Category Archives: Regulation

Boston gets bounced; Packer K.O.’s Sri Lanka; Cohen’s good deed

Posted on May 9, 2014 by David McKee

It could all wind up in court, further prolonging Wynn Resorts‘ and Mohegan Sun‘s agony, but for now Boston is a surrounding community. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission unanimously struck down Mayor Martin J. Walsh‘s demand for host-community status. Wynn was … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, California, International, James Packer, Massachusetts, Mohegan Sun, Regulation, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Tribal | Comments Off on Boston gets bounced; Packer K.O.’s Sri Lanka; Cohen’s good deed

Genting OK’d for Vegas; James Packer packs a punch

Posted on May 7, 2014 by David McKee

So thirsty is the State of Nevada for new casino investment that it may feel pressure not to look too closely at Genting Berhad, as its license application goes before the Nevada Gaming Control Board. Not that we’ve ever heard … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, CityCenter, Cosmopolitan, Economy, Entertainment, Genting, International, James Packer, New York, Regulation, Singapore, Stanley Ho, The Strip | Comments Off on Genting OK’d for Vegas; James Packer packs a punch

Adelson: I’m nice, really; Casinos go to pot

Posted on May 6, 2014 by David McKee

Three hundred people turned out yesterday at UNLV to hear Sheldon Adelson hold a rap session with the kids about the evils of online gambling. Adelson’s animus, it turns out, was his father’s propensity to gamble his money away at … Continue reading →

Posted in Internet gambling, Japan, M Resort, Penn National, Problem gambling, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson | Comments Off on Adelson: I’m nice, really; Casinos go to pot

Shadow boxing in Boston; Rejected again in New Hampshire

Posted on May 2, 2014 by David McKee

There’s been yet another delay — only a week — in Boston‘s quixotic pursuit of host-community status for Wynn Resorts‘ and Mohegan Sun‘s Hub-area projects. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission obliged Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh with postponement on Beantown’s application … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, New Hampshire, Regulation, Steve Wynn, Taxes, The Strip | Comments Off on Shadow boxing in Boston; Rejected again in New Hampshire

Tight squeeze in New Jersey

Posted on April 30, 2014 by David McKee

Boyd Gaming posted its 1Q14 results today and Borgata racked up a $3 million operating loss due to the rollout of Internet gambling. That number might be smaller if credit card companies weren’t throttling payment-processing on the games. The average … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Illinois, Internet gambling, Regulation | Comments Off on Tight squeeze in New Jersey

MGM blows away Wall Street expectations

Posted on April 29, 2014 by David McKee

Posting more than double Wall Street‘s consensus of earnings per share ($0.21 rather than $0.09), MGM Resorts International had a good quarter, to say the least. Even CityCenter exceeded expectations by 11%. J.P. Morgan analyst Joseph Greff took it all … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, CityCenter, Colorado, Detroit, Downtown, Entertainment, Horseracing, Internet gambling, Iowa, Macau, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Regulation, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off on MGM blows away Wall Street expectations

Well, that’s the end of that; A win for Wynn

Posted on April 28, 2014 by David McKee

Caving to opposition forces, the government of Sri Lanka has reversed course and nixed casinos from three planned resorts. The most prominent was a $550 million Crown Resorts project. Now James Packer has to decide whether it’s worth the investment … Continue reading →

Posted in Dennis Gomes, Entertainment, International, James Packer, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, Regulation, Riviera, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta | Comments Off on Well, that’s the end of that; A win for Wynn

Curtains for Caesars Windsor?; Churchill Downs wants to be a player

Posted on April 25, 2014 by David McKee

Karl Henkel of the Detroit News makes a close analysis of the market situation in Detroit and sees portents of what has been happening in Atlantic City and Tunica. His analysis doesn’t just focus on gross revenues but, for instance, … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Churchill Downs, Dan Gilbert, Detroit, Economy, Harrah's, Internet gambling, Isle of Capri, Louisiana, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, Regulation, Tropicana Entertainment | Comments Off on Curtains for Caesars Windsor?; Churchill Downs wants to be a player

Case Bets

Posted on April 23, 2014 by David McKee

Former Florida Lt. Governor Jennifer Carroll‘s troubles with the law haven’t ended with her resignation from public office. Tens of thousands of dollars of unreported income from Internet-cafe casino operators went unreported and now Carroll has some explaining to do. … Continue reading →

Posted in Florida, Internet gambling, Iowa, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Rhode Island, Warner Gaming | Comments Off on Case Bets

Smurf this!

