Category Archives: Regulation

Hard Rock: Oh no!; Bellago bandit busted

Posted on February 3, 2011 by David McKee

Is there anybody who could probably run the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino worse than hapless Morgans Hotel Group? We may soon find out as Navegante Group has been announced as operator-to-be by NorthStar Realty Finance Corp. The latter, as … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Detroit, Entertainment, Herbst Gaming, history, Macau, MGM Mirage, Morgans Hotel Group, Regulation, Riviera, Sahara, Stanley Ho, Steve Wynn, Tamares Group, The Strip, Wall Street | 6 Comments

Hard Rock in foreclosure

Posted on February 1, 2011 by David McKee

Update: Taken by surprise, the Hard Rock’s owners swung into action with a countersuit. If you’re in New York City next Monday and have a little “mad money” in your pocket, like a hundred grand or so, you have the … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Current, Genting, Harrah's, International, MGM Mirage, Morgans Hotel Group, Pansy Ho, Regulation, The Strip, Tribal, TV, Wall Street | 9 Comments

Quote of the Day

Posted on January 27, 2011 by David McKee

“Needless to say, gambling can indeed be a safe activity, gambling is common, and state-regulated casinos are not inappropriate locations for gambling.” — federal Judge Renée Marie Bumb, rejecting the claim of disbarred New Jersey attorney and compulsive gambler Arelia … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Current, Problem gambling, Regulation | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

This just in …

Posted on January 26, 2011 by David McKee

An Illinois court of appeals has struck down a pair of Public Acts pertaining to the state’s gambling industry. One nullifies a deal that would have farmed out the state lottery to Scientific Games (luckily, SGMS stock withstood the bad … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, CityCenter, Current, IGT, Illinois, MGM Mirage, New York, Regulation, Wall Street | 5 Comments

Stanley Ho abdicates

Posted on January 26, 2011 by David McKee

So this is how Stanley Ho‘s world ends: Not with a bang but with the ancient casino vizier giving a televised address in which he laboriously delivered lines from a cue card and ceded control of his Sociedade de Turismo … Continue reading →

Posted in Charity, Current, G2E, history, International, James Packer, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Pansy Ho, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho, Steve Wynn | 1 Comment

The race for Florida is on

Posted on January 26, 2011 by David McKee

Emissaries from Las Vegas Sands and Wynn Resorts were in Tallahassee to woo Florida legislators yesterday. Also present was Boyd Gaming, which owns property in the Sunshine State and understandably doesn’t want to see solons crafting a sweetheart deal for … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Florida, Genting, Macau, Politics, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Steve Wynn, Taxes, Tribal | 3 Comments

Another one bites the dust

Posted on January 25, 2011 by David McKee

Whoever gets the three resort casinos that Gov. Deval Patrick (D) wants to bring to Massachusetts, it probably won’t be Fall River and it certainly won’t be the Mashpee Wampanoags. The city has pulled a controversial land deal with the … Continue reading →

Posted in Charity, CityCenter, Cosmopolitan, Current, Economy, Harrah's, International, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Pinnacle Entertainment, Politics, Regulation, South Carolina, The Strip, Tribal | 3 Comments

Dude, who stole my casinos?

Posted on January 25, 2011 by David McKee

Update: In yet another reversal, Stanley Ho says he has sacked his attorney and that the brouhaha over his stock is all a big misunderstanding. Stay tuned for further developments in what’s already a rapidly morphing narrative. Yesterday, aging (and … Continue reading →

Posted in Cosmopolitan, Current, Harrah's, International, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Pansy Ho, Problem gambling, Regulation, Stanley Ho, The Strip, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Adelson dealt a setback

Posted on January 21, 2011 by David McKee

Florida casinos, the latest pet project of Sheldon Adelson and new ally Gov. Rick Scott (R), got the back of the hand from Miami Beach‘s city commission. Since Miami Beach is the most desirable casino zipcode in the state, this … Continue reading →

Posted in Arizona, Boyd Gaming, Current, Florida, Isle of Capri, Kansas, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Tribal, Wall Street | 1 Comment

The case of the ‘missing’ Moore; Waiting for Macao

Posted on January 20, 2011 by David McKee

Recent photo coverage of the makeover of CityCenter‘s famous/notorious “pocket park” made it appear as though the Henry Moore sculpture (best thing in CityCenter, IMO) had gone missing. Was MGM Resorts International retreating from its commitment to public after a … Continue reading →

Posted in Cirque du Soleil, CityCenter, Current, Entertainment, history, Lake Tahoe, Macau, MGM Mirage, Regulation, Reno, The Strip | 1 Comment

What did I just say?

