Category Archives: Massachusetts

Case Bets: Caesars, Detroit, New York & Steve Wynn

Posted on September 9, 2015 by David McKee

In one of the industry’s more bizarre developments, Harrah’s Tunica will become an assisted-living facility if buy TJM Properties has its druthers. Caesars Entertainment Operating Co. has asked a bankruptcy court to approve the sale. It won’t bring in that … Continue reading →

Posted in Detroit, Economy, G2E, Harrah's, International, Internet gambling, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, New York, Regulation, Steve Wynn, Technology, Transportation | Comments Off on Case Bets: Caesars, Detroit, New York & Steve Wynn

Potential free-for-all in Massachusetts; Tribal triumph in Alabama

Posted on September 4, 2015 by David McKee

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey took time out from impeding Steve Wynn‘s Everett casino to run a cart and horses through the Legislature’s carefully crafted three-casinos-and-one-slot-parlor formula. She approved a ballot question that seemed tailor-made to give Suffolk Downs racino status, … Continue reading →

Posted in Alabama, Atlantic City, Delaware, Election, Harrah's, Internet gambling, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Racinos, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, Technology, Tribal | Comments Off on Potential free-for-all in Massachusetts; Tribal triumph in Alabama

Turmoil along the Boardwalk

Posted on September 1, 2015 by David McKee

Cult figure Glenn Straub is back in the news again, if indirectly. Stockton University has received Superior Court Judge Julio Mendez‘s blessing to sell the former Showboat and Mendez has enjoined the obstreperous Straub from challenging the sale. Stockton is thereby … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Carl Icahn, Glenn Straub, history, Marketing, Massachusetts, Neil Bluhm, Regulation, Technology, Tribal, Tropicana Entertainment, Trump Entertainment Resorts, Unite-Here | 1 Comment

Wynn gets one step closer; Those insidious resort fees

Posted on September 1, 2015 by David McKee

“At moments like this, there is certainly a feeling of gratification and forward movement. It lifts our spirits and energizes us.” Thus spake Steve Wynn after Wynn Everett cleared another hurdle on its way to completion. A 27-page memo from Massachusetts … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Macau, Massachusetts, New York, Regulation, Sports, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation, Tribal | 1 Comment

Maryland to players: Drop dead

Posted on August 27, 2015 by David McKee

If you suddenly find that you’re in a Free State casino and your gambling budget doesn’t go as far as it once did, you can thank the Maryland Lottery & Gaming Control Commission. It’s prepared to vote on a staff-recommended change that … Continue reading →

Posted in Cordish Co., Environment, Harrah's, Massachusetts, Ohio, Penn National, Regulation, South Dakota, Tribal, West Virginia | 1 Comment

Caesars’ pound of flesh; SLS plays the Red Bull card

Posted on August 21, 2015 by David McKee

Banks and other lending institutions aren’t going to simply forebear while Caesars Entertainment ownership absconds with all the assets. No, they want equity if they’re going to forgive debt and drop lawsuits. And if those lawsuits drag the parent company … Continue reading →

Posted in Election, Harrah's, history, Internet gambling, Marketing, Massachusetts, SLS Las Vegas, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off on Caesars’ pound of flesh; SLS plays the Red Bull card

The Penn National effect strikes again

Posted on August 21, 2015 by David McKee

Penn National Gaming is “making it rain” in Plainview, where it has spent $1.5 million with local vendors since opening. The workforce at Plainridge Park has gone from 100 to 533, with a $14 million payroll. And the state has … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Harrah's, Macau, Massachusetts, Penn National, Racinos, Regulation, Taxes, Tourism | Comments Off on The Penn National effect strikes again

Massachusetts: Penn has a hit; Arms race in New York

Posted on August 19, 2015 by David McKee

First-month numbers are in for Plainridge Park and the racino run by Penn National Gaming took in an average of $467/slot/day (including a $6.15 million gross its first week). That’s an absolute blockbuster figure in an industry where $200/day is … Continue reading →

Posted in Genting, Harrah's, Internet gambling, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, New York, Penn National, Racinos, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, Technology, Tribal | Comments Off on Massachusetts: Penn has a hit; Arms race in New York

Studio City in trouble; Tribal clash in Massachusetts

Posted on August 13, 2015 by David McKee

Melco Crown Entertainment is in Eeyore mood these days, darkly muttering about a “contingency plan” for Studio City if the Macao government doesn’t give it 400 table games. As far back as its 2014 annual report, the company was making … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Columbia Sussex, Election, Galaxy Entertainment, Geoff Freeman, Internet gambling, Isle of Capri, James Packer, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Massachusetts, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Neil Bluhm, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tribal | Comments Off on Studio City in trouble; Tribal clash in Massachusetts

Bluhm presses case in Massachusetts; Lawrence Ho tells it like it is

Posted on August 10, 2015 by David McKee

Despite having to wait at least until early next year to start building, a potential Brockton casino could be “up and running by 2018,” sometime in the second quarter, according to Neil Bluhm. “We are shovel-ready to go.” Unfortunately for … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Illinois, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Massachusetts, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Neil Bluhm, Regulation, Sam Nazarian, Tribal | 1 Comment

