Category Archives: Ohio

Big names flock to New York; Reno rebounds

Posted on April 14, 2014 by David McKee

It’s starting to get seriously competitive in upstate New York, where Neil Bluhm‘s Rush Street Gaming has been seen canoodling with a Schenectady casino project. Others who have been circling the upstate market with interest include newcomers Churchill Downs and … Continue reading →

Posted in Churchill Downs, Economy, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, Macau, Neil Bluhm, New York, Ohio, Penn National, Reno, Sheldon Adelson, Station Casinos, Wall Street | Comments Off on Big names flock to New York; Reno rebounds

Belaboring the obvious; Ohio’s growing pains

Posted on April 8, 2014 by David McKee

What is being hailed as a major breakthrough in problem-gambling treatment rests upon some observations that don’t seem to be particularly novel. Disordered gambling is being blamed on the insula area of the brain, crucial to forming emotions. So far, … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Cordish Co., Dining, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, Maryland, Ohio, Penn National, Problem gambling, Racinos, Regulation, Technology | Comments Off on Belaboring the obvious; Ohio’s growing pains

Quote of the Day

Posted on March 28, 2014 by David McKee

“We did not know what to expect, so every penny is a nice surprise. We did not have to fill out 50 forms to get it or hire any new staff members to keep it – it came with no … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Ohio, Taxes | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Casino proposed for Albany; The smell of gambling

Posted on March 24, 2014 by David McKee

E23. That’s the provisional name for a casino complex that developer David Flaum has proposed for the Albany area, right on the New York State Thruway. The budget ($300 million-$400 million) is modest. Flaum is not. “This thing, frankly, is going … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Laughlin, Marketing, Massachusetts, Mohegan Sun, New York, Ohio, Politics, Tribal | Comments Off on Casino proposed for Albany; The smell of gambling

Strange Bedfellows Dept.

Posted on March 24, 2014 by David McKee

It’s hard to know what to make of this. The Republican Jewish Coalition is coming to Las Vegas and its headliner is Jeb Bush. Now, if there is anyone more anti-gambling in the GOP than Jeb, you’d be hard-pressed to … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Economy, Election, Florida, Internet gambling, Ohio, Politics, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Tourism, Wisconsin | Comments Off on Strange Bedfellows Dept.

The industry speaks, Part Two

Posted on March 13, 2014 by David McKee

Both Penn National Gaming and Pinnacle Entertainment have weighed in at the J.P. Morgan Gaming, Lodging, Restaurant & Leisure Management Access Forum. Penn engaged in a three-bucket division of its casinos. “The first bucket comprises properties in markets where there has … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Indiana, Louisiana, Marketing, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Missouri, Ohio, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, Tilman Fertitta, Wall Street, West Virginia | Comments Off on The industry speaks, Part Two

Missouri, Indiana take their lumps

Posted on March 11, 2014 by David McKee

Bad weather is being blamed for dismal attendance figures at St. Louis-area casinos. Those on the Missouri side were down 11%, while Casino Queen in East St. Louis and Alton Belle were off 17% at the turnstile. Statewide, revenue was down 7%, with … Continue reading →

Posted in Harrah's, Indiana, Isle of Capri, Missouri, Ohio, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Taxes, Tropicana Entertainment | Comments Off on Missouri, Indiana take their lumps

Rocky Mountain high roller; Playing spoiler in Boston

Posted on March 11, 2014 by David McKee

“Recreational horse racing to me is more appealing than recreational pot.” So says one of the backers of expanded gambling in Colorado, state Rep. Don Coram (R). “We’re opposed because the way the initiative is written it gives the owner of … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Colorado, Election, Entertainment, Internet gambling, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Ohio, Regulation, Rhode Island, Tribal | Comments Off on Rocky Mountain high roller; Playing spoiler in Boston

Culinary: Two down, 14 to go; Quiet crisis at Sands

Posted on March 11, 2014 by David McKee

Culinary Union-represented workers at the Riviera and at Treasure Island have cause for celebration, being the beneficiaries of new, five-year collective bargaining agreements.  Culinary Secretary-Treasurer Geoconda Arguello-Kline took the extra step of hailing the Riviera deal as “mutually beneficial” to … Continue reading →

Posted in Charity, Culinary Union, Delaware, Macau, Massachusetts, Mohegan Sun, Ohio, Phil Ruffin, Racinos, Regulation, Riviera, Sheldon Adelson, Taxes, The Strip | Comments Off on Culinary: Two down, 14 to go; Quiet crisis at Sands

Realism in Iowa, depression in Illinois, paradox in Ohio

Posted on March 7, 2014 by David McKee

“The problem is Iowa is not a free-market system It’s set up to encourage big-dollar investments, so the cannibalization issue is one we have to take into consideration.” — Iowa Racing & Gaming Commission Chairman Jeff Lamberti There you have … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Boyd Gaming, Economy, Harrah's, Illinois, Iowa, Isle of Capri, MGM Mirage, Neil Bluhm, Ohio, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Regulation | Comments Off on Realism in Iowa, depression in Illinois, paradox in Ohio

Empire State scramble; Stalemate in Kentucky; Too cozy in Ohio?

