Category Archives: Racinos

Pinnacle/GLPI deal gets OK; Hard Rock courts Cypriots

Shareholders of Pinnacle Entertainment have voted to approve a deal whereby all but one of the company’s physical assets would be sold to real estate investment trust Gaming & Leisure Properties, while Pinnacle would continue to exist as a casino-management company. … Continue reading

Posted in Eldorado Resorts, Foxwoods, GLPI, Hard Rock Hotel, Indiana, International, Lawrence Ho, Louisiana, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, Ohio, Penn National, Philippines, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, Regulation, Reno, Tribal, Unite-Here, Wall Street, West Virginia | 1 Comment

Sex in the sky; Great month for Indiana

Gary Loveman‘s beloved Vegas High Roller has become Las Vegas‘ favorite place to expose oneself, with eight known instances to date. Let’s not pretend to be surprised by this. Anyway, proving that what happens here often leads to a misdemeanor … Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Full House Resorts, Harrah's, Indiana, Law enforcement, Majestic Star, Ohio, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, The Strip, Tropicana Entertainment, Wall Street | Comments Off on Sex in the sky; Great month for Indiana

Big month for Penn in Ohio

With one glaring exception, February was an outstanding month for Ohio casinos and racinos. The underachiever was Horseshoe Cleveland, which fell 9% on revenues of $18 million. Even struggling Thistledown Racino managed a 3% uptick, grossing $9 million. Horseshoe Cincinnati … Continue reading

Posted in Eldorado Resorts, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, Ohio, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Nevada grapples with DFS; Seminole compact dies

Rather than sit on the daily fantasy sports sidelines, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval (R, below) wants to nudge the Silver State into the game. To that end, he’s the keynote speaker for a specially convened, all-star hearing by the Nevada Gaming … Continue reading

Posted in Florida, Geoff Freeman, Georgia, Internet gambling, Isle of Capri, Japan, Nevada, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Seminole Tribe | Comments Off on Nevada grapples with DFS; Seminole compact dies

DFS advances in some markets, retreats in others; Caesars rubs your nose in it

Daily fantasy sports, the loud frat brother of sports betting, is close to a signal victory in Virginia. Both houses of the Virginia Assembly have passed DFS legalization with veto-proof majorities and sent the legislation to Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D). … Continue reading

Posted in Harrah's, Indiana, Internet gambling, Kansas, Penn National, Phil Ruffin, Planet Hollywood, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Sports, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism | Comments Off on DFS advances in some markets, retreats in others; Caesars rubs your nose in it

Painful progress for Seminole compact; Casinos dead in Georgia

It will be back to the negotiating table for Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R), if a state House of Representatives version of the compact with Seminole Tribe is accepted in the state Senate. The compromise version of the compact adds slots … Continue reading

Posted in Florida, Georgia, GLPI, Horseracing, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Rhode Island, Seminole Tribe, Sheldon Adelson, Tourism, Unite-Here | 2 Comments

Plainridge bounces back; Unhappy new year in Louisiana

Penn National Gaming has been rather defensive — and understandably so — about the performance of Plainridge Park, which has seen business steadily decline from month to month. However, Penn reversed the slippage last month, increasing revenues 11%. Penn spent … Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Churchill Downs, Harrah's, Louisiana, Marketing, Massachusetts, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, Tilman Fertitta | Comments Off on Plainridge bounces back; Unhappy new year in Louisiana

DFS: Trouble in paradise; It’s not good to be Dan Gilbert

Besieged on all sides, daily fantasy sports operators find themselves in retreat. DraftKings said it “will voluntarily pause” its operations in Hawaii in response to a ruling by state Attorney General Doug Chin that DFS is gambling and therefore illegal … Continue reading

Posted in Eldorado Resorts, Florida, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, Hawaii, Indiana, Internet gambling, Mississippi, Ohio, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Politics, Racinos, Regulation | Comments Off on DFS: Trouble in paradise; It’s not good to be Dan Gilbert

Delaware racinos seek relief; Abrupt change at Downtown Grand

If a casino is losing money, does that qualify it for state relief? That’s the philosophical question in Delaware, where Dover Downs is pursuing a public bailout. A bill by state Sen. Brian Bushweller (D) would waive table-game franchise fees … Continue reading

Posted in Delaware, Downtown, Harrah's, Politics, Racinos, Taxes, Tribal | Comments Off on Delaware racinos seek relief; Abrupt change at Downtown Grand

Penn: Glass nearly full

Prior to its conference call with analysts, Penn National Gaming shared some earnings guidance and hints of what is to come. Perceptions of the performance of Plainridge Park Casino have become something of a sore point with Penn execs. While … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Dining, Marketing, Massachusetts, Ohio, Penn National, Racinos, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off on Penn: Glass nearly full

