Category Archives: Mesquite

Galaxy cautious on Macao; No smoking in Mesquite?

Posted on September 7, 2016 by David McKee

One swallow doesn’t make a spring and, if you’re Galaxy Entertainment CEO Lui Che-Woo, one month of 1% growth in gambling revenue doesn’t constitute a recovery in Macao: “Give me two more years to see if there’s a recovery here.” Now … Continue reading →

Posted in Arizona, Atlantic City, California, Donald Trump, Economy, Environment, Galaxy Entertainment, Illinois, Louisiana, Macau, Marketing, Mesquite, MGM Mirage, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, The Mob, Tribal | Comments Off on Galaxy cautious on Macao; No smoking in Mesquite?

Hot July on the Strip; Alon: Stayin’ alive

Posted on August 31, 2016 by David McKee

Whales returned to the Strip with a vengeance in July, with baccarat play spurring a 17% revenue increase. The month was probably even bigger but, due to a peculiarity of Nevada casino accounting, slot revenues from the last weekend of … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, California, Downtown, Entertainment, Genting, International, James Packer, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Marketing, Mesquite, Michael Gaughan, Nevada, North Las Vegas, Reno, Scientific Games, Sports, Technology, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street | Comments Off on Hot July on the Strip; Alon: Stayin’ alive

Trump: The art of disaster; Good November for Las Vegas

Posted on December 30, 2015 by David McKee

If Donald Trump proposes to run America the way he ran his casinos, God help us all. He built a Boardwalk empire in Atlantic City with a lot of hocus-pocus, debt financing and sky-high interest rates (14% for Trump Taj … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boulder Strip, Donald Trump, Downtown, Economy, Harrah's, Laughlin, Mesquite, North Las Vegas, Reno, The Strip, Trump Entertainment Resorts, Uncategorized, Wall Street | 2 Comments

The (Nathan) Deal they can’t refuse; Decision time in Connecticut

Posted on November 3, 2015 by David McKee

Casino companies like to complain about high taxation … unless they’re trying to get into a jurisdiction, in which case they’ll agree to anything. In Georgia, they’ve upped the ante from a proposed 12% tax rate to 20%. It’s not … Continue reading →

Posted in Foxwoods, Georgia, Massachusetts, Mesquite, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, Politics, Sheldon Adelson, Taxes, Tribal, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Baccarat blowout on Strip; Ader strikes again

Posted on July 28, 2015 by David McKee

Strip casinos had the impossible task of keeping up with last June’s baccarat tally (when revenues shot up 155%) and, as might be expected, fell off the pace. The volume of play plunged 43% and revenue tumbled 57%. As for … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, Entertainment, Internet gambling, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Mesquite, Planet Hollywood, Reno, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off on Baccarat blowout on Strip; Ader strikes again

Vegas: A return to the halcyon years? It looks that way

Posted on April 30, 2014 by David McKee

Las Vegas recorded its highest visitation numbers of all time last March, helping to drive gambling revenue 8% upward. We had 3.7 million tourists, 4% than the previous year. Despite fewer conventions, a 20.5% leap in convention attendance (with the … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Economy, Harrah's, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Mesquite, MGM Mirage, North Las Vegas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Reno, Sam Nazarian, Tourism, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Falling upward in Nevada; MGM: The Lion meows

Posted on October 31, 2013 by David McKee

Helped by a wee bit of late-August slot revenue, Nevada posted a 7% revenue gain this month, for a $959 haul. The Strip performed spectacularly, up 13%, and Downtown edged 2% higher. Lake Tahoe vaulted 23% but Reno fell off … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, CityCenter, Current, Downtown, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Macau, Mesquite, MGM Mirage, North Las Vegas, Reno, Sheldon Adelson, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation, Wall Street | Comments Off on Falling upward in Nevada; MGM: The Lion meows

And the winner is … Borgata; Black eased out; Kudos to Sands

Posted on October 10, 2013 by David McKee

Leading the field, Borgata received New Jersey‘s first Internet-gambling license and will begin test play on Nov. 21. Congratulations to Boyd Gaming and partner bwin.party for having their ducks in a row. Understated Borgata prexy Tom Ballance, “It’s always nice … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Current, Internet gambling, Massachusetts, Mesquite, Michael Gaughan, Pennsylvania, Sheldon Adelson, Tribal | Comments Off on And the winner is … Borgata; Black eased out; Kudos to Sands

History in the making; Mohegan Sun: Go fly a balloon

Posted on June 25, 2013 by David McKee

Soon, the North Fork Rancheria Band of Mono Indians is expected to become not only California‘s 63rd gaming-enabled tribe but the first with an off-reservation casino. The medium-sized (2,000 slots, 200 hotel rooms) facility would be 36 miles off the … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Cordish Co., Current, Entertainment, Massachusetts, Mesquite, Station Casinos, Tribal | Comments Off on History in the making; Mohegan Sun: Go fly a balloon

December in Vegas: The house won; Sheldon of La Mancha

Posted on February 8, 2013 by David McKee

There are gambling markets … and then there’s Las Vegas. Players opened their wallets — oh, did they ever — and lost big. Casino winnings on the Las Vegas Strip were up 13.5% and Nevada casinos overall did 10% better … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, Current, International, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Marketing, Mesquite, North Las Vegas, Reno, Sheldon Adelson, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street | 2 Comments

Indiana: The good, the bad, the ‘meh’; Vegas: What’s that smell?

