Category Archives: Pennsylvania

Gaming expansion in Garden State moving fast; Mashpee Wampanoags challenged

Posted on December 18, 2015 by David McKee

New Jersey lawmakers are wasting no time getting a casino-expansion question onto next year’s election ballot. Enabling legislation fairly shot out of committee in both houses of the Lege. The Assembly version would devote 33% of tax revenue from two gambling … Continue reading →

Posted in Arizona, Atlantic City, Genting, Indiana, Internet gambling, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Neil Bluhm, Pennsylvania, Politics, Regulation, Taxes, Tribal | Comments Off

GLPI gets a racino; Reckless casino rhetoric

Posted on December 16, 2015 by David McKee

After over a year of litigation, Gaming & Leisure Properties has come to terms with Cannery Casino Resorts over the sale of Meadows Racetrack, near Pittsburgh. (Next step for GLPI, find an operator. Penn National Gaming? Pinnacle Entertainment?) Considering that … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Cannery Casino Resorts, Dining, Election, GLPI, Harrah's, Maryland, Movies, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, Sheldon Adelson, Station Casinos, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Boston: Has Wynn finally won?; Massachusetts mulls i-poker

Posted on December 15, 2015 by David McKee

Boston Mayor Martin Walsh seems to have finally put his grandstanding aside and is making conciliatory noises about Wynn Resorts. Has the smackdown of his lawsuit against the Massachusetts Gaming Commission finally brought Walsh to his senses? Or is this … Continue reading →

Posted in Dan Gilbert, Detroit, Donald Trump, Internet gambling, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Pennsylvania, Politics, Regulation, Steve Wynn, Transportation, Westgate LV | Comments Off

Casinos progress in Georgia, New Jersey

Posted on December 14, 2015 by David McKee

Almost without overt human effort, the movement toward casino gambling in Georgia appears to be snowballing. Prime mover behind the low-key, but seemingly inevitable process is state Rep. Ron Stephens (R, left), whose bill would not only put two casinos … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Cordish Co., Election, Georgia, Greenwood Racing, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Tribal | Comments Off

Wynn’s big buy; DFS in retreat

Posted on December 9, 2015 by David McKee

Steve Wynn is $63,800,000 lighter in the wallet this morning, after purchasing one million shares of Wynn Resorts on the open market over the last three days. This brings his total stake in the company to slightly more than 11 … Continue reading →

Posted in Internet gambling, Law enforcement, Macau, Pennsylvania, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Steve Wynn, Warner Gaming | Comments Off

Penn charms Wall Street

Posted on December 3, 2015 by David McKee

JP Morgan analyst Joseph Greff recently sat down with Penn National Gaming COO Jay Snowden and, of course, the big topic of conversation was Plainridge Park. Penn doesn’t see Wynn Everett — when it opens in 2018 — as a … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Economy, Illinois, M Resort, Marketing, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Missouri, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Racinos, Rhode Island, Slot routes, Sports, Steve Wynn, Taxes, The Strip, Tribal, West Virginia | 1 Comment

Caesars gets the boot; Impatience in New York

Posted on December 1, 2015 by David McKee

Lawyers for Caesars Entertainment will be burning a little extra midnight oil after they lost a case that will enable the National Retirement Fund to kick Caesars — its largest donor — out of the fund. That makes Caesars liable … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Election, Foxwoods, Harrah's, history, Internet gambling, Mississippi, Mohegan Sun, New York, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Technology, Tribal | Comments Off

Rick Scott screws the Seminoles; Internet gaming advances in Pennsylvania

Posted on November 20, 2015 by David McKee

By the this point in time it’s pretty clear that Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) has been negotiating in bad faith with the Seminole Tribe. He’s had five years to come up with a new compact regarding the tribe’s blackjack … Continue reading →

Posted in Florida, Internet gambling, Macau, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Seminole Tribe, Steve Wynn | Comments Off

DFS: A patchwork of approaches

Posted on November 18, 2015 by David McKee

Although he’s been dissed by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) and the NCAA (because his bill would allow daily fantasy sports to include college athletes), state Sen. James Whelan (D, right) presses on in his attempt to regulate DFS … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Geoff Freeman, Harry Reid, Internet gambling, Marketing, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Politics, Regulation, Sports | Comments Off

The wacky world of Glenn Straub; New York rescuer for DFS

Posted on November 17, 2015 by David McKee

Instead of hassling Stockton University over ownership of the Showboat (and losing), perhaps Glenn Straub should have been developing a long-range plan for heating Revel through the winter, so that the pipes don’t freeze and burst. His solution? Bring in … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Entertainment, Glenn Straub, Internet gambling, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Politics, Regulation, Revel, Transportation, Wall Street | 1 Comment

