted on January 3, 2020 by David McKee

December 31 came and went without incident in Oklahoma, where tribal gaming compacts theoretically expired—at least if you ask Gov. Kevin Stitt (R). However, having proposed extending the existing compacts to Aug. 31, Stitt could hardly turn around and try … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, International, Internet gambling, Laughlin, Macau, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Oklahoma, Regulation, Tribal, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off

Trop sold (we think); Angels in the casino

Posted on January 2, 2020 by David McKee

After fielding multiple offers for the Tropicana Las Vegas, one has been accepted by Penn National Gaming and negotiations are underway. All this comes by way of Scott Roeben‘s VitalVegas, which pegs the sale price at $700 million, making a tiny … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Conventions, DraftKings, Laughlin, M Resort, Maine, Massachusetts, Movies, New Hampshire, Penn National, Politics, Sports, Sports betting, Technology, The Strip | Comments Off

End-of-Year Case Bets

Posted on December 30, 2019 by David McKee

In a retrospective mood, the American Gaming Association has chosen the top eight gaming stories of the past year, ranked here in descending order. They are: The Caesars Entertainment takeover by Eldorado Resorts. ‘Nuff said. Allegations that Encore Boston Harbor is … Continue reading →

Posted in Caesars Entertainment, California, Canada, Carl Icahn, Donald Trump, Eldorado Resorts, Election, Harrah's, Japan, Lake Tahoe, Las Vegas Raiders, Law enforcement, Louisiana, Lucky Dragon, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Mississippi, Money laundering, Oklahoma, Problem gambling, Resort fees, Sports, Sports betting, The Strip, Tribal, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Georgia solons mull gambling; DraftKings’ big deal

Posted on December 26, 2019 by David McKee

“I do think there’s momentum for something to happen this session,” state Sen. Brandon Beach (R, below) said of legalizing gambling in Georgia, although solons remain undecided on whether to add sports betting to the package they’ll be proposing. “We … Continue reading →

Posted in California, DraftKings, Economy, Entertainment, Georgia, Horseracing, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, Neil Bluhm, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Sexual misconduct, Sports betting, Steve Wynn, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off

China’s credit bubble; Ocean Resort’s secret formula

Posted on December 26, 2019 by David McKee

China gamblers may be playing today at the expense of tomorrow. Bloomberg reports that Generation Z is borrowing heavily in high-interest debt to fuel its consumerism, a phenomenon that should be of concern in Macao. “Household debt hit levels of … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, China, Culinary Union, DraftKings, Economy, Eldorado Resorts, Internet gambling, Louisiana, Macau, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, New Hampshire, Ocean Resort, Oklahoma, Regulation, Scott Butera, Sexual misconduct, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Tribal, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Fourth Massachusetts casino mulled; Hard Rock making hard sell in Japan

Posted on December 20, 2019 by David McKee

While the Boston Globe may call it a “baby step,” the Massachusetts Gaming Commission is doing the right thing by means-testing the market before awarding a full-scale casino license in the southeastern part of the Bay State, which looks pretty … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Hard Rock International, Japan, Massachusetts, Mohegan Sun, Neil Bluhm, Penn National, Regulation, Rush Street Gaming, Tribal, Virginia, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off

Greed is good (Not!); Miller looks back on 2019

Posted on December 19, 2019 by David McKee

Most gaming CEOs are wearing hair shirts and taking vows of poverty compared to bet365 CEO Denise Coates, the new poster girl of greed. She awarded herself $422 million in compensation (no, that’s not a typo). In 2015-6 Coates scraped … Continue reading →

Posted in AGA, China, Cosmopolitan, Dining, International, Macau, Massachusetts, Money laundering, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Problem gambling, Regulation, Resort fees, Sports betting, The Strip, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off