Boston: Smackdown for McCheese; Online gaming hopes fade

Posted on August 4, 2015 by David McKee

Boston Mayor Martin Walsh got a taste of his own medicine when a Suffolk Superior Court court judge put a beatdown on his sleazy legal tactics. Assertions by Boston attorneys, slipped in at the last minute, that the Massachusetts Gaming … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Harrah's, Horseracing, Internet gambling, Laughlin, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, Tribal | Comments Off on Boston: Smackdown for McCheese; Online gaming hopes fade

MGM’s cost-discipline difficulties; Wynn framed in Boston

Posted on August 3, 2015 by David McKee

As fast as MGM Resorts International can sell off non-core assets, the proceeds are consumed by new construction. Case in point: MGM National Harbor, whose initial $925 million cost has crept up to $1.3 billion. That’s money that can’t go … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Boyd Gaming, CityCenter, Downtown, Harrah's, history, Illinois, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Penn National, Slot routes, Steve Wynn, The Strip | 1 Comment

Quote of the Day

Posted on July 31, 2015 by David McKee

“We build resorts and we are bringing to Boston a destination resort. Hopefully, they will treat us with softer hands. It will feel good when they stop hitting us.” — Steve Wynn, lamenting his treatment by Massachusetts officials.

Posted in Massachusetts, Steve Wynn | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Wynn splits expectations

Posted on July 30, 2015 by David McKee

Wynn Resorts split Wall Street expectations for cash flow in Macao last quarter, as well as on the Las Vegas Strip. Analyst Carlo Santarelli of Deutsche Bank said Wynn’s Vegas room revenue “wasn’t great” and characterized management’s projections as “a tad aggressive.” … Continue reading →

Posted in Cirque du Soleil, Downtown, Economy, Entertainment, Macau, Massachusetts, Planet Hollywood, Steve Wynn, Tamares Group, Technology, The Strip, Transportation, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Shocker in Massachusetts; Successes and setbacks for Penn

Posted on July 27, 2015 by David McKee

In a stunning reversal of fortune, KG Urban Enterprises has ditched its $650 million New Bedford casino project, citing financial difficulties. This ends seven years of grinding effort to gain civic acceptance, which culminated in a landslide electoral victory earlier … Continue reading →

Posted in Election, Environment, Florida, Foxwoods, GLPI, Illinois, Internet gambling, Maine, Massachusetts, Neil Bluhm, Ohio, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Racinos, Regulation, Scientific Games, Steve Wynn, Taxes, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off on Shocker in Massachusetts; Successes and setbacks for Penn

MGM’s march to the sea; REITmania explained

Posted on July 24, 2015 by David McKee

Where MGM Resorts International goes, other casino companies are quick to follow — to Atlanta, in this case. Mayor Kasim Reed (pictured) is being coy about who the new suitors are, other than two are domestically based (would Las Vegas Sands … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball, Boulder Strip, Genting, Georgia, GLPI, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Ohio, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Politics, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off on MGM’s march to the sea; REITmania explained

Doubts pervade Massachusetts; California casino resurrected

Posted on July 21, 2015 by David McKee

A recent article in the Las Vegas Review-Journal poked fun at Massachusetts‘ nascent casino industry and at Penn National Gaming‘s Plainridge Park in particular. All that schadenfreude may not have been gratuitous after all, in view of the gloom presently … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Environment, Foxwoods, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, Penn National, Regulation, Rhode Island, Steve Wynn, Taxes, Tribal | Comments Off on Doubts pervade Massachusetts; California casino resurrected

MGM challenged in Connecticut, praised in Maryland

Posted on July 20, 2015 by David McKee

Connecticut‘s gaming tribes are confident they can beat MGM Springfield to the punch by a wide margin. How wide depends on whether they’re able to use a repurposed building (in which case we could be talking about the end of … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Foxwoods, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, Wall Street | Comments Off on MGM challenged in Connecticut, praised in Maryland

Quote of the Day

Posted on July 17, 2015 by David McKee

“Massachusetts has a quaint law that prohibits felons from benefiting from casino development. In Nevada, we usually refer to them as “€’forefathers.’” — John L. Smith on Steve Wynn‘s threat of a defamation lawsuit against Boston Mayor Martin “McCheese” Walsh … Continue reading →

Posted in Massachusetts, Regulation | 1 Comment

The lion grumbles; Is Alabama casino-ready?

Posted on July 16, 2015 by David McKee

MGM Resorts International is not going to sit idly by while the State of Connecticut tries to horn in on MGM Springfield‘s business. MGM President William Hornbuckle said the company was “not going to go peacefully” but would not give … Continue reading →

Posted in Alabama, Atlantic City, Foxwoods, Iowa, Macau, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, Penn National, Politics, Racinos, Singapore, Steve Wynn, Taxes, The Strip, Warner Gaming | Comments Off on The lion grumbles; Is Alabama casino-ready?