The benefits of casino gambling make themselves felt

Posted on November 16, 2015 by David McKee

Minimum wages are a contentious issue on the campaign trail but a settled one at $450 million Stadium Casino. The in-progress Philadelphia gambling hall has committed to a $12/hour minimum wage for its construction and permanent personnel alike. That’s one … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Charity, Cordish Co., Economy, Greenwood Racing, Internet gambling, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Taxes, Technology, Trump Entertainment Resorts | Comments Off

Big month for Maryland; Much ado about Dotty’s

Posted on November 9, 2015 by David McKee

Developers of MGM National Harbor have to like what they saw when Maryland busted out its October revenue numbers: 9% growth (to $95 million), with all five casinos in the plus column. Horseshoe Baltimore General Manager Chad Barnhill is defecting … Continue reading →

Posted in Cordish Co., Dan Gilbert, Dotty's, Golden Gaming, Harrah's, Internet gambling, Maryland, MGM Mirage, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Racinos, Sheldon Adelson, TV | 1 Comment

Seminole resolution in sight?; Murren called on the carpet

Posted on October 27, 2015 by David McKee

Florida‘s Seminole Tribe is pursuing a two-track policy in the court of public opinion. On the one hand, it has announced “significant progress” in its talks with lawmakers and Gov. Rick Scott (R, left). On the other hand, it is … Continue reading →

Posted in Florida, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Politics, Racinos, Seminole Tribe, Taxes, Transportation, Tribal | Comments Off

Pennsylvania edges toward ‘Net bets; The forbidden dance

Posted on October 20, 2015 by David McKee

There’s nothing like a budget crisis and a partial government shutdown to focus lawmakers’ minds on gaming expansion. That’s the case in Pennsylvania, where House Majority Leader Dave Reed (R, right) says, “We need to come to a conclusion on liquor … Continue reading →

Posted in Election, Idaho, Pennsylvania, Politics, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Taxes, Tribal | 1 Comment

James Packer thinks big; DFS’ self-inflicted wound

Posted on October 19, 2015 by David McKee

One scarcely thinks of Crown Resorts as anything but an upmarket brand. However, as it contemplates debuting in Las Vegas and pines after Japan, Crown is developing a new, luxury brand. The unlikely template will be a $1.1 billion, 90-story … Continue reading →

Posted in Australia, California, Delaware, Illinois, James Packer, Japan, Macau, Mississippi, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, The Strip | Comments Off

Station goes public; Florida compact near?

Posted on October 14, 2015 by David McKee

Having tried and failed to grow the company through an LBO, Station Casinos is returning to the public markets again, citing “favorable economic and market fundamentals” in support of an IPO. An executive shakeup that included the promotion of Rich Haskins … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Economy, Florida, Fontainebleau, Horseracing, Internet gambling, New York, Pennsylvania, Politics, Seminole Tribe, Sheldon Adelson, SLS Las Vegas, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Wall Street | Comments Off

Mad slot skillz; Tribes at war with one another

Posted on October 12, 2015 by David McKee

Skill-based slot games are a long way from deployment but that didn’t discourage The Motley Fool‘s Jeff Hwang from scouting the Global Gaming Expo show floor in search of entertaining product. The games he saw the greatest potential in were … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Economy, G2E, IGT, Internet gambling, MGM Mirage, Pennsylvania, Scientific Games, Technology, Tribal | Comments Off

Doubling down on Philadelphia; Baltimore throws a Horseshoe

Posted on October 7, 2015 by David McKee

Cordish Gaming got the go-ahead to start building its Packer Avenue casino in Philadelphia. The news came on the same as a bulletin that should give Cordish pause, with SugarHouse casino reporting a 4% drop in slot revenues. Given the … Continue reading →

Posted in Cordish Co., Foxwoods, Greenwood Racing, Harrah's, Maryland, Mohegan Sun, Neil Bluhm, Pennsylvania, Tribal | Comments Off

Quote of the Day

Posted on September 30, 2015 by David McKee

“Suffice it to say, the money was not going to college tuition.” — Virginia Commonwealth University professor Jay S. Albanese on the revelation that illegal gambling monies are flowing to biker gangs, drug dealers, and New York and Philadelphia branches … Continue reading →

Posted in G2E, New York, Pennsylvania, The Mob | Comments Off

Potential free-for-all in Massachusetts; Tribal triumph in Alabama

Posted on September 4, 2015 by David McKee

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey took time out from impeding Steve Wynn‘s Everett casino to run a cart and horses through the Legislature’s carefully crafted three-casinos-and-one-slot-parlor formula. She approved a ballot question that seemed tailor-made to give Suffolk Downs racino status, … Continue reading →

Posted in Alabama, Atlantic City, Delaware, Election, Harrah's, Internet gambling, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Racinos, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, Technology, Tribal | Comments Off