Category Archives: Massachusetts

Penn has big plans for Trop; It’s not easy being Steve Wynn

Posted on July 14, 2015 by David McKee

Penn National Gaming has been talking up its growth strategy to Wall Street and the Tropicana Las Vegas is central to the plan. At present, the Tropicana is pulling in just $40 million a year in casino revenues, less than … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Environment, Maine, Massachusetts, Penn National, Regulation, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, The Mob, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off

Wynn: Massachusetts vs. Boston; Crisis and opportunity at Station

Posted on July 13, 2015 by David McKee

Steve Wynn appears to be losing patience with the obstacles being thrown in his way by seemingly vanquished adversaries in his long fight to get a Boston-area casino. He’s filed a defamation suit against the city, after a lawsuit championed … Continue reading →

Posted in Culinary Union, Eldorado Resorts, Election, Georgia, history, International, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, New York, Politics, Regulation, Sam Nazarian, Slot routes, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn | Comments Off

Stale fare for New York; Web sites taken hostage

Posted on July 7, 2015 by David McKee

New York gaming regulators gave the state’s southern tier a second chance to submit plans for a casino — and they got leftovers. The only bidder was Tioga Downs owner Jeff Gural (left) who essentially proposed a supersized, $145 million version … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Colony Capital, Cordish Co., Entertainment, Harrah's, Internet gambling, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Racinos, Regulation, Technology, Tribal | 1 Comment

From Russia with baccarat; Massachusetts tribe has no quit in it

Posted on July 6, 2015 by David McKee

North Korean, South Korean and northern Chinese punters will relatively soon have at least two opportunities to take short-hop flights to Vladivostok, where two casinos — relatively modest in budget by American standards — are in progress. The junior of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, CityCenter, Donald Trump, history, International, Lawrence Ho, Massachusetts, New York, Racinos, Regulation, Slot routes, Technology, The Strip, Tribal | Comments Off

Reprieve for Dotty’s; Straub changes course again

Posted on July 2, 2015 by David McKee

By one vote, Dotty’s eked out a four-month grace period while the Las Vegas City Council ponders whether or not to lower the boom on the newest in this mammoth chain of slot parlors and taverns. Known for its homey, … Continue reading →

Posted in Arizona, Atlantic City, Carl Icahn, Dotty's, Foxwoods, Glenn Straub, Laughlin, Massachusetts, Regulation, Tribal, Trump Entertainment Resorts | Comments Off

Mohegan Sun’s eastern inspiration; Bumper crop in Colorado

Posted on July 1, 2015 by David McKee

You’d never know Mohegan Sun has been experiencing financial difficulties on the home front to judge by the scale and expense of its South Korean partnership with Incheon International Airport Corp. The two sides have finalized conceptual plans for Inspire … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Colorado, Economy, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, Neil Bluhm, Regulation, South Korea, Steve Wynn, Wall Street | Comments Off

Loveman: The blessed and the damned

Posted on June 30, 2015 by David McKee

Bankruptcy’s good for Caesars Entertainment Operating Co., which posted a $53 million profit in April (not having to pay interest on $18.4 billion in debt can’t hurt). As for outgoing CEO Gary Loveman, his move upstairs to the chairmanship of … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Harrah's, Macau, Marketing, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Pinnacle Entertainment, Regulation, South Korea, The Strip | Comments Off

Strip treads water in May; Penn a big hit in Massachusetts

Posted on June 26, 2015 by David McKee

For all the hoopla about the (fixed?) Mayweather-Pacquiao fight, Strip gaming revenues sent mixed signals. The game that matters most, baccarat, saw somewhat less play (-7%) but the house got beaten badly, its winnings down 36%. By contrast, all other … Continue reading →

Posted in Alabama, Atlantic City, Boulder Strip, Downtown, Economy, Harrah's, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, North Las Vegas, Penn National, Regulation, Reno, Transportation, Wall Street, Warner Gaming | Comments Off

Ruffin loses in Kansas; Expanded New Jersey gambling dissed

Posted on June 26, 2015 by David McKee

Three casino proposals were weighed in the balance and two were found wanting, as the Kansas State Lottery Gaming Facility Review Board sifted the pros and cons, ultimately settling on the lowest-budgeted of the contenders, Kansas Crossing. The project, named … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, International, Kansas, Marketing, Massachusetts, Mohegan Sun, Phil Ruffin, Politics, Racinos, Tribal | Comments Off

Big legal bill for Steve Wynn; SLS Las Vegas craters

Posted on June 24, 2015 by David McKee

In case Steve Wynn is having second thoughts that maybe it was a bad idea to try and muzzle stock-picker James Chanos, a federal court made it official. On top of two defeats in the courtroom, Wynn has been handed a … Continue reading →

Posted in Colony Capital, Cosmopolitan, Entertainment, Genting, James Packer, Macau, Marketing, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Sahara, Sam Nazarian, Sheldon Adelson, SLS Las Vegas, Steve Wynn, The Mob, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off

