Category Archives: Regulation

Tribal gaming comes to Indiana; Casinos change hands in Macao

Posted on March 24, 2016 by David McKee

Indiana casinos are on course to face a significant new competitor: a $400 million project in South Bend, bankrolled by the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians. No date has been set for the beginning of construction but the Potawatomi have struck … Continue reading →

Posted in Indiana, International, Macau, Regulation, Stanley Ho, Taxes, Tribal | Comments Off on Tribal gaming comes to Indiana; Casinos change hands in Macao

Setback for Penn; New problem for Atlantic City

Posted on March 24, 2016 by David McKee

It was Iowa Racing & Gaming Commission 1, Penn National Gaming 0 in an Iowa appellate court. Penn had been trying to get the license of its Belle of Sioux City reinstated, claiming it was deprived of due process. That … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Iowa, MGM Mirage, Neil Bluhm, New York, Penn National, Politics, Regulation, Taxes, Wall Street, Warner Gaming | Comments Off on Setback for Penn; New problem for Atlantic City

Showdown on the Boardwalk; Lies, damned lies and poll numbers

Posted on March 24, 2016 by David McKee

It’s war to the knife and knife to the hilt between Carl Icahn and Unite-Here Local 54 President Robert McDevitt over the labor situation at Trump Taj Mahal. (For the record, Donald Trump is now affiliated with the casino in … Continue reading →

Posted in ACEP, Atlantic City, Boulder Strip, Carl Icahn, Colony Capital, Election, Harrah's, Internet gambling, Laughlin, LVCVA, Maryland, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, Regulation, Revel, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, The Strip, Tropicana Entertainment, Trump Entertainment Resorts, Unite-Here | Comments Off on Showdown on the Boardwalk; Lies, damned lies and poll numbers

DFS in retreat; Pinnacle fights smoking ban

Posted on March 23, 2016 by David McKee

What Attorney General Eric Schneiderman couldn’t do, gun-shy payment processors have accomplished: Put DraftKings and FanDuel out of business in New York State. The two have said they will refrain from taking wagers from the Empire State through the end … Continue reading →

Posted in Churchill Downs, Environment, GLPI, Harrah's, history, Illinois, Internet gambling, Law enforcement, Louisiana, Neil Bluhm, New York, Pennsylvania, Pinnacle Entertainment, Regulation, Sports, Tribal, Tropicana Entertainment, TV | Comments Off on DFS in retreat; Pinnacle fights smoking ban

Secrecy prevails in Nevada; Doubletalk Down Under

Posted on March 22, 2016 by David McKee

In a step backward for public transparency, the Nevada Gaming Commission has decreed that privately held casinos no longer have to disclose their financial performance. Not only will this spare SLS Las Vegas the embarrassments that are its quarterly reports, … Continue reading →

Posted in Australia, Charity, Cosmopolitan, Culinary Union, Harrah's, Phil Ruffin, Problem gambling, Regulation, SLS Las Vegas, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off on Secrecy prevails in Nevada; Doubletalk Down Under

Adelson’s $10 billion bet; PokerStars comes to Atlantic City

Posted on March 22, 2016 by David McKee

Sheldon Adelson is desperate to get into South Korea. He doesn’t need to articulate it: Las Vegas Sands‘ actions say as much. The company has vowed to do “whatever it takes” to penetrate the market. “Anything” includes raising the prospective … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Economy, Genting, Internet gambling, Japan, Macau, Mohegan Sun, PokerStars, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, South Korea, Tourism | Comments Off on Adelson’s $10 billion bet; PokerStars comes to Atlantic City

Vegas philanderer meets grisly fate; Hot water for Westgate

Posted on March 21, 2016 by David McKee

Phillip Frank Panzica should have wiped that grin off his face. After being caught in Las Vegas performing public sexual acts on the Vegas High Roller, he pled out to a misdemeanor charge and had scarcely returned to Texas before … Continue reading →

Posted in Law enforcement, Regulation, SLS Las Vegas, Texas, The Strip, Westgate LV | Comments Off on Vegas philanderer meets grisly fate; Hot water for Westgate

That impersonal touch; Big day for MGM

Posted on March 18, 2016 by David McKee

What is almost completely missing from this commercial? Caesars Entertainment guests are lengthily shown drinking, dining, riding the High Roller (which could use the traffic) and — as a very brief afterthought — gambling. So the company’s definitely on the … Continue reading →

Posted in California, CityCenter, Detroit, Dubai, Genting, Harrah's, International, LVCVA, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Penn National, Regulation, Riviera, Taxes, Technology, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Pinnacle/GLPI deal gets OK; Hard Rock courts Cypriots

Posted on March 16, 2016 by David McKee

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

Adelson sets the pace; Philippine gaming scandal grows legs

Posted on March 15, 2016 by David McKee

As March gets off to a week start in Macao, operators who don’t yet have a presence on the giant landfill known as Cotai — namely Wynn Resorts, MGM Resorts International and Sociedade de Jogos de Macau — are being … Continue reading →