Christie’s bum rap; New partner for Packer?; Casino chicanery in Maine

“The people involved in this, if you took a thimble and put their knowledge of Atlantic City in it, it wouldn’t fill it,” says Thomas Carver, former policy czar for the resort town, who lost his job when he displeased … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Australia, Cosmopolitan, Economy, Election, Internet gambling, James Packer, Maine, Melco Crown Entertainment, New Hampshire, Penn National, Politics, Racinos, Revel, Taxes, The Strip | Comments Off on Christie’s bum rap; New partner for Packer?; Casino chicanery in Maine

Lean Christmas in Louisiana; Greater vigilance in industry

Louisiana gaming revenues came in for a hard landing (-7.5%) as the Golden Nugget Lake Charles marked its first anniversary. The New Orleans market (-13.5%) took it worst, although Lake Charles was down 12%. The latter continues to be the … Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Churchill Downs, Economy, GLPI, Harrah's, Isle of Capri, Louisiana, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, Regulation, Tilman Fertitta, Tropicana Entertainment | Comments Off on Lean Christmas in Louisiana; Greater vigilance in industry

Case Bets

The glass at Penn National Gaming‘s Plainridge Park is both half-full and half-empty these days. The win/slot/day ($291) is 50% above the industry’s desired norm. However, Plainridge continues to bleed customers, going from $12 million in revenue in November to … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Florida, Isle of Capri, Massachusetts, Penn National, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Seminole Tribe, Tribal, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Illinois down, Indiana up

While surrounding states prosper at their casinos, Illinois‘ continue to suffer, especially now that they must compete with slot routes. Deutsche Bank analyst Carlo Santarelli crunched the numbers and found that even though bettors were wagering 2% more, there was … Continue reading

Posted in Ameristar, Boyd Gaming, Dan Lee, GLPI, Harrah's, Illinois, Indiana, MGM Mirage, Neil Bluhm, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, Tropicana Entertainment | Comments Off on Illinois down, Indiana up

Penn owns Ohio; Adelson expands R-J

Gaining 19% last month, Hard Rock Rocksino reclaimed its top spot in Ohio, grossing almost $19 million and edging aside Horseshoe Casino Cleveland by one decimal point. The latter saw an 11% slippage revenues, while ThistleDown Racino continues to look like … Continue reading

Posted in Cosmopolitan, Dan Gilbert, Eldorado Resorts, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, MGM Mirage, Ohio, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn | Comments Off on Penn owns Ohio; Adelson expands R-J

Hope for Atlantic Club; Boffo month for Maryland

Not so fast, says Endeavor AC about yesterday’s report that its purchase of the Atlantic Club was defunct. The would-be purchaser says it has “a very strong and creditable private equity source to finance the acquisition and development of the … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Cordish Co., Dan Gilbert, Glenn Straub, Golden Gaming, Harrah's, Japan, Law enforcement, Maryland, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Planet Hollywood, Politics, Problem gambling, Racinos, Revel, Sheldon Adelson, SLS Las Vegas, The Strip, Tourism | Comments Off on Hope for Atlantic Club; Boffo month for Maryland

Suffolk Downs fights back; Scrum in New Jersey Lege

Boston Mayor Martin Walsh may well have thrown in the towel in his lawsuit against Wynn Everett (technically against the Massachusetts Gaming Commission) but a quartet of Suffolk Downs workers aren’t letting Judge Janet Sanders‘ dismissal of aforesaid lawsuit go … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Colony Capital, Entertainment, Glenn Straub, Macau, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Revel, Stanley Ho, Steve Wynn, The Strip | 1 Comment

What’s Sheldon’s game?; Penn struggles at Plainridge

Sheldon Adelson‘s apparent use of Las Vegas Review-Journal reporters to get back at Judge Elizabeth Gonzalez is putting him and his purchase of the newspaper under the microscope of the Nevada Gaming Control Board. Casino owners aren’t barred from owning … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Economy, Horseracing, Kansas, Massachusetts, Penn National, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Rhode Island, Sheldon Adelson, Tribal | Comments Off on What’s Sheldon’s game?; Penn struggles at Plainridge

Florida compact decried; Reprieve for Atlantic City?

Despite being at the epicenter of Florida‘s gaming industry, the Miami Herald has come out against Gov. Rick Scott‘s compact with the Seminole Tribe, wringing its hands and seeing a slot machine under every bed. “This is a major expansion … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Election, Florida, Massachusetts, Neil Bluhm, New York, Penn National, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Seminole Tribe, Sheldon Adelson, Tribal | Comments Off on Florida compact decried; Reprieve for Atlantic City?

When you wish upon a star

Despite a shakeup by Gov. Greg Abbott (R, below), the Texas Racing Commission still has a death wish when it comes to “instant racing.” When, in keeping with Abbott’s wishes, the TRC held a vote to repeal the VLT gambling, … Continue reading

Posted in California, Dining, history, Horseracing, New York, Racinos, Regulation, Texas | Comments Off on When you wish upon a star