Category Archives: Real Estate

Monster monopoly on the Strip?; Caesars wows Wall Street

In a deal that Nevada regulators would block if they had an ounce of spine, MGM Growth Properties proposes to sell itself to Vici Properties, which would put nearly all the prime land on the Las Vegas Strip under one … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Caesars Entertainment, Cirque du Soleil, CityCenter, Conventions, Dining, Illinois, Indiana, International, Internet gambling, Louisiana, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Missouri, Nebraska, Politics, Real Estate, Regulation, Sports betting, Tennessee, The Rio, The Strip, Vici Properties, Wall Street, William Hill | 1 Comment

Masks back on, Las Vegas!; All’s right with the REITs

Mincing few words, MGM Resorts International CEO Bill Hornbuckle sent a letter to all employees, urging them to quit dithering and get their Covid-19 vaccinations, if they haven’t already. He pleaded, “In addition to the heart-wrenching thought of more illness … Continue reading

Posted in Bally, BetMGM, Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Charity, Churchill Downs, Conventions, Delaware, Derek Stevens, Dining, Economy, GLPI, Health, history, Indiana, Kentucky, Lake Tahoe, Las Vegas Sands, Laughlin, Maryland, MGM Resorts International, Mississippi, Nevada, North Las Vegas, Penn National, Real Estate, Resorts World LV, Singapore, Sports betting, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street | 3 Comments

Real estate frenzy on the Strip; Barrack busted; Masks redux

Setting foot inside Aztec Inn Casino is not for the faint of heart. But its owners think they’re sitting on a gold mine. It and a gaggle of properties that includes Golden Skull Tattoo and Diversity Tattoo is on the … Continue reading

Posted in BetMGM, Caesars Entertainment, California, Colony Capital, Donald Trump, DraftKings, Fontainebleau, Health, International, Law enforcement, MGM Resorts International, Phil Ruffin, PointsBet, Real Estate, Reno, Sports, Sports betting, Steven Witkoff, The Strip, Tribal | 1 Comment

Unlucky Lucy; Las Vegas “vibrant;” Secret plan for Atlantic City

No executives? No financing? No problem, right? Big problem! Just ask the nonentities behind a proposed Terre Haute casino. They just got turned down for a license. This almost never happens in “gold standard” Nevada, not because casino projects have … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Atlantic City, Bally, Caesars Entertainment, Charity, Conventions, Cordish Co., Dining, Economy, Entertainment, Hard Rock International, Horseracing, Illinois, Indiana, Law enforcement, Macau, MGM Resorts International, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Politics, Real Estate, Regulation, Slot routes, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, Spectacle Entertainment, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal, Virginia | 2 Comments

Station: No more buffets, less free play; Covid? What Covid?

Said JP Morgan analyst Joseph Greff “not to worry, money losing buffets are not coming back” to Station Casinos. We can take this as gospel, since he got it from CEO Frank Fertitta III, Vice Chairman Lorenzo Fertitta and CFO … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Australia, Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Boyd Gaming, California, Colorado, Crown Resorts, Dining, DraftKings, Drugs, Economy, Entertainment, FanDuel, Health, Internet gambling, Kentucky, Lotteries, Marketing, MGM Resorts International, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Palms, Penn National, Real Estate, Regulation, Reno, Silverton, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Taxes, Tribal | 3 Comments

MGM dumps Springfield; Gaming recovery a proven fact

MGM Resorts International isn’t quitting Springfield but it’s taking a bath on its eponymous casino in order to reduce its exposure to the (disappointing) market. MGM spent $960 million on the resort, which has never performed up to expectations, and … Continue reading

Posted in AGA, Atlantic City, BetMGM, Caesars Entertainment, Cordish Co., Dining, DraftKings, Economy, Entertainment, FanDuel, Golden Gaming, Hard Rock International, Health, Internet gambling, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Ocean Resort, Pennsylvania, Real Estate, Regulation, Resort fees, South Dakota, Sports, Sports betting, Tennessee, The Strip, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Palms brings $650 million; Murphy flirts with smoking ban

