Category Archives: Politics

Quote of the Day

Posted on November 20, 2020 by David McKee

“Now you have a situation in which large swaths of the country genuinely believe that the Democratic Party is a front for a pedophile ring. This stuff takes root. I was talking to a volunteer who was going door-to-door in … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Donald Trump, Politics | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Horseplay in Massachusetts and Monday mega-jottings

Posted on November 16, 2020 by David McKee

At age 86, horse owner Armand Janjigian is as alive and kicking as the thoroughbreds he wants to race in Massachusetts. No, he doesn’t have a track but he’s busily snapping up land for one. He’s also going to need … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Card rooms, Churchill Downs, Crown Resorts, Detroit, DFS, DraftKings, Economy, Election, FanDuel, Galaxy Entertainment, Golden Nugget, Health, Horseracing, Illinois, International, Japan, Las Vegas Raiders, Las Vegas Sands, Lotteries, Macau, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Nebraska, New York, Penn National, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Scientific Games, Sports, Sports betting, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 2 Comments

Wynn winning; Flyover Country keeps Caesars aloft

Posted on November 6, 2020 by David McKee

Wynn Resorts reported 3Q20 results yesterday and the headline item was Macao, where operating results were “soft” but “encouraging,” despite “negative to apathetic investor sentiment,” according to JP Morgan analyst Joseph Greff. Mass-market wagering was up 40% and credit issued … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Caesars Entertainment, Colorado, Conventions, Culinary Union, Dining, Diversity, Donald Trump, Economy, Election, Golden Gaming, Hard Rock International, Indiana, Internet gambling, Louisiana, Macau, Majestic Star, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, Planet Hollywood, Politics, Reno, Slot routes, Sports betting, The Rio, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street, William Hill, Wynn Resorts | 2 Comments

Election Special: “The biggest political event ever”

Posted on November 4, 2020 by David McKee

An anonymous British financier will have to wait another 24 hours to find out if his $5 million bet on Donald Trump comes up a winner. He’ll pocket $15 million from Curaçao bookies if it does. The flutter, made after … Continue reading →

Posted in Arizona, Colorado, Culinary Union, Donald Trump, DraftKings, Election, FanDuel, International, Internet gambling, Louisiana, MGM Resorts International, Nebraska, Nevada, Politics, Racinos, Sheldon Adelson, South Carolina, South Dakota, Sports, Tribal, Virginia | 2 Comments

United States of Adelson

Posted on November 2, 2020 by David McKee

If you put your money on a Donald Trump upset special, you might still cash in big. Bloomberg reports that the Biden-Harris campaign is blowing it in battleground states like Pennsylvania and Florida. The short version is that black and … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Cretins, Culinary Union, Donald Trump, Election, Golden Nugget, Hard Rock International, Health, Internet gambling, Marketing, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, Nevada, Ocean Resort, Politics, Sheldon Adelson, South Carolina | 2 Comments

Sands: “Awful and apathetic”; Sheldon’s deep pockets

Posted on October 22, 2020 by David McKee

Despite ” taking into account a slower than anticipated rebound during the Golden Week period earlier this month and a generally slow visitation boost and revenue recovery from the (still early) resumption of the” Individual Visa Scheme in Macao, analysts at … Continue reading →

Posted in Australia, China, Donald Trump, Economy, Election, International, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, MGM Resorts International, Politics, Singapore, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 2 Comments

Trop in trouble; Sands has a plan; Super Bowl to Vegas?

Posted on October 15, 2020 by David McKee

We know that the Tropicana Las Vegas is being positioned for a sale (potentially to Twin River Holdings) but does that alone explain the pink-slipping of 828 employees, a drastic move? Placed in the context of other cutbacks, like the … Continue reading →

Posted in AGA, Caesars Entertainment, Charity, Cirque du Soleil, Conventions, Dining, Economy, Entertainment, G2E, Health, Las Vegas Sands, Louisiana, MGM Resorts International, Penn National, Planet Hollywood, Politics, Resort fees, Security, Sports, TV, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

What ails Illinois?; Trump Plaza comes down

Posted on October 9, 2020 by David McKee

In a month that saw Ohio casino revenues grow 6% and Iowa almost 1% (to $119.5 million), Illinois casinos plummeted 27% to a measly $82 million. Even a sub-50% capacity restriction doesn’t begin to explain away the problem. Predictably, Rivers … Continue reading →

Posted in Arizona, Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Carl Icahn, Churchill Downs, Dining, DraftKings, FanDuel, Full House Resorts, Illinois, Indiana, Internet gambling, Iowa, MGM Resorts International, Michigan, Penn National, Politics, Rush Street Gaming, Spectacle Entertainment, Sports betting, Twin River | 1 Comment

Culinary Union makes endorsements; Bad Boyd!

Posted on September 23, 2020 by David McKee

No surprise, the Culinary Union has endorsed the Joe Biden/Kamala Harris ticket. Now we’ll see what shape the Culinary political machine is in after being depleted by Coronavirus. The union is boasting that it “drove turnout” during the 2020 Nevada … Continue reading →

Posted in Aristocrat, Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Culinary Union, Derek Stevens, Downtown, Election, Health, history, M Resort, Massachusetts, Politics, Regulation, Security, Sports, Sports betting, Technology, Terry Caudill, Tribal, TV | 1 Comment

Quote of the Day

Posted on September 15, 2020 by David McKee

“I’d shove most politicians into a cauldron and boil them up.”—Dame Diana Rigg, 1938-2020.

