Category Archives: New York

MGM Springfield opens

Posted on August 24, 2018 by David McKee

Several years and $960 million later, it’s finally opening day for MGM Springfield. Here’s the 411 on what it offers, along with copious traffic directions — access is clearly the front-of-mind concern as gaming madness comes to Springfield. Amidst all … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Current, Dining, Genting, history, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, New York, Wynn Resorts | 2 Comments

Good news, big and small

Posted on August 23, 2018 by David McKee

Last year, commercial casino revenues topped $40 billion for the first time ever, maxing out at $40.3 billion. States with casinos will be happy campers, as that windfall meant $9.2 billion in gambling taxes. The revenue surge was 3.5% according … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Internet gambling, Macau, Maryland, New York, Problem gambling, Tribal, Washington State, West Virginia, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off

A bright shining turkey

Posted on August 15, 2018 by David McKee

“We didn’t plan to open until March. So this is, literally, found money. We didn’t even budget for it. Wait and see what happens when we get this engine fully running.” That was the excuse made by a Resorts World … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Economy, Entertainment, Genting, New York, Penn National, Sports betting, Technology, The Strip, Wall Street, West Virginia | Comments Off

Pols slow to move on sports betting

Posted on August 14, 2018 by David McKee

We thought we’d check up on what some of our favorite state legislators are doing about sports betting, now that it’s theoretically legal in their state (well, it’s complicated). In New York, Assemblyman Gary Pretlow (D) intends to introduce a … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Foxwoods, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kazuo Okada, Louisiana, Mandalay Bay Massacre, Mesquite, Mohegan Sun, New York, Penn National, Politics, Sports betting, Technology, Tourism, Transportation | Comments Off

Take that, Philippines!; NY casino out-brews rivals

Posted on August 8, 2018 by David McKee

Think you’ve got a casino, Landing International? Guess again. Ground had scarcely been broken on a $1.5 billion megaresort, which had been making headlines across the Pacific Rim, when Philippines despot Rodrigo Duterte unilaterally canceled the project. A flunky said Landing … Continue reading →

Posted in Australia, Dining, Election, Entertainment, Genting, Hard Rock International, Las Vegas Sands, New York, Penn National, Philippines, Rhode Island, Singapore, Technology, Tourism, Tribal | Comments Off

MGM lauds Springfield as Mandalay Bay woes increase

Posted on July 25, 2018 by David McKee

MGM Resorts International is targeting Hartford (and five other media markets) with its initial TV spot for MGM Springfield, whose opening is now less than a month away. The ad, which you can see for yourself, has shoutouts to virtually … Continue reading →

Posted in Cirque du Soleil, Elaine Wynn, Environment, Law enforcement, Mandalay Bay Massacre, Marketing, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, New York, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Reno, Rhode Island, Sexual misconduct, Sports betting, Taxes, TV, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off

Sport of kings on wobbly legs; Sports betting races ahead in N.J., N.Y., flags in Pennsylvania

Posted on July 18, 2018 by David McKee

Were it not for racinos, we’d probably be talking about the sport of kings in the past tense. Handle at racetracks has fallen 50% in the last 15 years. However, slot machines have infused a billion dollars a year, keeping … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Caesars Entertainment, Cordish Co., DFS, Dining, Greenwood Racing, Horseracing, Internet gambling, Macau, New York, Pennsylvania, Problem gambling, Racinos, Regulation, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, Sports, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Taxes, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta | 1 Comment

Busted!

Posted on July 13, 2018 by David McKee

Former New York Knicks great Charles Oakley fouled out big-time at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. The veteran roundballer, who made $46 million during his playing career, wound up in the clink over a $100 casino chip. Oakley tried to … Continue reading →

Posted in Cosmopolitan, Culinary Union, Florida, Fontainebleau, Genting, history, Law enforcement, Macau, New York, Penn National, Problem gambling, Regulation, Sports, The Strip | 1 Comment

Atlantic City, the morning after; On the dole in Delaware

Posted on July 5, 2018 by David McKee

Even as it celebrates its debut in Atlantic City, Hard Rock International is pining for the New York City area, especially since it has an exclusive contract to operate a casino at Meadowlands. In a display of rather poor taste, Hard … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Atlantic City, Bruce Deifik, Delaware, Galaxy Entertainment, Hard Rock International, Indiana, Macau, New York, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, Sports, Taxes, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Atlantic City primed for openings; Tokenism at AGA

