Category Archives: Mississippi

Macao casinos squeezed again; Isle’s clean sweep

Posted on February 25, 2015 by David McKee

First, it was the corruption crackdown. Now, the Chinese government is reviewing visitation levels to Macao. As Macanese Secretary for Social Affairs & Culture Alexis Tam put it, “[T]oo many tourists impact residents’ quality of life.” That’s not music to casinos’ ears and … Continue reading →

Posted in Colorado, Florida, Isle of Capri, Louisiana, Macau, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Missouri, Racinos, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, Tourism, Wall Street | Comments Off

Station is back; MGM’s praises sung

Posted on February 18, 2015 by David McKee

When the Great Recession struck, no company was more ill-positioned to weather it than Station Casinos. A few tribal contracts aside, all of Station’s eggs were in the Las Vegas basket. To put it another way, Vegas may have gotten … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Detroit, Economy, Hard Rock International, Macau, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Riviera, Station Casinos, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street, Wisconsin | Comments Off

Case Bets

Posted on February 6, 2015 by David McKee

A lengthy bout of bronchitis has kept me out of action, but I’m finally on the mend and apologize for all the news coverage I missed, such as … * First there was Deflategate. Now there’s Menzelgate. Could Idina Menzel … Continue reading →

Posted in Donald Trump, Entertainment, Internet gambling, Iowa, Mississippi, Regulation, South Dakota, Sports | Comments Off

Addition in Mississippi; Subtraction in Atlantic City; Gluttony in Las Vegas

Posted on January 29, 2015 by David McKee

It was all there in black and white: $935 million in state and federal taxes paid, and $4 billion in economic. That’s what Mississippi casinos achieved, despite two closures. “The numbers reflect we’re doing OK here in Mississippi,” understated Mississippi Gaming & … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Dining, Economy, Glenn Straub, Louisiana, Marketing, Mississippi, Missouri, Revel, Taxes, The Strip | 1 Comment

Loveman succeeds: Caesars bankrupt

Posted on January 15, 2015 by David McKee

Not wasting any time, CEO Gary Loveman put Caesars Entertainment Operating Co. into Chapter 11 today, filing the motion in Chicago to circumvent a Delaware lawsuit. (The reason for the Windy City filing may go a lot deeper than proximity … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Delaware, Economy, GLPI, Harrah's, Illinois, Lake Tahoe, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Wall Street | Comments Off

Atlantic City hangs in there; Mississippi mulls i-poker

Posted on January 15, 2015 by David McKee

When it comes to Atlantic City it literally is a question of whether the glass is half-empty or half-full. The city’s casinos are 48% off their 2006 high of $5.2 billion. In 2014, the decline was slowed somewhat by $123 … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Colony Capital, Economy, Harrah's, Horseracing, International, Mississippi, Politics, Revel, Sports, Tilman Fertitta, Tropicana Entertainment, Trump Entertainment Resorts | Comments Off

Dotty’s on the spot again; Ralston unplugged

Posted on December 2, 2014 by David McKee

When Station Casinos and Golden Gaming say “jump,” Clark County Commissioner Steve Sisolak asks, “How high?” At least that’s the case when it comes to Dotty’s, a 102-outlet chain of slot parlors that exist within a gray area of state … Continue reading →

Posted in Dotty's, Golden Gaming, Mississippi, Politics, Regulation, Station Casinos, TV, Wall Street | Comments Off

Palace coup at Full House

Posted on December 1, 2014 by David McKee

When you strike at the king, you must kill him — and dissident investor Dan Lee (left) was successful in deposing Andre Hilliou from his throne at Full House Resorts. “I would also like to thank Andre and Mark for their … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, California, Dan Lee, Entertainment, Indiana, Internet gambling, Marketing, Mississippi, New York, PokerStars, Regulation, Sam Nazarian, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Clashing views on MGM; Shotgun wedding in Pennsylvania

Posted on October 30, 2014 by David McKee

MGM Resorts International‘s third quarter was “better than expected” if you were J.P. Morgan analyst Joseph Greff and “disappointing” if you are Deutsche Bank‘s Carlo Santarelli. It’s a matter of how MGM performed relative to analyst forecasts. While the Las Vegas Strip … Continue reading →

Posted in Cannery Casino Resorts, CityCenter, Detroit, GLPI, Harrah's, Macau, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off

Quote of the Day

Posted on October 10, 2014 by David McKee

“Everything in there is leased, down to the salt and pepper shakers.” — Margaritaville Casino bankruptcy attorney Robert Byrd, on the court-ordered evacuation of the former casino building.

