Category Archives: Mississippi

Adversity at Sands; Paging Katniss Everdeen

Posted on May 21, 2018 by David McKee

Some are blaming bad weather for two months of substantially reduced table-games winnings at Sands Bethlehem. But could casinos in the Catskills finally be having an effect? It’s hard to say, although one suspects the answer is “yes.” Sands Bethlehem tumbled … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Bruce Deifik, California, Churchill Downs, CityCenter, Entertainment, Environment, Genting, Hard Rock International, history, International, Internet gambling, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Mohegan Sun, New York, Pennsylvania, Revel, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Transportation, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off

Sports betting: A new era

Posted on May 15, 2018 by David McKee

Yesterday, the Supreme Court handed down its much anticipated ruling in Murphy v. NCAA and it was pure win for states and casinos itching to offer legalized sports betting, although there was some predictable disapproval. As Arizona Attorney General Mark … Continue reading →

Posted in Arizona, Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Delaware, DFS, Eldorado Resorts, Election, Geoff Freeman, Harrah's, IGT, Illinois, Law enforcement, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Nevada, New York, Penn National, Politics, Regulation, Rhode Island, Scientific Games, Sports, Texas, Tilman Fertitta, Tribal, Wall Street, West Virginia | Comments Off

Las Vegas numbers perplex; Macao shatters expectations

Posted on May 4, 2018 by David McKee

While Las Vegas, as mentioned earlier, is slogging through a 10-month visitation slump, you wouldn’t know it from March’s gaming-revenue numbers, which were 9% higher on the Las Vegas Strip ($574 million), although locals casinos took a 5% hit. Deutsche … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, California, Colorado, Delaware, Downtown, Economy, Eldorado Resorts, Entertainment, Florida, Galaxy Entertainment, Harrah's, Illinois, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Macau, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, Mesquite, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Nevada, New York, North Las Vegas, Ohio, Penn National, Reno, Rhode Island, Sheldon Adelson, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, The Strip, Wall Street, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Elaine calls the shots; Now it’s Encore Boston Harbor

Posted on May 3, 2018 by David McKee

Wynn Resorts has been ceding to the wishes of Elaine Wynn of late but it got its back up when she demanded the removal of board member John Jay Hagenbuch. Ms. Wynn views him as a crony of her ex-husband … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Colorado, Elaine Wynn, Eldorado Resorts, Entertainment, Florida, Foxwoods, Hard Rock International, International, Internet gambling, Isle of Capri, Macau, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Mohegan Sun, Moulin Rouge, Politics, Regulation, Revel, Steve Wynn, Tilman Fertitta, TV, Wynn Resorts | 3 Comments

Dubious honor for Nevada; GLPI’s big gulp

Posted on April 24, 2018 by David McKee

Nevada is used to getting WalletHub accolades but here’s one it didn’t want and would probably prefer to see swept under the rug … most gambling-addicted state in the U.S. And why not? There are very few states in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Eldorado Resorts, GLPI, Harrah's, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Problem gambling, Regulation, South Dakota, Tropicana Entertainment, Unite-Here | Comments Off

Icahn out, Eldorado in; Caesars balks at Hoosier fee

Posted on April 16, 2018 by David McKee

Carl Icahn was in a selling mood last weekend, cashing out of Tropicana Entertainment. The buyer was Eldorado Resorts, which paid Icahn $1.85 billion, then flipped nearly all the physical assets to Gaming & Leisure Properties for $1.2 billion. Not content … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Atlantic City, Carl Icahn, Centaur Gaming, Charity, Dining, Eldorado Resorts, Florida, GLPI, Hard Rock International, Illinois, Indiana, International, Internet gambling, Iowa, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Law enforcement, Louisiana, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Seminole Tribe, Tropicana Entertainment, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Sands running in Pennsylvania; Zinke inaction irks tribes

Posted on April 9, 2018 by David McKee

Las Vegas Sands is halfway out the door at Sands Bethlehem but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have any unfinished business, like seeking a five-year extension of its gambling license. CEO Brian Carr flashed some impressive numbers before regulators: $1.5 … Continue reading →

Posted in Charity, Columbia Sussex, Foxwoods, Harrah's, Internet gambling, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Mohegan Sun, Pennsylvania, PokerStars, Politics, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Tribal, Unite-Here | Comments Off

Florida dithers; MGM catches a wave

Posted on April 4, 2018 by David McKee

Having once more proven itself constitutionally incapable (pun intended) of passing gaming legislation during the normal course of doing business, the Florida Lege is now talking ‘special session,’ which seems like what it would take to get anything done, if … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, DFS, Economy, Florida, Internet gambling, Japan, Macau, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Seminole Tribe, Sexual misconduct, Sports, Steve Wynn | Comments Off

Feds scrutinize Pinnacle sale; Diamond Jacks gets prominent supporter

Posted on March 26, 2018 by David McKee

As the big continue to get bigger, Penn National Gaming is two steps closer to becoming a 20-state, 41-casino mammoth. West Virginia and Pennsylvania‘s regulatory bodies have signed off on its absorption of Pinnacle Entertainment. Penn, however, is not counting … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Derek Stevens, Galaxy Entertainment, GLPI, James Packer, Louisiana, Mississippi, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Pinnacle Entertainment, Politics, Regulation, Tilman Fertitta, Wall Street, West Virginia, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Policy change roils Atlantic City; Stratosphere scheduled for makeover

