Category Archives: Pennsylvania

Wynn balks at Beantown penalty

Posted on May 6, 2019 by David McKee

Although it was willing to pay at least $20 million to remain licensed in Nevada, it appears that Wynn Resorts is unwilling to take its $35 million dose of castor oil in Massachusetts. “We are in the process of reviewing … Continue reading →

Posted in Australia, Charity, Cirque du Soleil, Crown Resorts, Downtown, Entertainment, Florida, Illinois, Internet gambling, Macau, Massachusetts, Movies, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Resort fees, Seminole Tribe, Sports betting, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Wynn balks at Beantown penalty

Eldorado strong, Penn stronger; Caesars screws you

Posted on May 3, 2019 by David McKee

Were it not for inclement weather, Eldorado Resorts would have exceeded Wall Street’s consensus $172 million cash-flow prediction by $8 million for 1Q19, not come up $5 million short. For instance, Reno (pictured) had snow in 24 of February’s 28 days … Continue reading →

Posted in Arizona, Atlantic City, Caesars Entertainment, Colorado, Cordish Co., Cretins, Culinary Union, Detroit, Dining, Economy, Eldorado Resorts, Florida, Hard Rock International, Illinois, Internet gambling, Iowa, Macau, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Mississippi, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, Regulation, Reno, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Tribal, Wall Street, West Virginia, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Eldorado strong, Penn stronger; Caesars screws you

Caesars’ secret weapon

Posted on May 2, 2019 by David McKee

“Just the right amount of optimism” was how Credit Suisse analyst Ben Combes described Caesars Entertainment’s 1Q19 results. Ex-CEO Mark Frissora‘s purchase of Centaur Gaming continues to pay off, as it was the tentpole of regional-gaming performance. “On a same-store … Continue reading →

Posted in Caesars Entertainment, Centaur Gaming, Detroit, Downtown, Indiana, Louisiana, Marijuana, Mississippi, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Pinnacle Entertainment, Regulation, The Strip, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Boyd, Churchill Downs garner raves; Indiana governor seduced

Posted on April 26, 2019 by David McKee

Boyd Gaming got a good review on Wall Street today, lauded both for slightly surpassing revenue expectations and for moving quickly to deleverage in the wake of the Valley Forge, Belterra and Ameristar acquisitions. Downtown continues to be Boyd’s bastion … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, California, Charity, Churchill Downs, Current, Derek Stevens, Downtown, Florida, Hawaii, Horseracing, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Ohio, Palms, Pennsylvania, Politics, Racinos, Rhode Island, Slot routes, Spectacle Entertainment, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Taxes, Tribal, Wall Street, West Virginia, Westgate LV | 1 Comment

Case Bets

Posted on April 24, 2019 by David McKee

It’s early yet but the House Finance Committee of the Colorado Lege has overwhelmingly voted through a sports-betting bill. The would-be law has to survive three more votes in the House before moving along to the state Senate. However, it … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Colorado, history, Horseracing, Indiana, Majestic Star, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, PokerStars, Politics, Regulation, Sports, Sports betting, Taxes | Comments Off on Case Bets

Nevada’s #1, not in a good way

Posted on April 23, 2019 by David McKee

WalletHub has been crunching the numbers again and come to the conclusion that Nevada is America‘s most-gaming addicted state. (Utah is the least, while the Silver State is followed by South Dakota, Montana, Mississippi and Oregon.) Casino-rich Florida was an incredibly … Continue reading →

Posted in Australia, Connecticut, Crown Resorts, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, International, Kansas, Kentucky, Macau, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Problem gambling, Rhode Island, Slot routes, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington State, West Virginia | Comments Off on Nevada’s #1, not in a good way

Sands gets spanked; Palms (almost) loses its name

Posted on April 22, 2019 by David McKee

Las Vegas Sands is on its way out of Pennsylvania but not before receiving two swift kicks in the posterior from Keystone State regulators. The casino was fined $120,000 for allowing underage gaming and $110,000 for offenses related to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, CityCenter, Eldorado Resorts, Environment, Greenwood Racing, history, Horseracing, Indiana, Japan, Las Vegas Sands, Law enforcement, Mississippi, Mohegan Sun, Ohio, Palms, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Resort fees, Rush Street Gaming, Slot routes, Station Casinos, Technology, Tribal, Virgin Hotels, Wisconsin | Comments Off on Sands gets spanked; Palms (almost) loses its name