Earlier today, Station Casinos finally confirmed the worst-kept secret in town. It has sold the Palms Casino Resort to a subsidiary of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians in an all-cash, $650 million transaction. Thus closes a fairly disastrous … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, California, Churchill Downs, Colorado, Cordish Co., Culinary Union, Dining, DraftKings, Golden Nugget, Health, Horseracing, Internet gambling, Las Vegas Raiders, Maryland, MGM Resorts International, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, Palms, Penn National, Real Estate, Station Casinos, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off on Palms brings $650 million; Murphy flirts with smoking ban

Las Vegas rates rebound; Kentucky Derby brings out crowds

In another sign of a faster-than-expected Las Vegas comeback, room rates on the Strip for the May 23-29 period are reported to be flat with 2019. Midweek numbers are mildly down (-17%) but counterbalanced by higher weekend rates (+18%) than … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Australia, China, CityCenter, Conventions, Crown Resorts, Dining, Dubai, Economy, Entertainment, Genting, Golden Nugget, Hard Rock Hotel, Health, Horseracing, Illinois, International, Las Vegas Sands, MGM Resorts International, Palms, Pennsylvania, Plaza, Real Estate, Regulation, Singapore, Sports, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Taxes, Tennessee, The Strip, Tribal, Virginia, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Nevada recovery skips Strip; Boyd buoyant

Silver State casinos grossed $1 billion last month, with the Las Vegas Strip down 9% from 2019 to $501.5 million but locals-derived win vaulting 23%, leading to a 4% statewide increase on pre-Coronavirus numbers. The silver lining for the Strip … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Aristocrat, Atlantic City, Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Canada, Churchill Downs, CityCenter, Cordish Co., Downtown, Hawaii, Health, Horseracing, Internet gambling, Kentucky, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Marketing, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, North Las Vegas, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Real Estate, Reno, Resorts World LV, Riviera, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal, Vietnam, Virginia, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Nevada recovery skips Strip; Boyd buoyant

MGM hits paydirt; Palms sold?; Atlantic City underwhelms

Remember the Harmon Hotel? That Sir Norman Foster-designed tower that had to be amputated at half the intended height in 2008 because of incompetent construction? The only Las Vegas resort ever to be dismantled without having hosted a single guest? … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Card rooms, Carl Icahn, Charity, Churchill Downs, CityCenter, Cosmopolitan, CQ Holdings, Detroit, Dining, Diversity, DraftKings, Entertainment, Florida, Full House Resorts, Golden Nugget, Hard Rock International, Health, Louisiana, LVCVA, MGM Resorts International, Michigan, Nevada, Ocean Resort, Palms, Penn National, Real Estate, Resort fees, Rush Street Gaming, Seminole Tribe, Sports, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Taxes, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street, Washington State | 1 Comment

Vegas hears wedding bells; Sahara upscales; Mega-Jottings

All-important Baby Boomer customers are ‘trickling‘ back to Las Vegas, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. That’s the latest positive augury for Sin City. Better still, the destination-wedding biz is “bursting,” per Forbes, and what place is more synonymous with … Continue reading

Posted in Alex Meruelo, Barstool Sports, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, China, Dining, Downtown, DraftKings, Economy, Entertainment, FanDuel, Greenwood Racing, Health, Illinois, Japan, Macau, Maryland, Mohegan Sun, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Real Estate, Regulation, Rush Street Gaming, Sports, Sports betting, The Rio, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street | 1 Comment

“In a word, messy”

That’s how JP Morgan analyst Joseph Greff described the online sports-betting bill enacted by the New York State Lege. The latter essentially caved to Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), giving control of OSB to the state lottery. Instead of the one-operator … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Atlantic City, Detroit, DraftKings, Environment, Genting, Las Vegas Sands, MGM Resorts International, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ocean Resort, Palms, Politics, Real Estate, Regulation, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off on “In a word, messy”

A.C.: A month to forget; Trump sticks it to Miami

Casino revenue headed 32% south in Atlantic City last month, to $148 million. Those were augmented with $46 million in sports-betting dollars and $94 million from Internet gambling (+80%), so that probably counts as a silver lining to a dark … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Bally, Barstool Sports, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, Cordish Co., Donald Trump, DraftKings, FanDuel, Florida, Fontainebleau, FoxBet, Genting, Golden Nugget, Greenwood Racing, Hard Rock International, MGM Resorts International, Michigan, Mohegan Sun, New Jersey, New York, Ocean Resort, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Real Estate, Rush Street Gaming, Seminole Tribe, Sports, Sports betting, Tribal, Wall Street, William Hill, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Trop sale teased; Michigan sports betting explosive

