Category Archives: North Las Vegas

Las Vegas’ robust January; Measles in a casino

Posted on March 2, 2015 by David McKee

January was good for the State of Nevada (+8%) but especially powerful for the Las Vegas Strip, up 15%. The casinos played lucky, with baccarat winnings up 68.5%, despite 13.5% less being wagered. Strip slot revenues were up 4%, even … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, Downtown, Economy, Environment, Fontainebleau, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, MGM Mirage, New York, North Las Vegas, Riviera, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off

Slots drive Vegas; Big change at Foxwoods

Posted on November 26, 2014 by David McKee

Las Vegas Strip casino revenues fell 6% last month, largely thanks to soft table play. Deutsche Bank analyst Carlo Santarelli characterized slot play as “encouraging and driven primarily by volume,” as the Strip recorded its sixth consecutive month of increased … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, Delaware, Downtown, Entertainment, Foxwoods, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Mohegan Sun, North Las Vegas, Racinos, Slot routes, Taxes, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off

Flat at the Strat and other Case Bets

Posted on November 18, 2014 by David McKee

What a difference a year makes for American Casino & Entertainment Properties. Twelve months ago it was losing $9 million. In 3Q14, it posted a $600K profit. The reversal was achieved, in part, by squeezing customers with higher room rates … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Boulder Strip, Columbia Sussex, Kentucky, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, North Las Vegas, Reno, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, The Strip | Comments Off

Quote of the Day

Posted on November 12, 2014 by David McKee

“We have always been incredibly grateful to our military community, and this partnership is another great example of our ongoing ‘Operation Thank You’ commitment to veterans.” — Station Casinos Chief Marketing Officer Staci Alonso, announcing that the company would be providing … Continue reading →

Posted in Charity, MGM Mirage, North Las Vegas, Station Casinos | Comments Off

Players take Vegas to the cleaners

Posted on October 28, 2014 by David McKee

Baccarat players stayed home or played smaller last month. The Strip’s most important revenue driver dropped 30% on 12.5% less play. So luck and players’ wallets were both working in the casinos’ disfavor. Despite a 2% increase in coin-in, slot … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, Cannery Casino Resorts, Downtown, Economy, Laughlin, Macau, North Las Vegas, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Racinos, Technology, The Strip | Comments Off

USA Today: Those evil casinos!

Posted on September 26, 2014 by David McKee

With the gaming industry temporarily exhausted from over-expansion and saturation, USA Today has chosen this moment to pounce with an anti-gambling editorial. The graybeards on the USA Today editorial board clearly haven’t been paying close attention — racinos in Delaware, … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, Cretins, Delaware, Downtown, Economy, Geoff Freeman, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Neil Bluhm, North Las Vegas, Pennsylvania, Reno, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street | Comments Off

Recovery in Vegas? It depends on where you stand

Posted on August 28, 2014 by David McKee

July was a mixed blessing for Nevada. Gambling revenue was up 5% along the Strip, down 4% among locals and essentially flat statewide. Strip casinos won big at baccarat, with player losses increasing 16% on 24% heavier play. Non-Strip baccarat play … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, Downtown, Isle of Capri, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Macau, MGM Mirage, Missouri, North Las Vegas, Reno, Taxes, The Strip, Tribal, Wisconsin | Comments Off

Great month for the Strip, for Louisiana not so much

Posted on July 25, 2014 by David McKee

Buoyed by heavy baccarat play, the Las Vegas Strip registered a 22.5% gain in June. The house played very lucky, too, with win up a staggering 155%. At the other end of the gaming spectrum, those slots must have been … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Churchill Hill, Downtown, Economy, Harrah's, Isle of Capri, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Louisiana, North Las Vegas, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, Reno, The Strip, Tropicana Entertainment | 1 Comment

Boffo May in Vegas; The power of convenience

Posted on June 27, 2014 by David McKee

Wall Street was pleasantly surprised by May’s gambling numbers from Nevada and especially the Las Vegas Strip, which was up 17%. Statewide, revenues rose 8%, reflecting the dilutive effect of an 8% decline in locals gaming revenue. A 3% dip … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, Downtown, Economy, Election, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, Illinois, Laughlin, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, North Las Vegas, Ohio, Penn National, Problem gambling, Racinos, Regulation, Slot routes, The Strip, Wall Street | 3 Comments

New York: Promises and excuses

Posted on June 9, 2014 by David McKee

New York casino developers are enumerating the economic benefits for their prospective employees. Make no mistake, many of the jobs will be entry-level, minimum-wage employment. Saratoga Casino & Raceway is predicted a 47%/30% split between unskilled and skilled employees, with … Continue reading →

