Category Archives: Massachusetts

The best of Las Vegas; Neil Bluhm returns

Posted on April 1, 2014 by David McKee

Although I can’t imagine that too many of our readers are strangers to Las Vegas, perhaps there are a few. In that case, USA Today found somebody — well, me — to offer some helpful tips. For instance, here’s the … Continue reading →

Posted in Dining, Downtown, Entertainment, Massachusetts, Neil Bluhm, Penn National, Regulation, The Strip, Tribal | Comments Off on The best of Las Vegas; Neil Bluhm returns

Gentlemen, place your bids

Posted on March 31, 2014 by David McKee

Today, New York State starts taking bids on the four casinos it will soon be licensing upstate. At yet, there is no mechanism in place for determining licensing fees or whether the surrounding communities want the casinos or not. In … Continue reading →

Posted in Dining, Entertainment, Genting, Harrah's, Massachusetts, New York, Regulation, The Strip, Transportation | Comments Off on Gentlemen, place your bids

O little metropolis of Bethlehem; MGM on the move

Posted on March 31, 2014 by David McKee

Indiscriminate dissemination by Sands Bethlehem of $45 free-play slot cards is having some interesting effects on Bethlehem itself. It’s brought about an influx of largely Chinese-American players but not all are there to play. Some pay $15 for a round-trip … Continue reading →

Posted in Marketing, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, Taxes, Transportation | Comments Off on O little metropolis of Bethlehem; MGM on the move

Save the whales; Boffo contract in Wisconsin

Posted on March 28, 2014 by David McKee

824 grand. That’s how much online poker revenue Nevada generated in February, the first month in which it has reported such numbers. (Sheldon Adelson‘s fear of Internet poker is like an elephant cowering before a mouse.) Since online play went … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, Downtown, Economy, Foxwoods, Internet gambling, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, North Las Vegas, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, Tribal, Wall Street, Wisconsin | Comments Off on Save the whales; Boffo contract in Wisconsin

Walsh: My way or else; Sands Crimea?

Posted on March 27, 2014 by David McKee

Making yet another overreach, Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh asserts that the only party which can decide whether Beantown is host community to Wynn Resorts‘ and Mohegan Sun‘s projects is … Boston. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission, he says, has no … Continue reading →

Posted in Alabama, Harrah's, Massachusetts, Mohegan Sun, New York, Regulation, Revel, Steve Wynn, Tribal | 2 Comments

The long arm of the law

Posted on March 26, 2014 by David McKee

According to a story broken by Reuters, U.S. officials are going to put the onus on casinos to verify where high rollers’ funds are coming from. It could take at least for FinCEN to develop this new law, “likely to … Continue reading →

Posted in Election, Florida, Harrah's, Massachusetts, Mohegan Sun, Penn National, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, South Carolina | 2 Comments

Casino proposed for Albany; The smell of gambling

Posted on March 24, 2014 by David McKee

E23. That’s the provisional name for a casino complex that developer David Flaum has proposed for the Albany area, right on the New York State Thruway. The budget ($300 million-$400 million) is modest. Flaum is not. “This thing, frankly, is going … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Laughlin, Marketing, Massachusetts, Mohegan Sun, New York, Ohio, Politics, Tribal | Comments Off on Casino proposed for Albany; The smell of gambling

More hitches in Massachusetts

Posted on March 21, 2014 by David McKee

Efforts by Wynn Resorts and Mohegan Sun to bring casinos to eastern Massachusetts could be in trouble. In another hitch to its elongated selection process, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission has agreed to consider whether to consider Boston a host community. … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Foxwoods, Marketing, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, Problem gambling, Regulation, Sam Nazarian, Steve Wynn | 1 Comment

Twin setbacks in Massachusetts

Posted on March 20, 2014 by David McKee

After all the tsuris that’s gone into bringing casinos to Massachusetts, it may be for naught. In two months, public support has gone from 53% to 46% (against 43% opposed), according to MassINC Polling Group. That means that, if casino … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Culinary Union, Goldman Sachs, Macau, Massachusetts, Mohegan Sun, Penn National, Revel, Steve Wynn, The Strip | Comments Off on Twin setbacks in Massachusetts

Dramatic turnarounds in Massachusetts; Tribe-on-tribe conflict in California

Posted on March 19, 2014 by David McKee

Hopes that the Mashpee Wampanoags have for a casino got a big lift on March 12. That’s when Interior Department Solicitor Hilary Tompkins ruled that tribes not recognized before 1934 weren’t excluded from casino eligibility. In her interpretation of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, California, Culinary Union, Derek Stevens, Downtown, Goldman Sachs, Harrah's, Horseracing, Massachusetts, Mohegan Sun, Regulation, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Tamares Group, Terry Caudill, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Tribal | Comments Off on Dramatic turnarounds in Massachusetts; Tribe-on-tribe conflict in California

Caesars’ big coup; Foxwoods site revealed

Posted on March 18, 2014 by David McKee

South Korea hasn’t opened its casino business to Western firms … until now. Caesars Entertainment, in partnernship with Hong Kong‘s Lippo Ltd. and OUE Ltd. from Singapore has won preliminary approval for a concession. The project is expected to cost … Continue reading →