Posted in Law enforcement, Macau, Marketing, Massachusetts, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Penn National, Philippines, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho, Steve Wynn, Wall Street | Comments Off on Adelson sets the pace; Philippine gaming scandal grows legs

Quote of the Day

Posted on March 15, 2016 by David McKee

“California’s hypocrisy on gambling policy is appalling. The state arbitrarily condemns and prohibits some forms of gambling, while permitting other forms in Indian casinos and card rooms, and even actively promoting it through the California Lottery. Some may gamble irresponsibly, … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Internet gambling, Regulation, Tribal | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

DFS returns to Nevada; Dustup near the Stratosphere

Posted on March 15, 2016 by David McKee

While DraftKings CEO Jason Robins and FanDuel CEO Nigel Eccles insist that their companies are just too special to apply for a Nevada gaming license, entrepreneurs Vic Salerno and Michael Knapp are effectively calling their bluff. They’re seeking a license … Continue reading →

Posted in International, Internet gambling, Nevada, Regulation, The Strip, TV | Comments Off on DFS returns to Nevada; Dustup near the Stratosphere

Virginia is for lovers … of DFS

Posted on March 14, 2016 by David McKee

Score a “win” for daily fantasy sports, as it was legitimized in Virginia. Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) applied his signature to the Fantasy Contests Act, which places DFS under the auspices of the state’s  Department of Agriculture & Consumer Service, effective July … Continue reading →

Posted in Geoff Freeman, Georgia, Indiana, Internet gambling, Iowa, Massachusetts, Nevada, Politics, Regulation, Sports | Comments Off on Virginia is for lovers … of DFS

Hang up for MGM National Harbor; Dances with insolvency

Posted on March 11, 2016 by David McKee

If a July opening of MGM National Harbor, in Maryland, sounded too good to be true, it was. The company says “things got more and more real” and the Washington Post reports that MGM executives told it the target “was … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Internet gambling, Law enforcement, Maryland, MGM Mirage, Movies, New York, Philippines, Regulation, South Dakota, Tribal, Tropicana Entertainment | Comments Off on Hang up for MGM National Harbor; Dances with insolvency

Nevada casinos wrangle with Buffett; Mashpee Wampanoag take the lead

Posted on March 8, 2016 by David McKee

We’ve written about the solar-panel installation atop Mandalay Bay‘s convention center and now the 20-acre array — soon to be the United States‘ largest — is making international headlines. The high priority on solar power at MGM Resorts International puts a … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Harrah's, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, South Korea, Steve Wynn, Technology, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off on Nevada casinos wrangle with Buffett; Mashpee Wampanoag take the lead

Vietnam War logic in New Jersey; Tribal corruption in Florida

Posted on March 8, 2016 by David McKee

New Jersey will no longer have the distinction of possessing the second-lowest casino tax rate if Assemblyman Ralph Caputo (D, left) gets his way. He’s talking about imposing at least a 40% levy on proposed north New Jersey casinos, perhaps … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Carl Icahn, Florida, Hard Rock International, Horseracing, International, Mississippi, New York, Politics, Regulation, Taxes, Tribal, Tropicana Entertainment | Comments Off on Vietnam War logic in New Jersey; Tribal corruption in Florida

The party’s over; DFS sniffs at Nevada regulation

Posted on March 8, 2016 by David McKee

It’s no party for two executives at Bwin.Party. The Austrian government has leveled charges of corruption, “breach of trust” and money laundering at Bwin’s Norbert Teufelberger and Manfred Bodner. The indictment was filed two months ago but is only now … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Dining, Donald Trump, International, Internet gambling, Law enforcement, Nevada, North Las Vegas, Regulation | Comments Off on The party’s over; DFS sniffs at Nevada regulation

Nevada grapples with DFS; Seminole compact dies

Posted on March 7, 2016 by David McKee

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

Trump: The art of failure; Tribal gaming flexes its muscle

Posted on March 4, 2016 by David McKee

During a period (1995-2005) in which the Dow Jones Average Casino Index posted a 160% return on investment, Trump Hotels & Casinos ate dirt to the tune of a negative 89% ROI. By contrast, Boyd Gaming — unloved on Wall … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Dan Gilbert, Donald Trump, Economy, Marketing, Massachusetts, Neil Bluhm, New York, Ohio, Regulation, Scientific Games, Tribal, Trump Entertainment Resorts, Wall Street | Comments Off on Trump: The art of failure; Tribal gaming flexes its muscle

DFS’ stormy seas; Glimmer of hope for Macao

Posted on March 4, 2016 by David McKee

By charging blindly into uncharted waters, the daily fantasy sports industry has made a shipload of trouble for itself. Case in point, defunct (or at least comatose) DFS site FantasyUp. The latter pulled the rug out from under its customers, … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Environment, Harry Reid, Internet gambling, Macau, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Politics, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, Transportation, Wall Street | Comments Off on DFS’ stormy seas; Glimmer of hope for Macao