Category Archives: North Las Vegas

Sound like anyplace you know?

Posted on January 13, 2011 by David McKee

Raving Consulting President Steve Browne has published a litany of signs of poor customer service. They’re all worth reading but three seem particularly applicable to present-day Las Vegas casinos: • If you expect your employees to pick up trash from … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, Current, Downtown, North Las Vegas, The Strip | Comments Off

Nevada’s November: rough sledding; Sunny Sheldon

Posted on January 11, 2011 by David McKee

If pressed for a prediction, I’d say 2011 will be a good year for the Strip, not so much for the rest of the Silver State. Just when I was feeling a bit queasy about November’s gaming revenues, Dr. David … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, California, Cretins, Current, Downtown, Florida, Horseracing, Laughlin, LVCVA, Macau, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, North Las Vegas, Politics, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Tourism, TV, Wall Street | 4 Comments

The whales of August

Posted on October 8, 2010 by David McKee

Nevada had another big casino bounce — $944.5 million, its largest since February’s $947 million. However, some of the positive auguries are real and some are misleading. To get the big one out of the way, Strip slot revenues were … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, Current, Economy, Harrah's, Kansas, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Louisiana, North Las Vegas, Regulation, Reno, The Strip, Tourism, Vdara Death Ray, Wall Street | 2 Comments

Who needs M most?; Station’s glass jaw

Posted on August 17, 2010 by David McKee

In a shocker of a scoop, The Newspaper That Must Not Be Cited revealed yesterday that a $700 million stake in $1 billion M Resort was being shopped around by the resort’s lead banker. While this probably says more about … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, California, Carl Icahn, Colony Capital, Cosmopolitan, Current, Downtown, Economy, Kansas, M Resort, Maryland, MGM Mirage, Michael Gaughan, North Las Vegas, Ohio, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Riviera, Station Casinos, The Strip, Tourism, Tropicana Entertainment, Wall Street | 8 Comments

S&G hither & yon

Posted on July 12, 2010 by David McKee

Last weekend’s usual barrage of errands, veterinary appointments, etc., was interrupted long enough for Yr. Humble Blogger to guest-host another edition of The Strip Podcast. In it, I reveal my shameful ignorance of televised poker (something I literally tuned out … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Architecture, Cannery Casino Resorts, CityCenter, Cosmopolitan, Dining, Downtown, Economy, Entertainment, Harrah's, Isle of Capri, MGM Mirage, Missouri, North Las Vegas, Pinnacle Entertainment, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, Technology, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, TV, Wall Street, World Series of Poker | 1 Comment

Vegas continues to confound

Posted on July 7, 2010 by David McKee

A friend recently posed to me the question of how Nevada‘s casino revenues can be so anemic at a time when casino floors appear so crowded (only 100K fewer visitors in April 2009 than two years earlier). I’m coming around … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, Current, Downtown, Economy, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, North Las Vegas, Regulation, The Strip | 3 Comments

So long, Sue, and thanks for playing

Posted on June 9, 2010 by David McKee

It’s back to her day job for Archon Corp. Secretary-Treasurer Sue Lowden, whose political aspirations experienced an embarrassing meltdown that some would call karmic, redefining “epic fail.” Now she can focus on repairing a corporate image which The Newspaper That … Continue reading →

Posted in Archon Corp., Boyd Gaming, Current, Downtown, Economy, Election, Harry Reid, history, Laughlin, MGM Mirage, Michael Gaughan, Midnight Jim Gibbons, Movies, North Las Vegas, Phil Ruffin, Politics, Regulation, Reno, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, Steve Wynn, The Mob, The Strip, Wall Street | 2 Comments

Dead governor walking

Posted on June 9, 2010 by David McKee

After three and a half years that felt more like three centuries, Nevadans gave the pink slip to Gov. Jim Gibbons. In a fitting end to a thoroughly incompetent tenure, Midnight Jim got an ignominious drubbing — a 28-point annihilation, … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Election, Midnight Jim Gibbons, North Las Vegas, Oscar Goodman, Politics, Regulation | 2 Comments

The bad guys won

Posted on May 28, 2010 by David McKee

Applying yet another tongue bath to the management and bankers who drove Station Casinos into a brick wall at top speed, bankruptcy Judge Gregg Zive has decreed Fertitta Gaming‘s $772 million* stalking-horse bid “an adequate floor” for the auction of … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, Current, North Las Vegas, Station Casinos, Wall Street | 3 Comments