Posted on February 8, 2013 by David McKee

January casino revenues from Indiana present a conundrum. Although the state is still the most lucrative casino jurisdiction in the Midwest ($192 million last month), it’s hard to tell whether the half-full glass is filling or emptying. Foot traffic was … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Cordish Co., Current, Don Barden, Economy, Environment, Harrah's, Illinois, Indiana, Internet gambling, Kentucky, Laughlin, Mesquite, Minnesota, Penn National, Politics, Racinos, Tourism, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Nevada: We’re skewed!; Dark Side of the Force

Posted on August 9, 2012 by David McKee

I always hate doing Nevada gaming numbers because A) it’s redundant with the coverage in the local dailies and B) almost every month you have to trot out the caveat that — as was the case in June — the … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, Cosmopolitan, Current, Downtown, Economy, Entertainment, Harrah's, Lake Tahoe, Marketing, Mesquite, Movies, North Las Vegas, Reno, Tourism, TV, Wall Street | Comments Off on Nevada: We’re skewed!; Dark Side of the Force

More treat than trick

Posted on December 9, 2011 by David McKee

October’s revenue figures for Nevada emerged today and it was a good month statewide ($961 million, +8%) and a great one for the Las Vegas Strip ($560.5 million, +13%). Mind you, October 1 was a Saturday, meaning that some Sept. … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, Current, Downtown, Economy, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Mesquite, North Las Vegas, Pinnacle Entertainment, Reno, Tamares Group, The Strip, Tourism | 1 Comment

If you liked CityCenter …

Posted on July 14, 2011 by David McKee

… you’ll lurve the “ghost cities” of China. Actually, they look more like something Sheldon Adelson would design — if Adelson were doing mile-long lines of cocaine, that is. He and others like him who own casinos in Macao better … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Current, Downtown, Dubai, Economy, Environment, Harrah's, International, Jack Binion, Macau, Marketing, Mesquite, MGM Mirage, Michael Gaughan, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tourism, TV | 2 Comments

Goett … Goett … gone

Posted on May 12, 2011 by David McKee

In addition to his core site of 100 acres across from M Resort, would-be Olympia Gaming mogul Gary Goett is also shopping around an additional 260 gaming-enabled acres directly to the north. Goett’s asking price? A cool million an acre, … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Current, Downtown, Economy, Gary Goett, Herbst Gaming, International, Marketing, Mesquite, Michael Gaughan, North Las Vegas, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Sheldon Adelson, The Strip | 2 Comments

Nevada: “Cautious optimism”

Posted on December 9, 2010 by David McKee

That’s how UNLV‘s gaming guru, Prof. David G. Schwartz, describes his reaction to the October revenue numbers, released today. The 11% autumnal bounce may be less notable for the fact that the Strip was up 16% than the fact that … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, Cordish Co., Current, Downtown, Economy, history, International, Marketing, Mesquite, MGM Mirage, Pets, Regulation, Reno, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, Technology, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Lies, damned lies and Control Board statistics

Posted on August 18, 2010 by David McKee

One swallow doesn’t make a spring — unless you write for USA Today. Columnist Kitty Bean Yancey cherry-picked a lone statistic from the most recent set of Nevada Gaming Control Board numbers are proclaimed happy days are here again on … Continue reading →

Posted in CityCenter, Current, Economy, Election, Harry Reid, Mesquite, MGM Mirage, Michael Gaughan, Movies, Oklahoma, Politics, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal | 1 Comment

Vegas: Frugality is the new liquidity

Posted on August 16, 2010 by David McKee

I’m sure I speak for some of colleagues in the biz when I say that, on certain subjects, we feel like we’re writing the same story over and over again. (Which is provides yet another reason for our collective fascination … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, CityCenter, Cosmopolitan, Current, Downtown, Economy, Mesquite, MGM Mirage, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal | 12 Comments

News flash: And then there were three

Posted on May 19, 2010 by David McKee

If you’re headed through Mesquite, take a good look at the former Si Redd’s Oasis, which Black Gaming CEO Randy Black wants to demolish — in a metaphorical demonstration of what he’s done to that market (another beneficiary of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Economy, Harrah's, Mesquite, Michael Gaughan, Regulation | 1 Comment

“The American consumer is toast”

Posted on May 14, 2010 by David McKee

If you think MGM Mirage CEO Jim Murren sounds apocalyptic when he forecasts no major development on the Las Vegas Strip until circa 2020 (heck, Carl Icahn may keep Fontainebleau on ice until 2015) then get a load of this … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Carl Icahn, CityCenter, Columbia Sussex, Current, Economy, Fontainebleau, Genting, Harrah's, Herbst Gaming, Mesquite, MGM Mirage, Neil Bluhm, Pennsylvania, Racinos, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Technology, The Strip, Tribal, Tropicana Entertainment | 3 Comments