Posted on January 12, 2011 by David McKee

I’m one state closer to making the “under” on my over/under of states likely to put online wagering on the docket this session. Both houses of the New Jersey Legislature have given their approval to a bill that now goes … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Cordish Co., Current, Election, Harrah's, International, Internet gambling, Maryland, Massachusetts, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Racinos, Regulation, Sports, Taxes | 1 Comment

Saved!

Posted on January 12, 2011 by David McKee

Illinois‘ casino industry just dodged a bullet the size of a 747 when the lower house failed to bring a gaming-expansion bill to a vote last night. A new Legislature is sworn in today, sending this colossally bad and ill-timed … Continue reading →

Posted in Cirque du Soleil, Current, Economy, Entertainment, Florida, Harrah's, Illinois, Internet gambling, Macau, Melco Crown Entertainment, Pennsylvania, Politics, Problem gambling, Racinos, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, The Strip | 4 Comments

Quote of the Day

Posted on January 12, 2011 by David McKee

“Getting it done right and getting it done with quality is the better thing to do … You want to capitalize property tax relief, not political contribution relief.” — Pennsylvania House Republican spokesman Steve Miskin, addressing another probable delay in … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Pennsylvania, Politics, Regulation | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Nevada’s November: rough sledding; Sunny Sheldon

Posted on January 11, 2011 by David McKee

If pressed for a prediction, I’d say 2011 will be a good year for the Strip, not so much for the rest of the Silver State. Just when I was feeling a bit queasy about November’s gaming revenues, Dr. David … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, California, Cretins, Current, Downtown, Florida, Horseracing, Laughlin, LVCVA, Macau, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, North Las Vegas, Politics, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Tourism, TV, Wall Street | 4 Comments

Harrah’s to Philly: “We’re back!”; MGM tries something new

Posted on January 11, 2011 by David McKee

Or so Ed Snider‘s Philadelphia Entertainment & Development Partnership claims in a new petition to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control, asking for its license back. Snider’s group says that it now has $275 million in seed money sown up and would … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, CityCenter, Current, Dubai, Economy, Harrah's, Isle of Capri, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Pennsylvania, Pets, Regulation, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal, Wall Street | 3 Comments

Quote of the Day

Posted on January 11, 2011 by David McKee

“The industry we’ve seen these last couple of years isn’t a cash machine that’s impervious to economic changes. All these tax increases are going to be coming off the bottom line, which means less money for reinvestment.” — MGM Resorts … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Economy, MGM Mirage, Regulation, Taxes | 2 Comments

Upsizing Illinois

Posted on January 7, 2011 by David McKee

Or would “capsizing” be the right word? Late Thursday, Wells Fargo released a study of the effects on Illinois‘ casino market if a massive expansion backed by state Democrats goes through. They’re under the gun, since the whole issue gets … Continue reading →

Posted in Bally Technologies, Boyd Gaming, Current, Don Barden, Economy, Harrah's, IGT, Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Neil Bluhm, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Wall Street, WMS Industries | 6 Comments

Palms: Maloof out, Loveman in?

Posted on January 6, 2011 by David McKee

Now that Las Vegas has fallen about as far as it can, private equity firms are picking over the city like vultures sampling carrion. Don’t get me wrong: It’s a much smarter strategy than those PE bozos who bought in … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Carl Icahn, Colony Capital, Current, Donald Trump, George Maloof, Harrah's, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Regulation, The Strip, TV, Wall Street | 9 Comments

Quote of the Day

Posted on January 5, 2011 by David McKee

“Suppose Prohibition of alcohol had just been repealed. The hypothetical owner of the first and only liquor store in a state would make a fantastic return on investment. But soon, if there were no government controls, there would be liquor … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Harrah's, history, Regulation | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Quote of the Day

Posted on December 30, 2010 by David McKee

“I am not allowed to mail a lottery ticket from my home in Encino to a friend in Las Vegas, because federal law does not want the good people of Nevada hearing about the evils of California‘s legal gambling.” — … Continue reading →

Posted in California, history, Louisiana, Regulation | Comments Off on Quote of the Day