Posted on March 16, 2018 by David McKee

In what we can expect to be a trend rolled out nationwide, Caesars Entertainment is using its Atlantic City casinos to experiment with cutting back on waitresses. It’s not like we didn’t have fair warning of this: One of the … Continue reading →

Posted in ACEP, Atlantic City, Churchill Downs, Dining, Golden Gaming, Harrah's, IGT, International, Internet gambling, Mandalay Bay Massacre, Marketing, Maryland, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, New York, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Scientific Games, Slot routes, Sports, Unite-Here, West Virginia | 2 Comments

Eldorado sells down; Vegas tourists stay home

Posted on March 1, 2018 by David McKee

Churchill Downs continues to grow as a casino operator, cutting a deal with Eldorado Resorts to buy Presque Isle Downs in Erie, Pennsylvania, and Lady Luck Vicksburg Casino in Mississippi for $229.5 million. That’s an above-average valuation for gaming assets … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Churchill Downs, Economy, Eldorado Resorts, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street | Comments Off

Savior for Lucky Dragon?; Louisiana city shops for riverboat

Posted on February 21, 2018 by David McKee

Things go from bad to worse at ill-named Lucky Dragon Casino. Already it was looking at a foreclosure auction tomorrow. Now owner Andrew Fonfa has put it in Chapter 11. The move was rationalized on the grounds that letting the … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Meruelo, Boyd Gaming, Culinary Union, Derek Stevens, Louisiana, Lucky Dragon, Mississippi, SLS Las Vegas, Station Casinos | 1 Comment

Negotiation time in Vegas; MGM China trounces expectations

Posted on February 20, 2018 by David McKee

Yes, it’s that exciting moment when the Culinary Union contract comes due and the local flexes its muscle to get results from the casinos. Frankly, we don’t expect much drama this year, given the excellent state of the Las Vegas … Continue reading →

Posted in CityCenter, Cosmopolitan, Culinary Union, Donald Trump, Downtown, Harrah's, Macau, Mandalay Bay Massacre, Maryland, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Reno, Sexual misconduct, The Strip, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

New investigation of Wynn; Eldorado on the prowl

Posted on January 31, 2018 by David McKee

After several days of uncertainty, it’s definitive: The Nevada Gaming Control Board will investigate the allegations of sex abuse against Steve Wynn. In the past the NGCB has been only too willing to look the other way when prominent Nevada … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Colorado, Downtown, Eldorado Resorts, Entertainment, Florida, history, Isle of Capri, Louisiana, Macau, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Regulation, Reno, Sexual misconduct, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Wall Street | Comments Off

The Macao mystery; Regional roundup

Posted on January 25, 2018 by David McKee

Steve Wynn was exuding confidence this week that Wynn Macau and Wynn Palace wouldn’t be nationalized by Macao, telling investors, “We are so stitched into that community, with our employees and our company, that we feel comfortable in this situation.” On … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Harrah's, Macau, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Penn National, Regulation, Sports, The Strip, Tribal | Comments Off

Lion attempts to devour Caesar; Louisiana casinos to come ashore?

Posted on January 19, 2018 by David McKee

That proposed takeover of Vici Properties by MGM Growth Properties looks stranger by the day. Since it would be a transaction between two landlords, it would not require Nevada regulatory approval. But it would not, contrary to its initial appearance, … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Cordish Co., Genting, Greenwood Racing, Harrah's, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Lake Tahoe, Louisiana, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, Pennsylvania, Politics, Regulation, Reno, Sports, Station Casinos, Taxes, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Penn, Pinnacle nuptials in the offing; Connecticut sues Trump administration

Posted on December 1, 2017 by David McKee

To absolutely no one’s surprise, Pinnacle Entertainment and Penn National Gaming formally affirmed that they are in merger talks. Among the upsides, Deutsche Bank analyst Carlo Santarelli cites the alleviation of forced asset sale in Pennsylvania, where the number of … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Boyd Gaming, Foxwoods, Genting, IGT, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Mohegan Sun, New York, Ohio, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Pinnacle Entertainment, Regulation, Scientific Games, Wall Street | 3 Comments

The Main Event; Macao roars

Posted on December 1, 2017 by David McKee

Monday is the big day: Oral arguments in the Supreme Court over Christie v. NCAA. It’s an understatement to say the gaming industry is getting pretty excited over the hearing, which is expected to lead to a rejection of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball, Economy, history, International, Internet gambling, Macau, Mississippi, Nevada, Problem gambling, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, Steve Wynn, Wall Street | Comments Off

N.Y. struggles continue; Sweet deal for Mount Airy

Posted on November 16, 2017 by David McKee

For Rivers Casino & Resort in Schenectady, the good news is that it’s turned a derelict locomotive plant into a shiny, new, $330 million gambling hall and that it’s spurred development of the nearby Mohawk Harbor residential community. The bad … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, history, Macau, Mississippi, Neil Bluhm, New York, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Tourism | 2 Comments

Solons press for Connecticut clarity; Macao mulls casino renewal

Posted on November 15, 2017 by David McKee

Today’s news takes us straight back to Washington, D.C., where Sens. Chris Murphy (D) and Richard Blumenthal (D) are demanding that the Bureau of Indian Affairs get off the fence and clarify its stance regarding the $300 million East Windsor … Continue reading →

Posted in Donald Trump, Economy, Election, Entertainment, Foxwoods, Macau, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Mohegan Sun, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Regulation, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, Tourism, Transportation, Tribal | Comments Off