Winter is coming … to Pahrump

Posted on April 16, 2019 by David McKee

Last Sunday, Game of Thrones returned with an exposition-heavy season opener. No word yet on whether it dampened business at Nevada brothels but they’ve evidently been taking some inspiration from the A Song of Ice and Fire saga. According to … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Entertainment, Greenwood Racing, New Jersey, Pahrump, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Rush Street Gaming, Sports betting, TV | Comments Off on Winter is coming … to Pahrump

Boffo month for New Jersey, Detroit

Posted on April 15, 2019 by David McKee

Atlantic City casinos sprang through March with a 16% revenue boost (albeit 5% cannibalization of last year’s grosses), booking $223 million, including a 18.5% surge in slot win while table games were up 9% (albeit down 13% on a same-store … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, Dan Gilbert, Detroit, Eldorado Resorts, Greenwood Racing, Hard Rock International, Internet gambling, Las Vegas Sands, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, New Jersey, Ocean Resort, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Racinos, Rush Street Gaming, Sports, Sports betting, Tilman Fertitta | 2 Comments

Louisiana chokes on smoking ban; Graham’s conversion

Posted on March 22, 2019 by David McKee

Gaming revenues were down 4% last month in Louisiana, mainly dragged under by the Baton Rouge market, plummeting 19%. Since the imposition of a smoking ban in Red Stick, casinos’ business has been 17% lower, a business catastrophe. Belle of … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Charity, Churchill Downs, Eldorado Resorts, GLPI, history, Louisiana, New Jersey, North Carolina, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Problem gambling, South Carolina, Tilman Fertitta, Tribal, William Hill | Comments Off on Louisiana chokes on smoking ban; Graham’s conversion

Gaming speaks: Penn, Boyd, Eldorado, Churchill Downs

Posted on March 15, 2019 by David McKee

One of the few CEOs to grace JP Morgan‘s hotel-and-leisure forum was Penn National Gaming‘s Tim Wilmot. He reported that the “regional consumer remains solid and trends are largely consistent with that seen 2018.” Furthermore, Penn is “seeing good growth … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, Economy, Eldorado Resorts, Horseracing, Illinois, Japan, Kentucky, Marketing, Nevada, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, Reno, Sports betting, The Strip, Tropicana Entertainment, Wall Street | Comments Off on Gaming speaks: Penn, Boyd, Eldorado, Churchill Downs

Gaming speaks: Wynn, Sands, Scientific

Posted on March 15, 2019 by David McKee

Wynn Resorts exuded overconfidence in a meeting with JP Morgan analysts. It’s already booking revenue from Encore Boston Harbor without knowing it’s going to hang onto the license. It also expects new revenue to be driven by the debut of … Continue reading →

Posted in Caesars Entertainment, Carl Icahn, Illinois, International, Japan, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Scientific Games, Singapore, South Korea, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Gaming speaks: Wynn, Sands, Scientific

Macao: Waiting to exhale; Trump gets favorable odds

Posted on March 15, 2019 by David McKee

Macao‘s government has announced—in what is not exactly a surprise—that it will extend the MGM China and Sociedade de Jogos de Macau concessions until June 26, 2022. This not only creates a level playing field for all concessionaires, it gives … Continue reading →

Posted in Donald Trump, Economy, Election, International, Macau, MGM Resorts International, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Service, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau | Comments Off on Macao: Waiting to exhale; Trump gets favorable odds

MGM covets Caesars; Rio up for grabs … again

Posted on March 14, 2019 by David McKee

As Carl Icahn continues to up his stake in Caesars Entertainment, the already-tortuous saga has developed some new complexities. For one, outgoing CEO Mark Frissora has revealed he wasn’t jumped, he was pushed. “The board has stated that they would like … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Carl Icahn, e-sports, Economy, Eldorado Resorts, LVCVA, Marijuana, MGM Resorts International, New Mexico, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Sports betting, Tilman Fertitta, Tribal, Wall Street | 2 Comments