Encore dominates Boston; President Xi visits Macao

Posted on December 16, 2019 by David McKee

Encore Boston Harbor continues to lap the field in Massachusetts with 60% of market share and daily revenue of $1.6 million. Encore is definitely cutting into slot business at Plainridge Park, still impressive at $305/win/slot/day—but down from $357/slot a year … Continue reading →

Posted in California, China, International, Macau, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Penn National, Sports betting, Tribal, Wall Street, Wisconsin, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off

Penn a solid bet; New Year’s Eve in Vegas could be better

Posted on December 11, 2019 by David McKee

Penn National Gaming got a rave review from J.P. Morgan gaming analyst Joseph Greff, who wrote that ” we continue to believe PENN offers a favorable risk/reward with an attractive valuation.” Strong fundamentals in the regional-gaming sphere were cited, as … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Japan, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Regulation, Sexual misconduct, Sports betting, Steve Wynn, Taxes, The Strip, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 2 Comments

Tax-and-spend fantasy in Illinois; Encore Boston nickels and dimes its patrons

Posted on November 27, 2019 by David McKee

It’s more important to have a money-losing casino (upon which absolutely nobody has bid) in Chicago than to lower the über-confiscatory 72% tax rate. So says state Sen. Dave Syverson (R), a real crank. As Syverson puts it, “The problem with … Continue reading →

Posted in Caesars Entertainment, Galaxy Entertainment, Golden Gaming, Illinois, Japan, Macau, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Resort fees, Sheldon Adelson, Taxes, Terry Caudill, Transportation, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off

Wynn Resorts chastened; Living the high life at the Cosmo

Posted on November 25, 2019 by David McKee

Boston is quite a different animal from Las Vegas and Macao—or so Wynn Resorts has learned. Despite healthy table games revenues it is lowering the minimum-bet limits from $50 to $15 at Encore Boston Harbor. In a remarkable mea culpa before … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, China, CityCenter, Cosmopolitan, Downtown, Election, Environment, Hard Rock Hotel, Hard Rock International, Las Vegas Raiders, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Maine, Marijuana, Marketing, Massachusetts, Palms, Penn National, Regulation, Resort fees, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, The Strip, Virginia, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off

New life for Harmon Strip; Wynn Resorts vindicated, mostly

Posted on November 21, 2019 by David McKee

Could the Harmon Strip, mooted since the late Nineties, actually come to pass? The area has been a graveyard for resort projects, leaving the Hard Rock Hotel standing in splendid isolation. However … one Jeffrey Williams is applying for permission to … Continue reading →

Posted in Alabama, Cantor Gaming, Cosmopolitan, Georgia, Hard Rock Hotel, history, Las Vegas Sands, Law enforcement, Massachusetts, Palms, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Regulation, Silverton, William Hill, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Next stop, Hempfield!

Posted on November 19, 2019 by David McKee

Cordish Gaming has broken ground on its Hempfield Township satellite casino in Pennsylvania. The $150 million property will have 750 slots and 30 table games, as well as a 445-seat sports book. The casino will fill the space left by … Continue reading →

Posted in Arkansas, Atlantic City, Caesars Entertainment, Cordish Co., Dining, Downtown, Economy, Eldorado Resorts, Entertainment, Golden Gaming, history, Internet gambling, Kentucky, Las Vegas Sands, Law enforcement, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, Pennsylvania, Regulation, South Korea, Sports betting, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 2 Comments

Ocean outperforms Atlantic City; Encore Boston crushes competition

Posted on November 15, 2019 by David McKee

Atlantic City casino revenues were $202 million last month, flat with the year previous. Slot revenues were up 3.5%, table win down 6%. Despite flat wagering at the tables and slots, Borgata gained 6% at the slots and ceded 7% … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Economy, Eldorado Resorts, Environment, FanDuel, Greenwood Racing, Hard Rock International, Internet gambling, Japan, Macau, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, Ocean Resort, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Rush Street Gaming, Sports betting, Tilman Fertitta, Tribal, Wynn Resorts | 3 Comments