Category Archives: Politics

Quote of the Day

Posted on May 31, 2011 by David McKee

“[That’s] like saying that a third of the houses available are vacant, but let’s help the economy by building more houses.” — Illinois Casino Gaming Association Executive Director Tom Swoik, testifying against a bill that would more than double the … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Economy, Illinois, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Taxes | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Young Turks at Lady Luck; Pokergeddon clips bill’s wings

Posted on May 24, 2011 by David McKee

Seth Schorr, son of Wynn Resorts COO Marc Schorr, has charged with the responsibility of bringing the Lady Luck Casino Hotel back from the dead. Schorr fils got started in the industry early (age 12, to be precise), spending his … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Downtown, Economy, Entertainment, Internet gambling, Laughlin, North Las Vegas, Politics, Regulation, Steve Wynn, The Strip | 5 Comments

The wild bunch

Posted on May 23, 2011 by David McKee

There’s no one more depraved than a politician looking to close a revenue shortfall. So we’ve learned from the drive-by shootings hailing from the amoral outlaw band otherwise known as the Nevada Legislature. As sage political pundit Obi-Wan Kenobi observed, … Continue reading →

Posted in Cantor Gaming, Colorado, Economy, MGM Mirage, Midnight Jim Gibbons, Movies, Politics, Problem gambling, Regulation, Taxes | 2 Comments

Trump’d and skunked

Posted on May 18, 2011 by David McKee

Having predicted from Moment One that Donald Trump‘s TV ratings stunt masquerading as a presidential campaign was a traveshamockery and nothing less, please forgive me if I take one more victory lap, courtesy of Lawrence O’Donnell. The MSNBC pundit, who … Continue reading →

Posted in Donald Trump, Economy, Election, Florida, International, Phil Ruffin, Politics, Racinos, Sheldon Adelson, The Strip, TV | 1 Comment

Kasich’s sneaky “juice job”

Posted on May 13, 2011 by David McKee

This just in (thanks in large part to a timely Tweet from Howard Stutz of the Review-Journal) … One of Ohio Gov. John Kasich‘s costly casino consultants just got caught with its hand in the cookie jar. While Kasich piously … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Economy, Harrah's, Ohio, Penn National, Politics, Racinos, Regulation | 2 Comments

Kasich screws casinos; Adelson screws the pooch

Posted on May 12, 2011 by David McKee

Our next-to-worst fears for Ohio have come to pass: Caesars Rock Ohio has temporarily pulled the plug on both its Cincinnati (above) and Cleveland casinos. It’s the latest escalation in a war between developers and state government, which wants to … Continue reading →

Posted in Cannery Casino Resorts, Current, Economy, Hard Rock Hotel, International, Kansas, Macau, Marketing, Ohio, Penn National, Politics, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Taxes, The Strip, TV, Wall Street | 3 Comments

Trump’d

Posted on May 11, 2011 by David McKee

With his sham presidential “campaign” disintegrating faster than a hydrogen-filled zeppelin, inept casino operator Donald Trump‘s much-hyped Sunday announcement turns out to have been a put-on, too. Trump lackey Michael Cohen is still trying to pump air into the deflating … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Cretins, Current, Donald Trump, Election, Marketing, Penn National, Phil Ruffin, Pinnacle Entertainment, Politics, Sheldon Adelson, The Strip, TV, Wall Street | 2 Comments

John Kasich, casino killer

Posted on May 3, 2011 by David McKee

Aw, isn’t this great? After Gov. John Kasich (R-OH) made the ludicrous claim that Ohio voters didn’t know what they were getting into when they approved a casino initiative in 2008, his legislative allies are trying to up the ante. … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Economy, Election, Harrah's, history, Kentucky, Lyle Berman, MGM Mirage, Ohio, Penn National, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Taxes, The Strip, Tribal, TV, Wall Street | 6 Comments

Steve, Steve, what gives?

Posted on May 3, 2011 by David McKee

Dear Steve Wynn: No this really isn’t about that truly unfortunate (to put it gently) wedding video that Wynn Las Vegas put on YouTube last Monday. Although, as Hunter Hillegas posted on Twitter, “That video kinda freaks me out. Also, … Continue reading →

Posted in CityCenter, Cretins, Donald Trump, Dubai, Economy, Entertainment, history, Internet gambling, Macau, MGM Mirage, Pokergeddon, Politics, Regulation, Steve Wynn, Taxes, Technology, The Strip | 4 Comments

Boyd exits Florida; Mixed messages from the Riv; The revenge of Adelson

Posted on May 2, 2011 by David McKee

Regardless of whether or not resort casinos are voted into law in Florida, one company that won’t be in the running is Boyd Gaming. The firm threw in the towel on the Miami market today. The Sunshine State “no longer … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Colony Capital, Current, Donald Trump, Economy, Entertainment, Florida, Genting, Harrah's, Isle of Capri, M Resort, Macau, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Penn National, Politics, Regulation, Riviera, Sahara, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Technology, The Strip, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Was Pokergeddon a setup?

