Category Archives: New Jersey

Draft Day is coming; Station rebounds

Posted on January 23, 2020 by David McKee

As you know, the next NFL draft will be continued on the Las Vegas Strip. The official plan has been released and we don’t know whether to be impressed or to laugh. In what has to be the most fey NFL … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, China, Entertainment, Genting, Indiana, Japan, Macau, Movies, New Jersey, Palms, Sports, Station Casinos, The Strip, Transportation, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Power play in Springfield; Packer faces impeachment

Posted on January 22, 2020 by David McKee

We had a gut feeling this was coming. MGM Resorts International CEO Jim Murren has given the sack to MGM Springfield President Michael Mathis, replacing him with MGM Northfield Park prexy Chris Kelly. Northfield Park hasn’t missed a step since … Continue reading →

Posted in Australia, China, Connecticut, Crown Resorts, International, James Packer, Japan, Law enforcement, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Massachusetts, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, MGM Resorts International, Money laundering, New Jersey, Ohio, Stanley Ho, The Crown 18, The Mob | Comments Off

Casinos seen as gold mine, get the shaft; Oscar odds out

Posted on January 17, 2020 by David McKee

Whenever it’s time to consider a tax increase in Nevada, non-gaming businesses can look forward to continued freeloading. Case in point, the PAC calling itself Nevadans for Fair Gaming Taxes (and what’s unfair about Nevada’s casino tax?) are mounting a … Continue reading →

Posted in Election, Maine, Mississippi, Movies, Nevada, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Taxes, Tribal, Virginia | 1 Comment

Atlantic City power play fails

Posted on January 13, 2020 by David McKee

Organizers of a petition drive to eliminate the position of mayor in Atlantic City thought they had 3,000-plus valid signatures. They had 699. Many of the others were illegible, ineligible or had been collected by notaries not in good standing. … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Politics, Technology, Unite-Here | 3 Comments

Sports betting back on in Florida; Genting tipped for Japan

Posted on January 7, 2020 by David McKee

Although Florida voters thought they were cutting the Lege out of gambling legalization, lawmakers may have found a way to weasel their way back in, at least as concerns sports betting. The Sunshine State’s constitution now forbids the Lege from … Continue reading →

Posted in AGA, China, FanDuel, Florida, Galaxy Entertainment, Genting, Japan, Law enforcement, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, MGM Resorts International, Missouri, Movies, New Jersey, New York, Politics, Regulation, Seminole Tribe, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Slot routes, Sports, Sports betting, Taxes, Texas, The Strip, Transportation | Comments Off

Louisiana stagnant, Michigan a sports-betting go

Posted on December 20, 2019 by David McKee

An extra weekend day didn’t do bupkis for Louisiana, where November gaming revenues ($205 million) were flat with last year’s. The good news is that Baton Rouge, so troubled a market, was incrementally higher than in 2018. Eldorado Resorts‘ Belle … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, China, Churchill Downs, Detroit, Economy, Eldorado Resorts, GLPI, Indiana, Internet gambling, Louisiana, Macau, Michigan, Movies, New Jersey, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Sexual misconduct, Sports betting, Taxes, Tilman Fertitta, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off

Atlantic City up in November; Sports betting comes to Michigan

Posted on December 13, 2019 by David McKee

Gross gaming revenues of $224 million in Atlantic City last month represented a 7% gain. Table games (+11%) led the way, followed by slot revenues, up 6%. Table win at Borgata rose 14.5% on 7% more wagering, as the house … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, DFS, e-sports, Economy, Eldorado Resorts, Environment, FanDuel, Greenwood Racing, Hard Rock International, Internet gambling, MGM Resorts International, Michigan, Mohegan Sun, New Jersey, Ocean Resort, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Rush Street Gaming, Sports betting, Taxes, Tilman Fertitta, Tribal | 1 Comment

Pritzker in denial; Get Mobbed on New Year’s Eve

Posted on December 13, 2019 by David McKee

“This is the voice of delusion,” said an S&G source of Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) and his stated optimism of getting a casino in Chicago, an idea that has drawn a cavernous yawn from the gaming industry. He tried … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Entertainment, Illinois, Japan, Kansas, Macau, Marijuana, New Jersey, Sports, Tamares Group, Taxes, The Mob, Transportation, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off

Looking for love in Macao; Resorts World LV’s big bet

Posted on December 12, 2019 by David McKee

“All of the juice has been squeezed out of the orange. Macao is starting to resemble more mature competitive markets such as Las Vegas and Atlantic City.” Ouch! That was Bloomberg Intelligence contributing analyst David Bonnet, taking an exceptionally gloomy view … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Atlantic City, Century Casinos, Economy, Genting, Hard Rock International, Japan, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, Missouri, Mohegan Sun, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Philippines, Rush Street Gaming, South Korea, Taxes, The Strip, Transportation, Tribal, Vietnam | 2 Comments

Florida gets tough on black market; Nugget tops Atlantic City

Posted on November 27, 2019 by David McKee

Florida‘s black market slot-parlor industry is coming under renewed scrutiny as it offers not only unlimited soda but an invitingly soft target for armed robbers looking for high concentrations of cash. In a 15-month period, Jacksonville police have logged 500 … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Atlantic City, Caesars Entertainment, Dining, Donald Trump, Florida, Internet gambling, Law enforcement, New Jersey, Regulation, Tamares Group, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off