Election wins for Foxwoods, Golden Gaming; New boss at Beau Rivage

Posted on June 24, 2015 by David McKee

Almost lost in the excitement over the opening of Plainridge Park, in Plainview, is a little-reported event: New Bedford‘s vote on casino host-community status. To say that KG Urban Enterprises won is rather an understatement. It garnered 73% of votes cast, … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Election, Foxwoods, Golden Gaming, Harrah's, Lyle Berman, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Neil Bluhm, Ohio, Penn National, Racinos, Regulation, Steve Wynn, Wall Street | Comments Off

Penn primed for Plainridge launch; Little tribal traction in Maine

Posted on June 23, 2015 by David McKee

Are executives at Penn National Gaming getting high on their own supply … of slot machines, that is? The industry’s desired average for slots is $200 but Penn is predicting a sky-high $500/slot/day at Plainridge Park, which opens tomorrow, inaugurating … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Maine, Massachusetts, Penn National, Politics, Problem gambling, SLS Las Vegas, The Strip, Tribal | Comments Off

Massachusetts enters the fray; Delaware racinos press their case

Posted on June 19, 2015 by David McKee

It’s hard to believe but we’re only a few days from the opening of Plainridge Park Casino, bringing gambling to one of the last major, untapped markets in the U.S.: Massachusetts. While the Penn National Gaming property hasn’t been entirely … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Delaware, Economy, Florida, Genting, Macau, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Penn National, Racinos, Regulation, Rhode Island, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho, Steve Wynn, Taxes, The Strip, Tribal | Comments Off

Straub’s latest truce; Twin River readies for competition

Posted on June 10, 2015 by David McKee

Bitter foes Glenn Straub and ACR Energy Partners have agreed to make nice and keep the lights on (literally) at Revel, at least for the short term. The brinkmanship between these two parties had reached such extremes that ACR cut … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Atlantic City, Environment, Glenn Straub, Harrah's, Illinois, Isle of Capri, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Penn National, Regulation, Revel, Rhode Island, Tilman Fertitta | Comments Off

Straub puts Revel back in play; Hard Rock heads for Meadowlands

Posted on June 5, 2015 by David McKee

Glenn Straub‘s helter-skelter regime at Revel will continue at least a while more. He’s talking about reopening the HQ nightclub in July and evicting ACR Energy Partners from Revel’s power plant, getting one monkey off his back. He did and … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Glenn Straub, Hard Rock Hotel, Hard Rock International, Indiana, Internet gambling, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Politics, Regulation, Revel, Tourism, Tribal, Warner Gaming | Comments Off

Mohegans, Foxwoods get go-ahead; More trouble for Caesars

Posted on June 1, 2015 by David McKee

Driven by apocalyptic job-loss projections by Foxwoods Casino Resort and Mohegan Sun, the House of Representatives of Connecticut passed a casino bill to Gov. Dannel Malloy (D) for his signature. The bill doesn’t authorize a casino per se but rather … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Economy, Foxwoods, Glenn Straub, Harrah's, International, Internet gambling, Lake Tahoe, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, Penn National, Steve Wynn, Technology, The Strip, Trump Entertainment Resorts, Warner Gaming | Comments Off

May in Macao: Hey, it could be worse; Wynn in Boston: Why not?

Posted on June 1, 2015 by David McKee

That’s Wall Street‘s spin on a 37% decline in May gambling revenues. Writes Carlo Santarelli of Deutsche Bank, “We view the tightening with forecasts … as a modest positive for the group and an indication of a forming bottom.” In other … Continue reading →

Posted in Japan, Massachusetts, Penn National, Regulation, Sam Nazarian, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho, Steve Wynn, Tourism, Transportation, Wall Street | Comments Off

Christie’s change of mind; Caesars creditors thwarted

Posted on May 29, 2015 by David McKee

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) is already throwing in the towel on his five-year plan for Atlantic City. If lawmakers want to put a statewide expansion of casino gambling on this fall’s ballot, Christie would “have absolutely no problem … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Election, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, Horseracing, Massachusetts, New York, Racinos, Regulation, Steve Wynn, Taxes | Comments Off

Phua case collapses; Bwin wooed ardently

Posted on May 27, 2015 by David McKee

Well, that’s it. With the exclusion of evidence gathered from all three Caesars Palace VIP villas used by Paul Phua, the federal government’s case against the poker pro collapses ignominiously. U.S. District Judge Andrew Gordon had already tossed all the … Continue reading →

Posted in Bally Technologies, Harrah's, International, Internet gambling, Massachusetts, Penn National, Problem gambling, Racinos, Regulation, Scientific Games, Shuffle Master, Sports, Uncategorized, WMS Industries | Comments Off

Penn “upbeat” about future; Connecticut tribes closer to new casino

Posted on May 20, 2015 by David McKee

Penn National Gaming CEO Tim Wilmott recently broke bread with J.P. Morgan analyst Joseph Greff, who found Penn management “positive and primarily focused on PENN’s robust development pipeline,” which it thinks will produce improved cash flow even before the Tropicana … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, California, Florida, Foxwoods, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, Massachusetts, Mohegan Sun, Penn National, Racinos, Rhode Island, Station Casinos, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off