Posted on May 2, 2011 by David McKee

In his latest column, “Prohibition Is Not Regulation” (an early draft can be seen here) gaming-law guru I. Nelson Rose rakes the Obama administration for choosing “to ignore the lessons of history and take worst aspects of the choices available.” … Continue reading →

Posted in Harrah's, International, Internet gambling, MGM Mirage, Politics, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Taxes, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street | 3 Comments

Why Trump won’t run

Posted on April 29, 2011 by David McKee

Two words: Mob ties. Yes, Donald “100 Percent Clean” Trump did business — repeatedly — with a man he believed (or, best case, seriously feared) to be the murderer of Jimmy Hoffa. He also employed an individual identified by U.S. … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, California, Current, Donald Trump, Economy, Florida, history, Isle of Capri, New York, Politics, Regulation, Riviera, Sahara, Sheldon Adelson, The Mob, The Strip, Tribal, Tropicana Entertainment | 2 Comments

The verdict: Céline vs. Gladys; End is nigh for Sahara; Plaza 2.0

Posted on April 28, 2011 by David McKee

As Yr. Humble Blogger opines in this week’s Las Vegas CityLife, Céline Dion may be quite something but Gladys Knight is Something Else. If you’re a paying customer, Knight’s Tropicana Las Vegas show is by far the better value: longer, … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Architecture, Dining, Downtown, Economy, Entertainment, Environment, Harrah's, Mississippi, Politics, Sahara, Tamares Group, The Strip | 2 Comments

Ensign to China?

Posted on April 27, 2011 by David McKee

While U.S. coverage — including ours — of Las Vegas Sands COO Michael Leven‘s recent “fireside chat” tended to focus on his backward-thinking tirade about those confounded new social media, Macau Daily Times zeroed in on the continued vacuum at … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Donald Trump, history, Macau, Politics, Sheldon Adelson, Technology | 1 Comment

Austerity, MGM style; Only in Nevada

Posted on April 25, 2011 by David McKee

Despite a decidedly underwhelming financial performance in 2009, MGM Resorts International CEO Jim Murren managed to take home $13.75 million in overall compensation. Last year, he had to make ends meet on $9.8 million. Snarkiness aside, this actually shows that … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Economy, Election, Entertainment, Environment, Harrah's, Internet gambling, MGM Mirage, Midnight Jim Gibbons, North Las Vegas, Politics, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, The Strip, TV, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Poker Stars & the Gang of 48

Posted on April 22, 2011 by David McKee

In the wake of Pokergeddon (dubbed “Grey Friday” by the online-casino community), a new source of hubbub is the missing $14,000, bread that Poker Stars allegedly laid on nine Democrats in the Nevada Assembly (including, sadly, the otherwise-admirable James Ohrenschall, … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Election, International, Internet gambling, Mississippi, Politics | 5 Comments

Oaf of Office III

Posted on April 22, 2011 by David McKee

… an occasional series. S&G keeps referring to Donald Trump‘s glass jaw — an obvious liability to his phony/delusional political aspirations. Obligingly, The Donald served up a characteristic hissy fit after Caesars Palace headliner Jerry Seinfeld canceled an appearance at … Continue reading →

Posted in Arizona, Charity, Cretins, Current, Donald Trump, Economy, Election, Harrah's, Marketing, Oscar Goodman, Politics, Reno, Sheldon Adelson, Tourism, Transportation, TV | 3 Comments

‘Pokergeddon’ as it happens

Posted on April 15, 2011 by David McKee

Today’s Department of Justice/FBI surprise attack on PokerStars, Absolute Poker and Full Tilt Poker is a story that’s moving so fast that there’s scarcely time to mull or comment upon it. Almost nobody saw this coming, although Nathan Vardi of … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball, Current, Harrah's, International, Internet gambling, Politics, Regulation, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Wall Street | 3 Comments

At the winner is … Isle of Capri; Big shakedown in Ohio

Posted on April 14, 2011 by David McKee

That ongoing Isle of Capri Casinos Comeback Tour comes to Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, which won Pennsylvania‘s final “resort casino” license earlier today. Situated in the greater Pittsburgh area, the rural getaway is owned by lumber tycoon (and “george” political donor) … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Election, Harrah's, Isle of Capri, M Resort, Maryland, Ohio, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Taxes, TV, Wall Street, West Virginia | 6 Comments

Caught between a skank and a Hard Rock; Kasich vs. casinos

Posted on April 11, 2011 by David McKee

Morgans Hotel Group may have skedaddled out of Las Vegas, tail firmly between legs, but it’s not free of trouble linked to its calamitous Sin City sojourn. During Morgans stewardship of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, it offered $300,000 … Continue reading →

Posted in Cirque du Soleil, CityCenter, Economy, Entertainment, Florida, Harrah's, Illinois, Indiana, International, Internet gambling, Iowa, Louisiana, MGM Mirage, Morgans Hotel Group, Ohio, Penn National, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Steve Wynn, Taxes, The Strip, Uncategorized | 2 Comments