Wynn: Elaine did me dirty; New Jersey rakes it in

Posted on November 12, 2019 by David McKee

On the principle that two wrongs make a right, disgraced casino mogul Steve Wynn is accusing ex-wife Elaine Wynn of stirring up the Wall Street Journal story that ended his career. This comes by way of testimony by one Renée … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Culinary Union, e-sports, Elaine Wynn, Election, Florida, Hard Rock International, Internet gambling, Law enforcement, Macau, MGM Resorts International, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Politics, Resort fees, Sexual misconduct, Sports betting, Stanley Ho, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Taxes, Technology, Tribal, Wisconsin, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Wynn misses estimates; Sports betting wins in Colorado

Posted on November 7, 2019 by David McKee

Wynn Resorts reported 3Q19 earnings and the headline was Macao. As J.P. Morgan analyst Joseph Greff wrote, “For the first time in a while, we feel that the tough Macau VIP segment is stabilizing/not getting worse, and mass growth there … Continue reading →

Posted in China, Colorado, Dining, Election, Full House Resorts, Macau, Massachusetts, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, New Jersey, South Korea, Sports betting, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off

Churchill Downs fights horseracing reform; Mattress Mack doesn’t regret $13M World Series bet

Posted on November 4, 2019 by David McKee

Churchill Downs‘ third-quarter cash flow results were “softer than expected” according to J.P. Morgan analyst Daniel Politzer, who added the “the impact of this was likely mitigated by the company announcing a slew of updates/capital projects which helped placate investors, … Continue reading →

Posted in AGA, Baseball, Charity, Churchill Downs, Colorado, Culinary Union, Election, Entertainment, Geoff Freeman, Horseracing, Kentucky, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, Maine, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, Planet Hollywood, Politics, Racinos, Sheldon Adelson, Sports betting, Texas, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off

Ocean surges in Atlantic City; Wall Street yawns at MGM sale

Posted on October 17, 2019 by David McKee

Atlantic City gambling revenue was off 3% last month and we’ll be generous, chalking it up to one less weekend day than last year. The Boardwalk grossed $224.5 million, led by Borgata with $57.5 million (a 5% slippage). Table win … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Eldorado Resorts, Greenwood Racing, Hard Rock International, Internet gambling, Japan, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, Nevada, New Jersey, Ocean Resort, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Phil Ruffin, Real Estate, Rush Street Gaming, Sports, Sports betting, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Tribal, Wynn Resorts | 3 Comments

Caesars: What sauce!; Macao underwhelms

Posted on October 8, 2019 by David McKee

With more than a bit of nerve, Caesars Entertainment is jacking up resort fees again. Caesars Palace and Nobu Hotel will have $51.01 in levies (the highest on the Las Vegas Strip, I think; is this a status thing?), while … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball, Caesars Entertainment, China, Economy, Macau, Michael Gaughan, Mississippi, Mohegan Sun, Nevada, New Jersey, Politics, Problem gambling, Resort fees, Sports betting, Terry Caudill, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Sammy Naz strikes again; Stevens removes urban blight

Posted on September 26, 2019 by David McKee

While the ink has scarcely dried on the Sahara logo on the Las Vegas Strip, owner Alex Meruelo is already in hot water. The Las Vegas Review-Journal is reporting that Meruelo is being sued for unpaid licensing fees. In what … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Meruelo, Caesars Entertainment, Derek Stevens, Downtown, G2E, history, Illinois, Marketing, New Jersey, Racinos, Real Estate, Sahara, Sam Nazarian, SLS Las Vegas, Sports, Sports betting, Terry Caudill | Comments Off

Near-ideal month in Atlantic City

Posted on September 16, 2019 by David McKee

Atlantic City casinos were, despite an extra weekend day in August, up only 6%. But, more importantly, all except one either stood their ground or grew business. They grossed $286.5 million, with symmetrical increases in slot and table revenue. A … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, China, Detroit, Donald Trump, Eldorado Resorts, Entertainment, Full House Resorts, Greenwood Racing, Hard Rock International, Indiana, International, Internet gambling, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, New Jersey, Ocean Resort, Ohio, Palms, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Philippines, Regulation, Sports, Sports betting, Taxes, Tilman Fertitta, Tribal, Virginia, Wall Street | 2 Comments

Furor in Illinois; ‘Carmageddon’ in New Jersey

Posted on September 5, 2019 by David McKee

Charles DeGaulle was famous as The Man Who Said No. That nickname may have to be reassigned to Churchill Downs CEO Bill Carstanjen. His decision not to seek racino status for Arlington International Racecourse has set the Illinois gaming industry and … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Churchill Downs, CityCenter, Cosmopolitan, Horseracing, Illinois, International, Marijuana, MGM Resorts International, New Jersey, Politics, Racinos, Rush Street Gaming, Sports betting, Taxes, Tourism, Transportation | 1 Comment

Tilman’s lucky break; Del Lago sold

Posted on August 30, 2019 by David McKee

Atlantic City‘s Golden Nugget has been on the outside of NBA betting, looking in. But that may change if Gov. Phil Murphy (D) signs what might be called the ‘Tilman Fertitta Act.’ It would allow the Nugget to take bets … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Economy, Internet gambling, New Jersey, New York, Philippines, Politics, Sports betting, Tilman Fertitta | Comments Off

Sheldon’s Sphere inflating; Nevada not keeping up with the times

Posted on August 22, 2019 by David McKee

Madison Square Garden is confronting a major cost overrun on its spherical event center near Venelazzo, meant to—among other things—aggrandize the ego of Sheldon Adelson. Shares of MSG were sent staggering by the revelation that the $1.2 billion cost had … Continue reading →

Posted in International, Internet gambling, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Nevada, New Jersey, Philippines, Regulation, Sexual misconduct, Sheldon Adelson, Sports betting, The Strip, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off