Posted in Mississippi | Comments Off

All Wynn, all the time

Posted on October 1, 2014 by David McKee

Posted in Carl Icahn, Economy, Fontainebleau, G2E, Internet gambling, Macau, Marketing, Maryland, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Politics, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, Tamares Group, Taxes | Comments Off

Icahn to rescue Taj?

Posted on September 24, 2014 by David McKee

Always unpredictable, Carl Icahn has thrown Trump Entertainment Resorts a lifeline. He’s talking about making a $100 million purchase of the failing property, rolling his $286 million marker into equity … but he’s demanding what are described as “sizeable concessions” from … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Carl Icahn, Colorado, Election, Harrah's, Isle of Capri, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Pinnacle Entertainment, Tropicana Entertainment, Trump Entertainment Resorts | Comments Off

Boston: Wynn takes a stand

Posted on September 16, 2014 by David McKee

Friday will go down as the day Steve Wynn told the Massachusetts Gaming Commission where it could get off. In a letter to the commissioners, Wynn “said Wynn Resorts would not alter the design of their proposed 27-story hotel tower in … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, history, Maine, Marketing, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Mohegan Sun, Ohio, Penn National, Racinos, Regulation, Steve Wynn, Transportation | Comments Off

Cycle of futility; Hard luck in Indian Country

Posted on September 15, 2014 by David McKee

As the casino industry braces itself for Global Gaming Expo, this could hardly be a worse moment to be hawking slot machines. Not only is it undergoing a painful contraction but new markets (like Boston and Washington, D.C.) are a … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Bally Technologies, California, Economy, G2E, Harrah's, IGT, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Revel, Scientific Games, Station Casinos, Tribal, Trump Entertainment Resorts | Comments Off

Revel’s 21 grand goof

Posted on August 21, 2014 by David McKee

Revel‘s high-speed shutdown is descending into farce. Its armored-car contractor, GardaWorld, managed to lose $21,000 of long green. How? They — no kidding — left a cash bag on top of the truck. Security footage shows the cash still precariously … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Colony Capital, Harrah's, Mississippi, Racinos, Revel, Trump Entertainment Resorts, Wall Street | 1 Comment

MGM beats the Street; The wrath of Loveman

Posted on August 5, 2014 by David McKee

Not only did MGM Resorts International swing from a loss to a profit in 2Q14, its revenues exceeded Wall Street’s expectations. Analyst consensus foresaw $0.10/share in earnings and MGM delivered more than twice that. Revenues at every MGM property were … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, CityCenter, Current, Detroit, Harrah's, Illinois, Macau, Maryland, Mississippi, Neil Bluhm, The Strip, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Wall Street: Viva Las Vegas

Posted on July 29, 2014 by David McKee

“Results could be lackluster, even if more states allow casinos, as is the case in Ohio, which we estimate cannibalized roughly one-third of its revenues from surrounding states.” So wrote Fitch Ratings Service analyst Michael Paladino, assessing the gaming industry’s national … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Harrah's, history, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Racinos, The Strip, Wall Street, Westgate LV | Comments Off

Enormous changes at the last minute

Posted on July 28, 2014 by David McKee

After years of hand-wringing about the future of Atlantic City, there is a sudden imperative to do something about the seaside resort. It’s gone from a leadership vacuum to possibly having too many chefs in the kitchen. State Senate President … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Carl Icahn, Churchill Downs, Economy, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, Mississippi, Penn National, Revel, Tilman Fertitta, Trump Entertainment Resorts | Comments Off

Regulators to Walsh: Not so fast, friend

Posted on July 25, 2014 by David McKee

Boston Mayor Martin Walsh isn’t getting off the hook so easily. He tried to fob the negotiation of a mitigation agreement with Wynn Resorts off on the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. The latter said ‘not so fast’ and ordered the city … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Genting, Harrah's, Illinois, International, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Mohegan Sun, Regulation, Steve Wynn, Wall Street | Comments Off

Glimmers of hope on the Boardwalk

Posted on July 24, 2014 by David McKee

Every morning, Atlantic City Mayor Don Guardian (R) rides his bicycle along the Boardwalk. This morning, Guardian must have felt he was carrying a heavier burden than usual. Although Hizzoner has maintained that Atlantic City will come out on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Economy, Harrah's, Mississippi, Politics, Regulation, Revel, Trump Entertainment Resorts, Wall Street | Comments Off