Gaming & Leisure Properties Inc. hosted JP Morgan analysts last week and tried to get them all hot and bothered with talk of a Tropicana Las Vegas sale. It said it felt one would happen sooner, not later, adding that … Continue reading

Posted in Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, Detroit, DraftKings, FanDuel, FoxBet, Genting, GLPI, Health, Internet gambling, Las Vegas Sands, MGM Resorts International, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, Penn National, Pennsylvania, PointsBet, Politics, Real Estate, Rush Street Gaming, Sports, Sports betting, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street, William Hill, Wynn Resorts | 6 Comments

Roman Empire conquers Venice

In a dramatic, dead-of-night deal, Las Vegas Sands sold The Venetian and Palazzo to a REIT/private-equity combo of Vici Properties and Apollo Management for $6.25 billion. Vici and Apollo obviously have a considerable appetite for risk on the Las Vegas … Continue reading

Posted in Australia, Caesars Entertainment, Crown Resorts, DraftKings, Internet gambling, James Packer, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, New York, Real Estate, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Sports betting, Texas, The Strip, TV, Wall Street, William Hill | 2 Comments

Hope in the Roman Empire; DraftKings rules

Although it tried to flash Wall Street some ankle yesterday, Caesars Entertainment’s 4Q20 numbers failed to surprise analysts. In a reverse image of the rest of the industry, better-than-expected cash flow on the Strip (cost-cutting?) was “more than offset” by … Continue reading

Posted in Caesars Entertainment, California, China, Colorado, Conventions, DraftKings, Economy, Health, Illinois, Internet gambling, Louisiana, Macau, Marketing, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, Movies, Real Estate, Sports, Sports betting, Tamares Group, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street | Comments Off on Hope in the Roman Empire; DraftKings rules

Michigan gaming explodes; Massachusetts droops

Online sports betting and Internet gambling have come to Michigan and they’re a smash hit. In the first 10 days of sports betting, handle was $115 million, with revenues of $13 million. FanDuel led market share with 32% of handle, … Continue reading

Posted in Barstool Sports, Detroit, Dining, DraftKings, Entertainment, FanDuel, FoxBet, Health, history, Internet gambling, Las Vegas Raiders, M Resort, MGM Resorts International, New Jersey, New York, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Real Estate, Rush Street Gaming, Sports betting, Taxes, Tennessee, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Michigan gaming explodes; Massachusetts droops

Bailout for Tilman; Casinos to the Big Apple; Mega-Jottings

It was a $6.6 billion rescue package that Golden Nugget CEO Tilman Fertitta received, in the form of a merger with FAST Acquisition. Fertitta’s been hard up for cash and forks over a portion of his casino empire in return … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Atlantic City, Caesars Entertainment, Colorado, Dining, Economy, Entertainment, Florida, Full House Resorts, Golden Nugget, Hard Rock International, Internet gambling, Las Vegas Sands, Law enforcement, Marketing, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Racinos, Real Estate, Regulation, Sports betting, Tamares Group, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Tribal, TV, Wall Street | Comments Off on Bailout for Tilman; Casinos to the Big Apple; Mega-Jottings

Case Bets

More than 23 million Americans are expected to bet legally or otherwise on the Super Bowl, according to the American Gaming Association, which predicts $4.3 billion in handle. 7.5 million punters will be doing their wagering online, 63% more than … Continue reading

Posted in AGA, Bally, Caesars Entertainment, Cordish Co., DFS, Diversity, DraftKings, Economy, FanDuel, history, Illinois, International, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, MGM Resorts International, Pennsylvania, PointsBet, Problem gambling, Real Estate, Rush Street Gaming, Sports, Sports betting, Steve Wynn, The Strip | 3 Comments

Las Vegas: First, the bad news …

It’s no wonder October was a bad month for the Las Vegas Strip and Downtown. Visitation to Sin City fell 49.5% and room revenue tumbled 61%. Caesars Entertainment CEO Tom Reeg could, for the sake of argument, be right that … Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, California, Cirque du Soleil, Conventions, Derek Stevens, Donald Trump, Downtown, Economy, Entertainment, Internet gambling, Jim Murren, Las Vegas Raiders, Las Vegas Sands, Movies, Real Estate, Sports, Sports betting, Station Casinos, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation | 1 Comment