Posted on March 5, 2014 by David McKee

Casino expansion continues to speed along in New York State, where college president Mark Gearan (right) has been formally installed as New York State Gaming Commission chairman, filling out the five-member body. Prior to taking office, he was presented with some … Continue reading →

Posted in Cordish Co., Downtown, Entertainment, Horseracing, Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Penn National, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Technology, The Strip | Comments Off on Empire State scramble; Stalemate in Kentucky; Too cozy in Ohio?

Genting’s dog-and-pony show; Ohio, Year One

Posted on March 4, 2014 by David McKee

Back when it was still Echelon, the axiom about the skeleton on the North Strip was that no one would start building anything nearby until Boyd Gaming resumed work. Perhaps the industry got tired of waiting. SLS Las Vegas, which … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Economy, Genting, Harrah's, Ohio, Regulation, Sam Nazarian, The Strip | Comments Off on Genting’s dog-and-pony show; Ohio, Year One

Across the Pacific

Posted on February 25, 2014 by David McKee

Rash or merely aggressive? That’s the question now that MGM Resorts International CEO Jim Murren has vowed to match Las Vegas Sands‘ Japanese investments dollar for dollar — as much as $10 billion. “We will overinvest early on to ensure, … Continue reading →

Posted in Harrah's, history, Japan, Macau, Maryland, MGM Mirage, Ohio, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, Wall Street | Comments Off on Across the Pacific

Casinos behaving badly

Posted on February 14, 2014 by David McKee

Reno‘s Peppermill Casino is going to be $1 million lighter in the wallet, after it ‘fessed up to spying on other casinos’ proprietary data. Peppermill analyst Ryan Tors was caught at the Grand Sierra using a tool known as a … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Dan Gilbert, Harrah's, Ohio, Regulation, Reno, Revel, Technology | Comments Off on Casinos behaving badly

Pinnacle beats The Street; MGM goes electric

Posted on February 12, 2014 by David McKee

Pinnacle Entertainment did a brilliant job of managing Wall Street‘s expectations, its cash flow coming in $5 million above analysts’ consensus, driven by lower operating expenses. J.P. Morgan‘s Joseph Greff called the results “better than feared,” which tells you how … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Environment, Foxwoods, International, Internet gambling, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Missouri, Ohio, Pinnacle Entertainment, Transportation, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off on Pinnacle beats The Street; MGM goes electric

The Midwest: First the good news …

Posted on February 10, 2014 by David McKee

Casino revenue in the Buckeye State vaulted 56%, as several new racinos came on line. The not such good news is that Ohio casinos are merrily cannibalizing themselves, down 16% on a year/year basis. Hollywood Columbus, in particular, continues to … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Current, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Isle of Capri, MGM Mirage, Missouri, Neil Bluhm, Ohio, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Politics, Racinos, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Penn gets frostbite; Virginia passes up gambling

Posted on February 6, 2014 by David McKee

Caught between harsh weather and a tighter competitive squeeze, Penn National Gaming posted 4Q13 revenues that were 13% down from last year. The $645 million loss drew a surprisingly muted reaction from gaming analysts. The company is already drastically reducing … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Louisiana, Macau, Missouri, Ohio, Penn National, Politics, Problem gambling, Racinos, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho, Steve Wynn, Taxes, Wall Street | Comments Off on Penn gets frostbite; Virginia passes up gambling

Foxwoods shows persistence & other Case Bets

Posted on January 28, 2014 by David McKee

Foxwoods Massachusetts is back and going all in with a proposal for a $750 million facility in Fall River. This means there is finally a heavyweight contender for the southeastern regional license — albeit a company that voters tossed out … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Election, Foxwoods, Harrah's, Horseracing, Internet gambling, Marketing, Massachusetts, Ohio, Racinos, Texas, Tribal | 1 Comment

A ‘bit’ of progress

Posted on January 21, 2014 by David McKee

You can’t use bitcoin to gamble in Vegas … yet. But Derek Stevens is bitcoin-enabling both the Golden Gate and The D to accept the cyber-currency in selected parts of his properties, starting Jan. 22. Stevens is crediting customer input … Continue reading →

Posted in Derek Stevens, Downtown, Economy, Indiana, Macau, New York, Ohio, Racinos, Technology, Tourism | Comments Off on A ‘bit’ of progress

One less brick in the wall

Posted on January 21, 2014 by David McKee

Internet gambling in New Jersey is still wet behind the ears but state Sen. Raymond Lesniak wants to move it to the grown-ups’ table. Specifically, he wants wide-area Internet poker play. Domestic (read: Nevada and New Jersey) and international ones … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Georgia, Internet gambling, Minnesota, Ohio | Comments Off on One less brick in the wall