Category Archives: MGM Mirage

Toronto: Move over, Jim and Gary, here comes Sheldon

No disrespect to Steve Wynn, but the human starter gun for any serious casino race is now Sheldon Adelson. Except for China, he’s not been in any casino-expansion movement for the long haul since he lost Mirage Resorts. And with … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Current, Economy, Florida, Harrah's, Horseracing, International, Macau, MGM Mirage, New York, Racinos, Regulation, Revel, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, Texas, Tourism | 3 Comments

Macao: “This is decent”; Massachusetts slams door behind Adelson

Macao casino revenue grew ‘only’ 7% last month, which is bad … if you were thinking monthly, large double-digit increases (21% over the past five months) were a sustainable norm. “This is decent,” J.P. Morgan analyst Joseph Greff said of … Continue reading

Posted in Ameristar, CityCenter, Current, Economy, Election, Harrah's, International, Macau, Marketing, Massachusetts, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, New York, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho, Steve Wynn, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off on Macao: “This is decent”; Massachusetts slams door behind Adelson

Loveman heir abdicates; VLTs hit Ohio tomorrow; Wayne’s World II

Shares of Caesars Entertainment sank today on the news that CFO Jonathan Halkyard has quit, taking an equivalent position at NV Energy. Although the latter’s financial outlook is far rosier, with scant long-term debt, its revenue base ($611 million last … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Dan Gilbert, Economy, Harrah's, history, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Ohio, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Politics, Racinos, Tilman Fertitta, Tourism, Tribal, Wall Street, Wayne F. Newton | Comments Off on Loveman heir abdicates; VLTs hit Ohio tomorrow; Wayne’s World II

Massachusetts: Another one bites the dust; Sands Cotai: Hit or miss?

That Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe effort to obtain the coveted southeastern Massachusetts casino license is quickly being exposed as a thing of smoke and mirrors. Sure, the tribe can get a Class II casino on Martha’s Vineyard — it’s a done … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Atlantic City, CityCenter, Current, Dan Gilbert, Detroit, Donald Trump, Hard Rock Hotel, Harrah's, Horseracing, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Maryland, Massachusetts, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Ohio, Racinos, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Tribal, Wall Street, Warner Gaming | Comments Off on Massachusetts: Another one bites the dust; Sands Cotai: Hit or miss?

Case Bets: Sands, Caesars, Boyd, MGM & Wynn

After blowing a half-million dollars on lobbying in Massachusetts, cantankerous casino owner Sheldon Adelson took his ball and went home, as reported earlier. Las Vegas Sands‘ rather weak excuse: “[Boston] didn’t synch up with our business model.” Sands fails to … Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Columbia Sussex, Current, Economy, Horseracing, International, Louisiana, Macau, Marketing, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Missouri, New York, Pennsylvania, Racinos, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Sheldon Adelson, quitter; A Grand goof

This just in: It was pretty clear that Sheldon Adelson was cool toward his home state of Massachusetts and he officially called it quits today. His excuse? Three casinos and a slot parlor will “dilute the market.” In other words, … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Current, Florida, Genting, Harrah's, Macau, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, New York, Problem gambling, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho, The Strip | 5 Comments

SLS Las Vegas: Pretty pictures and propaganda

To celebrate the first anniversary of his cold-blooded, premeditated murder of the Sahara, nightclub owner Sam Nazarian trotted out freshly hired casino boss Rob Oseland, along with some models (no, not of the runway ilk) and even a rendering that … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Archon Corp., Boyd Gaming, California, Cosmopolitan, Current, Dining, Encore, Entertainment, Fontainebleau, Goldman Sachs, Harrah's, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Morgans Hotel Group, Plaza, Sahara, Steve Wynn, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism, TV | 4 Comments

Boyd takes Peninsula, punts Echelon (again)

Ever since a highly quixotic and even nonsensical attempt to take over most of Station Casinos, the cards have been played very, very close to the vest at Boyd Gaming. However, like another second-tier major, Ameristar Casinos, it’s showing renewed … Continue reading

Posted in Ameristar, Boyd Gaming, Columbia Sussex, Current, Economy, Harrah's, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, Station Casinos, The Strip, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Internet gambling: It’s here, deal with it; Another delay in Massachusetts

It’s ironic that Sheldon Adelson is expending so much lungpower and cash to try and block federal legitimization of Internet poker and possibly other games. Washington has been left in the dust by individual states and, if it did try … Continue reading

Posted in Baseball, California, CityCenter, Harrah's, Horseracing, Illinois, International, Internet gambling, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Shuffle Master, Slot routes, Taxes, Technology, Tribal | 2 Comments

Tropicana Toronto? CityCentre? Horseshoe Etobicoke?

There’s a dark horse in the race for a Toronto megaresort … very dark. It’s Onex Corp., known to you and me as the owner of the Tropicana Las Vegas. Onex subsidiary Casino ABS owns four of the largest casinos … Continue reading

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Current, Economy, Election, Harrah's, Horseracing, International, Kansas, Macau, Maryland, MGM Mirage, Midnight Jim Gibbons, Racinos, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Steve Wynn, Taxes, Tourism, Wall Street | Comments Off on Tropicana Toronto? CityCentre? Horseshoe Etobicoke?

