Category Archives: Missouri

Illinois does it again; Storm over CityCenter

Posted on August 20, 2009 by David McKee

A new law in Illinois that legalizes video poker statewide may have some unforeseen consequences. Namely, video gambling at truck stops throughout the Land of Lincoln. This represents a much bigger expansion than was originally sold to the public. Whenever … Continue reading →

Posted in CityCenter, Current, Economy, Entertainment, Illinois, Iowa, MGM Mirage, Missouri, Wall Street | Comments Off on Illinois does it again; Storm over CityCenter

Boyd, Ameristar stable; CityCenter schedule revised

Posted on August 5, 2009 by David McKee

Second-quarter results from Boyd Gaming and Ameristar Casinos gave continued reason to be sanguine about each company. Both reported profits (12 cents per share at Boyd, double that at Ameristar) and both missed their revenue targets by an aggregate of … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Architecture, Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Colorado, Current, Downtown, MGM Mirage, Missouri, Station Casinos, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off on Boyd, Ameristar stable; CityCenter schedule revised

'Show Me' no stinkin' IDs

Posted on July 27, 2009 by David McKee

"We don't want them in there," huffs Ameristar Casinos' Troy Stremming (left) with regard to pathological gamblers. Stremming's high dudgeon rings a mite hollow now that the Missouri ballot initiative he crafted and shepherded to victory last fall is providing … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Missouri, Penn National, Problem gambling, Regulation, Taxes | Comments Off on 'Show Me' no stinkin' IDs

'Show Me' no stinkin' IDs

Posted on July 27, 2009 by David McKee

"We don't want them in there," huffs Ameristar Casinos' Troy Stremming (left) with regard to pathological gamblers. Stremming's high dudgeon rings a mite hollow now that the Missouri ballot initiative he crafted and shepherded to victory last fall is providing … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Missouri, Penn National, Problem gambling, Regulation, Taxes | Comments Off on 'Show Me' no stinkin' IDs

Competition forces sanity

Posted on July 13, 2009 by David McKee

While the Bible Belt may hold out until the bitter end, we may finally be seeing the demise of the "boats in moats" arrangement, a fig leaf that enabled Midwestern states to blushingly accept casino money. Illinois has started phasing … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Don Barden, Economy, Harrah's, Horseracing, Indiana, Isle of Capri, Missouri, Ohio, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Taxes | Comments Off on Competition forces sanity

Rough trade

Posted on July 13, 2009 by David McKee

May wasn't great for Las Vegas, to say the least, with hotel occupancy -6%, a figure somewhat amplified by the presence of 3% more hotel rooms. The local ADR of $96.96 would have been regarded as real money back in … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, Downtown, Economy, Harrah's, Illinois, Indiana, MGM Mirage, Missouri, Neil Bluhm, Penn National, Regulation, Slot routes, The Strip | Comments Off on Rough trade

Pinnacle: the untold story

Posted on April 21, 2009 by David McKee

Is waxing and buffing the Pinnacle Entertainment limo a prerequisite for scoring an interview with its CEO? This small masterpiece of selective omission is more interesting for what it elides than what it says. The article parrots Dan Lee as … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Ameristar, Atlantic City, Carl Icahn, Columbia Sussex, Entertainment, Harrah's, Illinois, Louisiana, MGM Mirage, Missouri, Pinnacle Entertainment, The Strip, Tropicana Entertainment | Comments Off on Pinnacle: the untold story

This is your industry on crack

Posted on March 3, 2009 by David McKee

Finally, someone (in this case, Liz Benston) has written the definitive user-friendly analysis of how the casino industry crashed and burned. To try and quote the salient points would require little short of reprinting the entire article (to say nothing … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Colony Capital, Downtown, Economy, Harrah's, Herbst Gaming, Isle of Capri, Louisiana, MGM Mirage, Missouri, Station Casinos, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off on This is your industry on crack

Missouri: Dough and "D'oh!"

Posted on February 11, 2009 by David McKee

Silly me. I had the Missouri numbers sitting in my "Inbox" all day yesterday and simply overlooked them amidst a typically frenetic day. A big "thank you" though to reader Bob Bradley, who provided the short and long versions (click … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Harrah's, Isle of Capri, Missouri, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Wall Street | Comments Off on Missouri: Dough and "D'oh!"

Case Bets: Ho Tram, Shuffle(d) Master, Ameristar

Posted on November 18, 2008 by David McKee

Tout le monde may be at G2E (albeit 10% less le monde than last year, I’m told) but the big news is happening elsewhere. MGM Mirage has emerged as the “angel” for the Ho Tram Strip in Vietnam. It’s a … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Current, Economy, Harrah's, International, Isle of Capri, MGM Mirage, Missouri, Pinnacle Entertainment, Shuffle Master | Comments Off on Case Bets: Ho Tram, Shuffle(d) Master, Ameristar

Winners & Losers

Posted on November 5, 2008 by David McKee

And now the obligatory post-Election, What’s-it-all-about-Alfie roundup … Culinary Union 1, Casino CEOs O: True, the Culinary tripped all over its own feet in the early going, leading to Democratic caucuses that weren’t so much “Barackular” as “debacular.” But D. … Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska, Ameristar, Atlantic City, California, Colorado, Current, Donald Trump, Economy, Election, Florida, Gary Goett, Harrah's, IGT, Internet gambling, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Missouri, Pinnacle Entertainment, Politics, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, Taxes, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off on Winners & Losers

Missouri amendment to pass: JP Morgan

Posted on November 3, 2008 by David McKee

Analysts at JP Morgan like the chances for a Missouri constitutional amendment largely bankrolled by Ameristar Casinos and Pinnacle Entertainment. While Ameristar stands to benefit in tangible ways, JP Morgan focuses on what it could for Pinnacle: a 15% increase … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Atlantic City, Indiana, Louisiana, Missouri, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Wall Street | Comments Off on Missouri amendment to pass: JP Morgan

'Show Me' more money

Posted on October 31, 2008 by David McKee

Missouri voters are being asked to approve a constitutional amendment, submitted by Ameristar Casinos executive Troy Stremming, which would make a couple of significant changes in how business is done in Show-Me State casinos. (The full version is here, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Election, Missouri, Pinnacle Entertainment | Comments Off on 'Show Me' more money

More Trop tomfoolery

Posted on September 16, 2008 by David McKee

Justice Gary Stein's trusteeship of the Atlantic City Tropicana continues its slide toward disaster. The UAW has filed a charge with the National Labor Relations Board, accusing Stein of a lack of good-faith bargaining. Stein has said in the past … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Columbia Sussex, Labor, Missouri, Pinnacle Entertainment, Tropicana Entertainment | Comments Off on More Trop tomfoolery

On the other hand …

Posted on August 25, 2008 by David McKee

… if Illinois casinos are sucking wind (which they are), why hasn't this redounded more to the benefit of neighboring states? For instance, it looks like Indiana had a good July, but once you back out two new racinos, a … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Boyd Gaming, Columbia Sussex, Don Barden, Harrah's, Horseracing, Illinois, Indiana, Isle of Capri, Missouri, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment | Comments Off on On the other hand …

Ameristar: What makes sense?

Posted on August 1, 2008 by David McKee

Perhaps this is what happens when you outsource your business coverage to India, but Reuters had a story yesterday positing MGM Mirage and Harrah's Entertainment as two of the likeliest buyers for Ameristar Casinos. Uhhh, I hate to break this … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Boyd Gaming, Downtown, Harrah's, James Packer, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Missouri, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off on Ameristar: What makes sense?