Posted in history, Politics | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

So long, Shinzo; Shady dealings in Atlantic City

Posted on September 9, 2020 by David McKee

Japan‘s do-nothing prime minister, Shinzo Abe, is calling it quits for reasons of health. What this means for ‘Abenomics’ remains to be seen, let alone his highly unpopular casino push: Opinion polls consistently show two-thirds of the Nipponese public opposing … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Caesars Entertainment, Charity, Eldorado Resorts, Galaxy Entertainment, Hard Rock International, Japan, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, MGM Resorts International, Ocean Resort, Politics, Regulation | 4 Comments

Ohio strong, Maryland stable, Illinois stinks

Posted on September 9, 2020 by David McKee

Buckeye State casinos continued their impressive run last month, up 5% to gross $172 million. This is Ohio‘s best-ever August, even with an unfavorable calendar (one less weekend day). Star performer was Hollywood Toledo, up 33% to $23 million. MGM … Continue reading →

Posted in AGA, Baseball, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, Colorado, Cordish Co., Dan Gilbert, Derek Stevens, DraftKings, GLPI, Golden Gaming, Hard Rock International, Illinois, Maryland, MGM Resorts International, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Politics, Regulation, Sports, Sports betting, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Cuomo abandons N.Y. casinos; Legal brawls in Atlantic City

Posted on September 2, 2020 by David McKee

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) has turned his back on the casino industry in no uncertain terms. The Empire State lags the entire nation in casino reopenings and Cuomo shows no inclination to soften his hard line. As for … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Caesars Entertainment, Dining, Health, Horseracing, Marketing, MGM Resorts International, Nevada, New York, Ocean Resort, Pennsylvania, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Scientific Games, Sports betting, The Mob, The Rio, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Bad news and more bad news

Posted on August 28, 2020 by David McKee

Strip gaming revenue, ‘meh’ though it was, actually looks good in the context of Las Vegas visitation in July, which plummeted 61%. There hasn’t been a convention since April, which certainly hurts. Air travel was horrible, down 64%, while drive-in … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Dining, Downtown, e-sports, Economy, Failsinos, Hard Rock International, MGM Resorts International, Oklahoma, Penn National, Politics, Sports betting, Steven Witkoff, Technology, The Strip, Tribal, TV | 2 Comments

New York game-changer; MGM sticks it to servers

Posted on August 27, 2020 by David McKee

What Jim Murren and Sheldon Adelson couldn’t do, New York state Sen. James Skoufis (D) just might. With four upstate casinos still closed and the state budget pummeled by the economic effects of Coronavirus, Skoufis is proposing that the state … Continue reading →

Posted in Australia, Caesars Entertainment, Cretins, Economy, Election, Environment, Health, International, Jim Murren, Louisiana, Macau, MGM Resorts International, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Politics, Problem gambling, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Unite-Here, Virginia | Comments Off on New York game-changer; MGM sticks it to servers

Fear and loathing at the Cosmo

Posted on August 25, 2020 by David McKee

Once again The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is being portrayed as the bad boy of Las Vegas Strip resorts when it comes to taking Covid-19 seriously. A headline in today’s Daily Beast reads, “Maskless gamblers. Verbal abuse. Infected colleagues. Workers … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Meruelo, Caesars Entertainment, Cosmopolitan, Culinary Union, Derek Stevens, Dining, Health, Las Vegas Sands, Politics, Regulation, The Strip, Virgin Hotels, Wynn Resorts | 2 Comments

Keystone State casinos go begging; IRS: DFS is gambling

Posted on August 19, 2020 by David McKee

What if they gave a casino and nobody came? How about six casinos? That’s the problem faced by Pennsylvania, whose Lege over-optimistically authorized 10 satellite casinos, dollar signs dancing in their heads. The first couple of rounds of bidding were … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, DFS, Indiana, Internet gambling, Japan, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Pennsylvania, Politics, Regulation, Slot routes, Station Casinos, Taxes, Technology, Wynn Resorts | 2 Comments

When Saharas attack; Trump blasts Adelson

Posted on August 10, 2020 by David McKee

Don’t get on Sahara owner Alex Meruelo‘s bad side. That seems to be the moral of a saga unfolding on the Las Vegas Strip. VitalVegas author Scott Roeben is being sued for $15,000 in lost business, punitive damages, attorneys’ fees … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Meruelo, Donald Trump, Health, Lucky Dragon, MGM Resorts International, Politics, Sahara, Sheldon Adelson, Transportation | 3 Comments

Sahara misbehavior; Tilman Time; Culinary caves to Big Gaming

Posted on August 6, 2020 by David McKee

Alex Meruelo has new troubles. He’s in deep fertilizer with the Nevada Gaming Control Board over safety violations at the Sahara. Meruelo’s facing a two-part disciplinary complaint. In one instance, the Sahara hosted a 153-person convention when state rules explicitly … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Meruelo, Caesars Entertainment, Cretins, Culinary Union, Donald Trump, Economy, Health, MGM Resorts International, Ohio, Politics, Real Estate, Regulation, Reno, Sahara, Sports, Station Casinos, Tilman Fertitta | Comments Off on Sahara misbehavior; Tilman Time; Culinary caves to Big Gaming

New hope for Station; Raider Nation exiled

Posted on August 5, 2020 by David McKee

Station Casinos reported second-quarter results yesterday and JP Morgan analyst Joseph Greff came away “encouraged” and “impressed.” He wrote of “less bad results in April and May and much better positive [cash flow] generation in June.” How so? In its … Continue reading →

Posted in China, Economy, FanDuel, Golden Gaming, Health, IGT, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Penn National, Politics, Sports, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Terry Caudill, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment