Category Archives: Michael Gaughan

Revel: It was all downhill from here

Yeah, Beyoncé is a hard act to follow but who knew that Revel would fall so far, so fast? So enjoy this brief moment when things looked so very promising* …  in the meantime, I’m running down leads on some … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, Dining, Downtown, Entertainment, Gary Goett, history, Michael Gaughan, North Las Vegas, Revel, Station Casinos, Tamares Group | 6 Comments

Exit Drai’s, enter Gansevoort

Although East Coast-based Gansevoort Hotel Group isn’t a household name around Las Vegas, it soon could be, if a planned collaboration with Caesars Entertainment comes to fruition. The latter had briefly planned to re-do Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall & Saloon as … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Current, Entertainment, Harrah's, history, Marketing, Michael Gaughan | 1 Comment

Vegas: Is recovery finally for real?

So says the Brookings Institute, which raised Las Vegas to 194th from 245th in GDP (now at $47K/year) and job growth over the last year, behind such feeder markets as Bakersfield, California and Monterrey, Mexico. That’s the first year of … Continue reading

Posted in California, Culinary Union, Current, Detroit, Economy, Harrah's, Iowa, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Michael Gaughan, Penn National, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, Wall Street | 1 Comment

USA Today: The winners (Downtown edition)

Since S&G readers can’t view my big Las Vegas guides (unless you’re sitting at a computer in a Hilton-branded property at this very moment), I thought I’d share with you who made the cut. And the Downtown elect are … … Continue reading

Posted in Dining, Downtown, Entertainment, George Maloof, Michael Gaughan, Riviera, Station Casinos, Tilman Fertitta, Tourism | 2 Comments

He’s Gaughan and done it again

Where others in Las Vegas hold back, Michael Gaughan plunges boldly forward. Using its iView platform, Bally Technologies has been holding virtual horse races, streamed across the slot floors of various tribal casinos. Pechanga Resort & Casino in California and … Continue reading

Posted in Bally Technologies, California, Current, Entertainment, Horseracing, Michael Gaughan, Pennsylvania, Technology, Tribal | 6 Comments

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

Gaughan expands empire … and sundry other Case Bets

Having already taken charge of the hotel operations of the JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort & Spa (for historical purposes, best known as The Resort at Summerlin) last summer, Michael Gaughan Jr. will now extend his operational control to its … Continue reading

Posted in Current, Dining, Entertainment, Georgia, Harrah's, International, Macau, MGM Mirage, Michael Gaughan, Ohio, Penn National, Racinos, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Steve Wynn, Tourism | Comments Off on Gaughan expands empire … and sundry other Case Bets

If you liked CityCenter …

… 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

This is interesting …

A congressional candidate from Nevada has launched his campaign with this Red Scare-style (and somewhat jingoistic) blast at the nation upon whom some of the state’s largest employers — Las Vegas Sands, Wynn Resorts and MGM Resorts International — depend … Continue reading

Posted in Economy, Election, Harrah's, International, Macau, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Michael Gaughan, Politics, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn | Comments Off on This is interesting …

R.I.P., House of Lords; Boyd’s best asset; Poll party

My missus and I were going to make a farewell visit to the Sahara‘s charming fine-dining spot on Sunday. However, our reservation has been canceled because House of Lords will be closing a day early. The reason? They’re running out … Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, CityCenter, Cosmopolitan, Downtown, Entertainment, history, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Michael Gaughan, North Las Vegas, Station Casinos, Technology, The Strip, TV, Vdara Death Ray | 2 Comments

Goett … Goett … gone

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

Station hearts Goodman … Carolyn, that is

In what may be a historic first, Frank Fertitta III, Lorenzo Fertitta and their rival Texas cousin Tilman Fertitta all agree upon something: Carolyn Goodman‘s mayoral candidacy. As in, they’re for it. Once you lump together Zuffa (parent of the … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Current, Don Barden, Donald Trump, Downtown, Election, Florida, Golden Gaming, history, International, Jack Binion, Michael Gaughan, Oscar Goodman, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, Station Casinos, Tamares Group, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta | 2 Comments

Back from Chicago

My apologies to everyone who got tired of looking at Stanley Ho‘s wizened mug. S&G was on a brief, unannounced hiatus, as yours truly ventured to the cold but wondrous place that is Chicago, home to the greatest architecture in … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Cosmopolitan, Current, Dining, Donald Trump, Economy, Entertainment, Harrah's, Illinois, Michael Gaughan, Penn National, Politics, Steve Wynn | 6 Comments

Plaudits for Navegante; The great Hard Rock caper that wasn’t

A frequent Hard Rock Hotel & Casino player, for one, is happy to know that Navegante Group is waiting in the wings to take the reins should Morgans Hotel Group continue to falter. (The owners of the HRH have until … Continue reading

Posted in Colorado, Current, Golden Gaming, International, Marketing, Michael Gaughan, New York, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, The Strip | 2 Comments

Western Passage & the new Rat (Rod) Pack

Let’s try this again … Today’s guest blog hails from the keyboard of reader Jeff_in_OKC who recently paid not one, not two but three (brave man!) visits to the Western Hotel, on the fringe of downtown Las Vegas. The Western … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Archon Corp., Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, Current, Dining, Downtown, Economy, Entertainment, Harrah's, history, Laughlin, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Michael Gaughan, Oscar Goodman, Sahara, Tamares Group, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation | 12 Comments

Lies, damned lies and Control Board statistics

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

Who needs M most?; Station’s glass jaw

In a shocker of a scoop, The Newspaper That Must Not Be Cited revealed yesterday that a $700 million stake in $1 billion M Resort was being shopped around by the resort’s lead banker. While this probably says more about … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, California, Carl Icahn, Colony Capital, Cosmopolitan, Current, Downtown, Economy, Kansas, M Resort, Maryland, MGM Mirage, Michael Gaughan, North Las Vegas, Ohio, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Riviera, Station Casinos, The Strip, Tourism, Tropicana Entertainment, Wall Street | 8 Comments

Quote of the Day

Since we didn’t have one yesterday, today there are two, in the form of a de facto debate: “There is this odd mismatch between countries like Germany that you mention, and Britain, where we have an established church. And yet … Continue reading

Posted in Current, Election, Michael Gaughan | 5 Comments

Your questions, answered

Paul Shanahan writes (in part): I think Fontainebleau would have looked much better if it was around 500 feet high instead of being close to 730 feet. It looks bulky and just kind of bizarre down there at the north … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Atlantic City, Current, Donald Trump, Environment, Fontainebleau, Harrah's, Massachusetts, Michael Gaughan, Mississippi, Ohio, Racinos, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, The Mob | 5 Comments

Riviera: Non-story of the year

In what was 2010’s biggest foregone conclusion, Riviera Holdings filed bankruptcy yesterday. This has been coming a long time although the scanty news coverage leaves it unclear whether what’s taking place is the pre-packaged bankruptcy that would see the Riv … Continue reading

Posted in Alabama, Animals, Boyd Gaming, CityCenter, Current, Economy, Election, International, Macau, MGM Mirage, Michael Gaughan, Pansy Ho, Politics, Regulation, Riviera, Sheldon Adelson, Silverton, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tourism, TV, Wall Street | 3 Comments