Posted in Foxwoods, Genting, Hard Rock Hotel, Harrah's, International, Kentucky, Macau, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Politics, Warner Gaming | Comments Off on Caesars’ big coup; Foxwoods site revealed

Nose candy at Mandalay Bay; Remembering Gaughan

Posted on March 13, 2014 by David McKee

It’s a measure of how lucrative nightclubs are that casino companies are willing to run the attendant risks. (Put another way, by contrast to nightclubs, casinos look as staid as banks.) Case in point, MGM Resorts International‘s half-million-dollar settlement with … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Economy, Foxwoods, Internet gambling, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Problem gambling, Regulation, Station Casinos, The Strip, Trump Entertainment Resorts | Comments Off on Nose candy at Mandalay Bay; Remembering Gaughan

The industry speaks, Part Two

Posted on March 13, 2014 by David McKee

Both Penn National Gaming and Pinnacle Entertainment have weighed in at the J.P. Morgan Gaming, Lodging, Restaurant & Leisure Management Access Forum. Penn engaged in a three-bucket division of its casinos. “The first bucket comprises properties in markets where there has … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Indiana, Louisiana, Marketing, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Missouri, Ohio, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, Tilman Fertitta, Wall Street, West Virginia | Comments Off on The industry speaks, Part Two

Optimism around the industry

Posted on March 13, 2014 by David McKee

Las Vegas‘ premier casino companies have been showing their wares at the  J.P. Morgan Gaming, Lodging, Restaurant & Leisure Management Access Forum. Among the pilgrims was Wynn Resorts CFO Matt Maddox, who reported that Wynncore is increasing revenue per available room … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, International, Internet gambling, Japan, Louisiana, Macau, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Wall Street | Comments Off on Optimism around the industry

Itchy trigger fingers in Massachusetts; Boyd besieged

Posted on March 12, 2014 by David McKee

After moving with extreme deliberation on terrestrial casinos, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission suddenly has a fire under its butt to do something about Internet gambling. “The time is now … We can’t wait any longer, even though we’re still in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Bally Technologies, Boyd Gaming, Hawaii, Horseracing, IGT, Internet gambling, Massachusetts, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Racinos, Regulation, Wall Street | Comments Off on Itchy trigger fingers in Massachusetts; Boyd besieged

Rocky Mountain high roller; Playing spoiler in Boston

Posted on March 11, 2014 by David McKee

“Recreational horse racing to me is more appealing than recreational pot.” So says one of the backers of expanded gambling in Colorado, state Rep. Don Coram (R). “We’re opposed because the way the initiative is written it gives the owner of … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Colorado, Election, Entertainment, Internet gambling, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Ohio, Regulation, Rhode Island, Tribal | Comments Off on Rocky Mountain high roller; Playing spoiler in Boston

Culinary: Two down, 14 to go; Quiet crisis at Sands

Posted on March 11, 2014 by David McKee

Culinary Union-represented workers at the Riviera and at Treasure Island have cause for celebration, being the beneficiaries of new, five-year collective bargaining agreements.  Culinary Secretary-Treasurer Geoconda Arguello-Kline took the extra step of hailing the Riviera deal as “mutually beneficial” to … Continue reading →

Posted in Charity, Culinary Union, Delaware, Macau, Massachusetts, Mohegan Sun, Ohio, Phil Ruffin, Racinos, Regulation, Riviera, Sheldon Adelson, Taxes, The Strip | Comments Off on Culinary: Two down, 14 to go; Quiet crisis at Sands

Notes from Indian Country; Penn’s fast break

Posted on March 7, 2014 by David McKee

Native American casinos in Maine took a step toward realization when the lower house of the Legislature rescued pro-casino bills from seeming death in the Veterans & Legal Affairs Committee. The legislation “would allow the Passamaquoddy Tribe to build a … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Churchill Downs, Horseracing, Maine, Massachusetts, Penn National, Politics, Racinos, Tribal, Wisconsin | Comments Off on Notes from Indian Country; Penn’s fast break

Building better mousetraps

Posted on March 6, 2014 by David McKee

Were I Steve Wynn, I would be feeling somewhat discouraged by my prospects in Massachusetts. Just look at what happened to Cordish Gaming. Its Leominster slot-parlor proposal got high marks, but was ultimately passed over because Penn National Gaming‘s rival … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Cordish Co., Entertainment, Horseracing, Marketing, Massachusetts, Mohegan Sun, Penn National, Reno, Steve Wynn, Technology, Transportation, Warner Gaming | Comments Off on Building better mousetraps

Vegas: Behind the standoff; Sands: Another one bites the dust

Posted on March 6, 2014 by David McKee

As the Culinary Union heads toward a March 20 strike vote, the culprit behind its stalemate with over a dozen casinos has been identified as the Affordable Care Act. “The biggest hurdle to reaching settlements in Vegas is the new … Continue reading →

Posted in Culinary Union, Harrah's, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Pennsylvania, Politics, Riviera, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, The Strip | 1 Comment