Posted in Cretins, Economy, Marketing, New York, North Las Vegas, Racinos, Singapore | 1 Comment

Pacquiao impact punchless

Posted on May 29, 2014 by David McKee

April’s gaming numbers from Nevada were received with varying degrees of gloom. Not even a Manny Pacquiao fight could drive up the revenue figures, generally speaking. Baccarat, it goes without saying, was a different story, with 40% more revenue and … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, Downtown, Economy, Laughlin, North Las Vegas, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal, Wall Street, Wisconsin | Comments Off

Vegas: A return to the halcyon years? It looks that way

Posted on April 30, 2014 by David McKee

Las Vegas recorded its highest visitation numbers of all time last March, helping to drive gambling revenue 8% upward. We had 3.7 million tourists, 4% than the previous year. Despite fewer conventions, a 20.5% leap in convention attendance (with the … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Economy, Harrah's, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Mesquite, MGM Mirage, North Las Vegas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Reno, Sam Nazarian, Tourism, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Look out, Macao, here comes Crimea

Posted on April 21, 2014 by David McKee

That’s the message from Crimea‘s puppet leader, Rustam Temirgaliyev, who claims that Crimea could outdo Monaco, Las Vegas and even Macao. (It is not recorded whether anyone laughed at his assertion.) “Our task is to create a tourist cluster, which will … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Greenwood Racing, Harrah's, International, Massachusetts, Mohegan Sun, North Las Vegas, Pennsylvania, Racinos, Regulation, Steve Wynn, Taxes | 1 Comment

Save the whales; Boffo contract in Wisconsin

Posted on March 28, 2014 by David McKee

824 grand. That’s how much online poker revenue Nevada generated in February, the first month in which it has reported such numbers. (Sheldon Adelson‘s fear of Internet poker is like an elephant cowering before a mouse.) Since online play went … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, Downtown, Economy, Foxwoods, Internet gambling, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, North Las Vegas, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, Tribal, Wall Street, Wisconsin | Comments Off

Rampart Casino: 15 years already?

Posted on January 10, 2014 by David McKee

It’s difficult — and sobering — to realize that it’s been 15 years since Swiss Casinos opened The Resort at Summerlin, a costly fiasco now known as Rampart Casino. Certainly, its hoity-toity original owners would have been dismayed beyond measure … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, G2E, Iowa, Japan, North Las Vegas, Penn National, Regulation | Comments Off

Nevada finishing year strong; Christie’s choler

Posted on December 31, 2013 by David McKee

With a little help from one extra weekend day, Nevada gross gaming revenues shot upward 12% statewide in November and 23% on the Strip. Baccarat players lost their shirts, with the house winning 94% more than the previous year. Less … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boulder Strip, Cordish Co., Current, Downtown, Economy, Harrah's, Laughlin, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, North Las Vegas, Penn National, Regulation, Reno, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Trump Entertainment Resorts | 2 Comments

X Train dead? Is so! Is not!

Posted on November 15, 2013 by David McKee

“I’ll believe when I see it” has always been a good policy to follow when dealing with the X Train. This, you may recall, was the rail service that was to be underwritten with onboard gambling and was to double … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Dining, Downtown, North Las Vegas, Tamares Group, Tourism, Transportation | Comments Off

One casino for sale, real cheap; Miracle at Cosmo; New wrinkle at Dairyland

Posted on November 11, 2013 by David McKee

Colony Capital‘s insolvent Atlantic City Hotel received bankruptcy court permission to keep doing business. Still, the ACH appears to be circling the drain rapidly, telling reporters “the casino said it doesn’t have enough cash to continue to operate for a … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Colony Capital, Cosmopolitan, Culinary Union, Golden Gaming, North Las Vegas, Regulation, Slot routes, Tribal, Wisconsin | Comments Off

Falling upward in Nevada; MGM: The Lion meows

Posted on October 31, 2013 by David McKee

Helped by a wee bit of late-August slot revenue, Nevada posted a 7% revenue gain this month, for a $959 haul. The Strip performed spectacularly, up 13%, and Downtown edged 2% higher. Lake Tahoe vaulted 23% but Reno fell off … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, CityCenter, Current, Downtown, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Macau, Mesquite, MGM Mirage, North Las Vegas, Reno, Sheldon Adelson, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation, Wall Street | Comments Off

August: Hot on the Strip

Posted on September 30, 2013 by David McKee

Boy, did the house win big last August. Las Vegas Strip gambling revenues were up 20%, driven by exceptionally lucky baccarat play (win up 55.5%), in a month when 1.5% less was wagered on the game. (A modest increase in … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, Current, Downtown, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, North Las Vegas, Reno, The Strip | Comments Off