Posted on June 27, 2018 by David McKee

“Do I think the gaming market ever comes back to close to $6 billion in revenue? No. Not even close,” Hard Rock International CEO Jim Allen said of Atlantic City. “If a brand like Hard Rock fails in Atlantic City, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Arizona, Atlantic City, Bruce Deifik, California, Carl Icahn, Donald Trump, Entertainment, Geoff Freeman, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, Las Vegas Sands, Marketing, MGM Mirage, New York, Pennsylvania, Revel, Rush Street Gaming, Sports, The Strip, Tribal, Trump Entertainment Resorts, Wall Street | 4 Comments

High Sierra; This and that

Posted on June 25, 2018 by David McKee

If you want to get away from it all and gamble at the same time, head north — way north — to tiny and isolated Jarbidge, Nevada. That is the home of the Silver State’s newest casino license, that of … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, history, Horseracing, International, Macau, Nevada, New York, Racinos, Slot routes, Sports, Taxes | Comments Off

Brand-new Palace; Slide at Sands

Posted on June 25, 2018 by David McKee

Although we’ve been talking about the $192 million Palace Station do-over for months, it’s finally on display and color us dazzled. Based on the Las Vegas Review-Journal‘s photo essay, we hardly recognize the old gal, looking frisky after her nine-figure … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, DFS, Dining, Genting, Greenwood Racing, Japan, Marketing, New York, Pennsylvania, Pinnacle Entertainment, Problem gambling, Sheldon Adelson, Station Casinos, Taxes, The Strip | 1 Comment

MGM labor pact approved; Juliano resurfaces

Posted on June 21, 2018 by David McKee

It’s unknown how much of a pay increase the Culinary Union extracted from MGM Resorts International but it was enough to persuade workers to ratify the new contract. As with the Caesars Entertainment pact, workers will be issued alarm buttons … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Culinary Union, Golden Gaming, Harrah's, Kansas, MGM Mirage, New York, Pennsylvania | 1 Comment

Delaware leads the way; Las Vegas tourism rebounds

Posted on June 6, 2018 by David McKee

A Delaware sports book took 36 bets in its first 20 minutes of operation yesterday, making it the first state outside Nevada to capitalize on the Supreme Court‘s recent legitimization of sports wagering. “In New York, we would go right to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Culinary Union, Delaware, Florida, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Reno, Seminole Tribe, Sports, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal, Wall Street, West Virginia | Comments Off

Caesars, MGM strikes averted

Posted on June 4, 2018 by David McKee

Yesterday the Culinary Union announced that a tentative pact had been reached with Caesars Entertainment, in the wee hours of Friday morning, the first such in the current round of labor talks on the Las Vegas Strip. “The historic new … Continue reading →

Posted in Culinary Union, e-sports, Harrah's, Mandalay Bay Massacre, MGM Mirage, New York, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Sexual misconduct, SLS Las Vegas, Sports, Steve Wynn, Taxes, The Strip, World Series of Poker, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off

Macao disappoints Wall Street; Tribal troubles

Posted on June 1, 2018 by David McKee

Wall Street was expecting 18.5% gaming-revenue growth out of Macao last month. It got ‘only’ 12%, the Street not having taken an abbreviated Golden Week into account. Furthermore, the enclave had a hard act to follow, its revenue having vaulted … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Dining, Economy, Foxwoods, Galaxy Entertainment, Genting, Iowa, Japan, Macau, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, Nebraska, New York, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Tourism, Tribal, Wall Street | 3 Comments

MGM: They’ll take Yonkers; Vegas gets flunked

Posted on May 29, 2018 by David McKee

MGM Resorts International‘s pursuit of a casino in Bridgeport has been revealed as the sham that it is. How? Because MGM and MGM Growth Properties just plunked down $850 million for Empire City Casino in Yonkers, putting them squarely in the much-coveted … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Genting, LVCVA, MGM Mirage, New York, The Strip, Wall Street | 1 Comment

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