Posted on April 22, 2014 by David McKee

Casinos in Ohio are already becoming a veritable laundromat of money laundering. The practice, called “smurfing,” calls for one person — or a group of conspirators — to buy casino chips, then redeem them, “washing” their cash by those means. … Continue reading →

Posted in Cirque du Soleil, Entertainment, Internet gambling, Iowa, MGM Mirage, Ohio, Penn National, Regulation, Sam Nazarian, Sports, The Strip | 1 Comment

Quote of the Day

Posted on April 21, 2014 by David McKee

“Iowa and Illinois are two sides of the same coin; both states have had gaming for over 20 years. The casino industry in each is mature and probably saturated; the gaming industry in each state has suffered any time new … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Illinois, Iowa, Regulation | 1 Comment

Look out, Macao, here comes Crimea

Posted on April 21, 2014 by David McKee

That’s the message from Crimea‘s puppet leader, Rustam Temirgaliyev, who claims that Crimea could outdo Monaco, Las Vegas and even Macao. (It is not recorded whether anyone laughed at his assertion.) “Our task is to create a tourist cluster, which will … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Greenwood Racing, Harrah's, International, Massachusetts, Mohegan Sun, North Las Vegas, Pennsylvania, Racinos, Regulation, Steve Wynn, Taxes | 1 Comment

Jilted in Iowa

Posted on April 18, 2014 by David McKee

Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett is feeling like a swain who got stood up by his best girl. After the Iowa Racing & Gaming Commission voted 4-1 against Cedar Crossing Casino, Corbett made a speedy exit from the room and … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Economy, Internet gambling, Iowa, Regulation | Comments Off on Jilted in Iowa

Much ado about Massachusetts

Posted on April 18, 2014 by David McKee

Stephen Crosby, phlegmatic chairman of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, makes a very unlikely looking lightning rod. But such he has become. He’s already drawn the wrath of Gary Loveman and now Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh wants Crosby to recuse … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Foxwoods, Harrah's, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, Neil Bluhm, New York, Racinos, Regulation, Steve Wynn, Technology, Tribal | Comments Off on Much ado about Massachusetts

Double whammy in Iowa; Desperation in Illinois

Posted on April 17, 2014 by David McKee

Iowa casino regulators took a strong stand in favor of the status quo, after playing it so cool they had expansion advocates fooled. Following the guidance of their own studies, they shot down the Cedar Crossing Casino project, citing its … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Harrah's, Illinois, Penn National, Regulation, Taxes, Warner Gaming | 2 Comments

Wynn Boston: Solution or overreach?

Posted on April 16, 2014 by David McKee

Steve Wynn‘s attempts to buy a former Monsanto chemical plant in Everett have been stymied by the antics of the sleazy characters who own the land. First, there was convicted felon Charles Lightbody, whose hidden ownership had to vacated (saving … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Foxwoods, Iowa, Massachusetts, Mohegan Sun, New York, Penn National, Regulation, Steve Wynn | 1 Comment

Meet Geoff Freeman

Posted on April 15, 2014 by David McKee

The American Gaming Association‘s new president demonstrates his dynamic style and outlines his priorities.

Posted in G2E, Regulation | Comments Off on Meet Geoff Freeman

Soft landing in Atlantic City; Sweating the slots

Posted on April 14, 2014 by David McKee

A 4% increase in online play helped soften the landing for Atlantic City this month. With cyber-revenue factored into the equation, casinos were down only 2% on a same-store basis. Slot revenue fell 10% but the odds were in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Cretins, Harrah's, Mohegan Sun, Ohio, Penn National, Regulation, Revel, Technology, Tilman Fertitta, Tropicana Entertainment, Trump Entertainment Resorts | Comments Off on Soft landing in Atlantic City; Sweating the slots

Code of silence; Fan dance in Schenectady

Posted on April 11, 2014 by David McKee

There’s no better way of convincing people you’ve got something to hide than acting like you’re hiding something. Meet Anthony Gattineri of FBT Everett Realty, who could deal a fatal blow to Steve Wynn‘s casino plans in Everett. Gattineri refuses to pledge … Continue reading →

Posted in International, Massachusetts, New York, Regulation, Steve Wynn | Comments Off on Code of silence; Fan dance in Schenectady

Quote of the Day

Posted on April 10, 2014 by David McKee

“If we believe so much in the humane treatment of animals, why don’t we realize this industry is dead?” — state Rep. Tom Lee (R) of Florida, on the continuation of greyhound racing in his state.

Posted in Animals, Racinos, Regulation | Comments Off on Quote of the Day