Canada to Caesars: “Bonehead!”; What’s (hidden) in a logo?

You can’t ask for a better diagnosis of what might be loosely called Caesars Entertainment‘s business plan than this anonymous comment from a Las Vegas Review-Journal reader: “Right now, their strategy for getting out of the hole appears to be … Continue reading

Posted in Economy, Harrah's, history, Horseracing, International, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Ohio, Penn National, Racinos, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, The Strip | 3 Comments

Lovemania comes to Cleveland

Looking like death warmed over, Caesars Entertainment CEO Gary Loveman took time from promoting the opening of Horseshoe Cleveland to try and spin the unloading of Harrah’s Maryland Heights as another brilliant masterstroke, rather than more evidence of the shambles … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Colony Capital, Columbia Sussex, Current, Dan Gilbert, Economy, Florida, Harry Reid, Marketing, Maryland, MGM Mirage, Missouri, Neil Bluhm, Ohio, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Racinos, Wall Street | Comments Off on Lovemania comes to Cleveland

Massachusetts: Now *this* is interesting; Bluhm’s shameless hypocrisy; Casino John

In an attempt to shave a few months off their casino-approval timeline, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission is going to put the horse before the cart. (I guess you’d call it a “Massachusetts Miracle.”) Potential operators’ fiscal and ethical probity will … Continue reading

Posted in Ameristar, Atlantic City, Current, Don Barden, Donald Trump, Economy, Harrah's, Horseracing, International, Iowa, Kansas, Macau, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Neil Bluhm, New York, Ohio, Pansy Ho, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Singapore, Taxes, Tribal | 1 Comment

Beaten in Beantown: Steve Wynn calls it quits

Just like that, another Las Vegas casino heavyweight has hit the canvas in Massachusetts. Election results in Foxborough spelled doom for Steve Wynn‘s proposed resort (below) and neither he nor New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft wasted any time throwing … Continue reading

Posted in Current, Election, Harrah's, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Pennsylvania, Racinos, Regulation, Sports, Steve Wynn, Tribal | 3 Comments

St. Louis: Penn in, Harrah’s out

A ways back, the news broke that Caesars Entertainment — being well and truly on its uppers — was trying to shop as many as 10 Southern and Midwest casinos. The goal was to raise at least $500 million to … Continue reading

Posted in Ameristar, Atlantic City, Current, Election, Florida, Harrah's, Illinois, International, Iowa, Marketing, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Steve Wynn, Taxes, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street | 4 Comments

Lies, damned lies and Illinois statistics; SJM: Still hanging in there

If state Rep. Lou Lang (D), the economic Rasputin of the upper Midwest, and his allies in the horsey set were actually conspiring to topple Illinois‘ casino industry in favor of quick-and-dirty racinos, they’ve done it cunningly. Frontal attacks on … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Current, Economy, Harrah's, Horseracing, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Macau, MGM Mirage, Missouri, Neil Bluhm, Penn National, Politics, Racinos, Slot routes, Stanley Ho, Wall Street | Comments Off on Lies, damned lies and Illinois statistics; SJM: Still hanging in there

Sahara: Devils in the details; Does your mother know?

Barbara De Lollis had better re-cork the champagne. Wall Street Journal coverage of Sam Nazarian‘s much-hyped, $300 million Sahara loan raises grave doubts about the viability of the project, budgeted at $415 million. According to Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Alexandra Berzon, … Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, California, CityCenter, Colony Capital, Cordish Co., Current, Economy, Georgia, Harrah's, Harry Reid, International, Maryland, MGM Mirage, Michael Gaughan, Penn National, Phil Ruffin, Planet Hollywood, Sahara, Sheldon Adelson, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Tourism, TV, Wall Street | 2 Comments

People’s Republic of Steve; Sahara Sam’s big score

Although I was only joking when I suggested that Steve Wynn‘s long-sought Cotai Strip land grant would come in on May Day, some Communist Party bureaucrat wasn’t. After many false alarms, the 51 acres were finally ‘gazetted’ on May 1. … Continue reading

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Architecture, Boyd Gaming, CityCenter, Current, Dining, Economy, Encore, Fontainebleau, Harry Reid, Macau, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Regulation, Sahara, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street | 2 Comments

New York State of mind; Atlantic City peace of mind; O’Shea’s, a piece of …

If the question of casino expansion were put to Empire State voters this November, the outcome would probably be adverse. That’s the conclusion of a Benenson Group survey. If the fact that Benenson is President Barack Obama‘s pollster of preference … Continue reading

Posted in Election, Entertainment, Genting, Harrah's, Internet gambling, MGM Mirage, Midnight Jim Gibbons, New York, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Taxes, Technology, The Strip, Tourism | Comments Off on New York State of mind; Atlantic City peace of mind; O’Shea’s, a piece of …

Get over it, Vegas; Fat City

Some local businessmen busted out the crying towels last weekend and threw themselves a pity party in the pages of the Los Angeles Times. Now, the wipeout of the Las Vegas economy is — or should be — old news … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Atlantic City, CityCenter, Cosmopolitan, Dining, Economy, Encore, Environment, MGM Mirage, Politics, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism | 4 Comments