Atlantic City rallies, Pennsylvania snoozes

Posted on March 14, 2019 by David McKee

Given that a certain amount of cannibalization was inevitable with the debuts of two new casinos on the Boardwalk, a 5% February decline in same-store gambling revenue has to considered a pretty good result. The market overall was up a … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, Dan Gilbert, Detroit, Eldorado Resorts, Genting, Greenwood Racing, Hard Rock International, Las Vegas Sands, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, Ocean Resort, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Racinos, Rush Street Gaming, Sports betting, Tilman Fertitta, William Hill | 4 Comments

Midwest report; Icahn caps his bet; Churchill Downs grows

Posted on March 13, 2019 by David McKee

Missouri was down 4% last month, no explanation given, with a statewide gross of $134 million. The decline was driven by lower slot play, as table-game revenues ($20 million) were up 7%. Penn National Gaming had a good result at … Continue reading →

Posted in Affinity Gaming, Ameristar, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Carl Icahn, Churchill Downs, Eldorado Resorts, Internet gambling, Iowa, Isle of Capri, Kansas, Law enforcement, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Sports, Sports betting | Comments Off on Midwest report; Icahn caps his bet; Churchill Downs grows

SJM Fok-ed up; Virginia approves casinos

Posted on February 28, 2019 by David McKee

Lucina Laam may be the most important person in Macao‘s turbulent casino history. As Wife #2 of Stanley Ho she bore Daisy Ho, Pansy Ho, Lawrence Ho and two other daughters not involved in the gaming biz. Now, in an … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Caesars Entertainment, DFS, Donald Trump, Downtown Grand, Environment, history, International, Las Vegas Sands, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Marketing, Maryland, Massachusetts, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, MGM Resorts International, New York, Pansy Ho, Pennsylvania, Politics, Singapore, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, Stanley Ho, Technology, Tribal, Virginia | Comments Off on SJM Fok-ed up; Virginia approves casinos

Strip moolah propels Caesars; Boyd impresses

Posted on February 22, 2019 by David McKee

Caesars Entertainment reported 4Q18 results yesterday, playing to generally rave notices from Wall Street. “Very good” and “Excellent” were the initial reactions of Credit Suisse analyst Cameron McKnight. He noted 8% revenue growth in Las Vegas on only 1.5% cost … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Carl Icahn, Centaur Gaming, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Mandalay Bay Massacre, MGM Resorts International, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Pinnacle Entertainment, Slot routes, Taxes, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off on Strip moolah propels Caesars; Boyd impresses

Atlantic City: Ocean Resort stages a rally

Posted on February 15, 2019 by David McKee

Atlantic City is weathering the winter months about as well as can realistically be hoped. Same-store revenues were down 8% last month but up 9% overall. Ocean Resort ($12.5 million) actually crept past Bally’s ($12 million) and up on Resorts … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Bruce Deifik, Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, Dan Gilbert, Detroit, Eldorado Resorts, Genting, Greenwood Racing, Hard Rock International, Internet gambling, Las Vegas Sands, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, New Jersey, New York, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Racinos, Rush Street Gaming, Sports betting, Tilman Fertitta | Comments Off on Atlantic City: Ocean Resort stages a rally

Maryland booms, Illinois frozen out; Resort fees to rise … again

Posted on February 7, 2019 by David McKee

Business continues to boom for MGM National Harbor, which raked in $57 million last month, 12% growth and 41% of the Free State’s $137 million gross gaming revenue. Maryland Live‘s 34% market share translated into a gross of $46 million. Horseshoe … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, Colorado, Cordish Co., Detroit, Dining, Economy, Entertainment, GLPI, Golden Gaming, Illinois, Las Vegas Raiders, Louisiana, Maryland, MGM Resorts International, New Jersey, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Pinnacle Entertainment, Resort fees, Rush Street Gaming, Sports, Sports betting, The Strip, Wall Street, West Virginia | 1 Comment