MGM, Sands & the cone of silence

Posted on April 8, 2010 by David McKee

While Las Vegas Review-Journal Publisher Sherman Frederick was fretting about the “troubling egg caper” in Searchlight, Nev., his newspaper wasn’t losing much sleep over a double-barreled casino scandal. Either a sudden malady had wiped out the gaming desk or somebody … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Current, Election, Harry Reid, Illinois, Macau, Marketing, MGM Mirage, North Las Vegas, Pansy Ho, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho, The Mob | Comments Off

Wishful Thinking 101

Posted on March 24, 2010 by David McKee

“[Applied Analysis principal Jeremy] Aguero says the local economy will start recovering as soon as people across the country start spending money like they used to.” Yes, when they start having easy credit like they used to … which will … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, Current, Downtown, Economy, North Las Vegas, The Strip | Comments Off

Tragedy in Vegas

Posted on March 22, 2010 by David McKee

There’s need everywhere you look nowadays but if you’re an S&G reader in the Las Vegas area and have blankets or animal cages to spare, Gilcrease Nature Sanctuary could use them in the wake of a devastating fire. If you’re … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Charity, Current, North Las Vegas | Comments Off

Illegal casino bucks mar NV governor’s race

Posted on January 27, 2010 by David McKee

OK, with a candidate field that includes scandal-prone incumbent Midnight Jim Gibbons, you might ask, “What’s there to mar?” Well, how ’bout illegal overseas campaign cash funneled to former North Las Vegas Mayor Michael Montandon (left) by the reclusive owners … Continue reading →

Posted in Archon Corp., Boyd Gaming, Election, Harry Reid, International, Midnight Jim Gibbons, North Las Vegas, Politics, Station Casinos | 2 Comments

This just in …

Posted on January 13, 2010 by David McKee

A colleague writes … “Aliante Station is currently charging more than Caesars Palace for rooms???* No wonder Station Casinos are in trouble! What kind of a “special offer” is $135/night?!” (* … and only $4 less than Vdara.)

Posted in CityCenter, Current, Economy, Harrah's, MGM Mirage, North Las Vegas, Station Casinos, The Strip | 1 Comment

Back to normal

Posted on January 12, 2010 by David McKee

For starters, let’s just write off 2006-7 as an aberration. While dancing in the streets is premature, Nevada‘s casino revenues from November ($873 million) at least give us an excuse to breathe a sigh of relief — especially when other … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boulder Strip, Current, Downtown, Economy, Harrah's, Illinois, Indiana, Lake Tahoe, Missouri, North Las Vegas, The Strip, Wall Street | 1 Comment

What a difference four years makes; Lowden follies

Posted on November 13, 2009 by David McKee

In the course of correcting the record about former North Las Vegas mayor — and current gubernatorial aspirant — Michael Montandon (R) on a different Web site, I had to cause to dust off an old press clipping. Back when … Continue reading →

Posted in Archon Corp., Boyd Gaming, Economy, Election, Gary Goett, North Las Vegas, Politics, Station Casinos | 1 Comment

Blimps on the radar

Posted on September 10, 2009 by David McKee

Dipping into the dispatch box, S&G finds the following tidbits, courtesy of the nice people at J.P. Morgan: Alex Yemenidjian is serious about revamping the Tropicana Las Vegas. He's just inked a contract with Bally Technologies for a player-tracking system … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Atlantic City, Bally Technologies, CityCenter, Detroit, Economy, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, LVCVA, Marketing, MGM Mirage, North Las Vegas, Reno, Sheldon Adelson, Station Casinos, The Strip, TV | Comments Off

Reality check

Posted on August 18, 2009 by David McKee

It's sackcloth-and-ashes time at the Las Vegas Review-Journal, which ran another "The end is nigh" story about falling gambling revenues. (The Aliante Station Effect appears to have petered out in North Las Vegas.) Yes, we're all the way down, down, … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, Current, Downtown, Economy, Harrah's, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Michael Gaughan, North Las Vegas, Station Casinos, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street | Comments Off

The Trop heist that wasn't

Posted on June 26, 2009 by David McKee

"An improvident indictment." That's what New Jersey officials are calling a case that was quietly quashed in May. Sacked Borgata veep John Conklin and two other men had been charged with plundering the Tropicana Atlantic City's database when they were … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Donald Trump, Entertainment, Golden Gaming, Harrah's, Herbst Gaming, Kansas, Neil Bluhm, North Las Vegas, Pennsylvania, Politics, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Taxes, The Strip, Transportation | Comments Off