Category Archives: Regulation

Quote of the Day

Posted on June 29, 2010 by David McKee

“You say you’re honoring the chips? I say honor the employees.” — unidentified, unemployed President Casino worker, one of several accusing Pinnacle Entertainment of leaving them high and dry. Pinnacle has published a detailed rebuttal of the workers’ accusations.

Posted in Economy, Missouri, Pinnacle Entertainment, Regulation | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Back from the North; Requiem for a President

Posted on June 25, 2010 by David McKee

My apologies to S&G readers for the prolonged silence whilst I was on vacation. It seems that wi-fi availability in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is even spottier than I feared (although it makes a good excuse to head down … Continue reading →

Posted in Detroit, Dining, Harrah's, Missouri, Pinnacle Entertainment, Regulation, Technology, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation, Tribal, WMS Industries | Comments Off on Back from the North; Requiem for a President

Cool breeze from Macao; Harrah’s panty raid stymied

Posted on June 11, 2010 by David McKee

One of Stanley Ho‘s lieutenants has scanned the 2010 horizon and doesn’t like what he sees. Sociedade de Jogos de Macau division president Frank McFadden believes VIP play will soften in 3Q-4Q10, as stock-market losses take their toll (a viewed … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Detroit, Economy, Harrah's, Harry Reid, James Packer, Kansas, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Marketing, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Planet Hollywood, Politics, Regulation, Rhode Island, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho, Steve Wynn | 6 Comments

The skinny on Skinny’s

Posted on June 10, 2010 by David McKee

S&G reader Jeff_in_OKC paid a visit to United Coin‘s “Trailer Station” at Skinny Dugan’s Pub this week and files the following report from the scene of the (in)action: I lost one of the five dollars I invested. Lisa kept winning … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Midnight Jim Gibbons, Regulation, Slot routes | 4 Comments

So long, Sue, and thanks for playing

Posted on June 9, 2010 by David McKee

It’s back to her day job for Archon Corp. Secretary-Treasurer Sue Lowden, whose political aspirations experienced an embarrassing meltdown that some would call karmic,  redefining “epic fail.” Now she can focus on repairing a corporate image which The Newspaper That … Continue reading →

Posted in Archon Corp., Boyd Gaming, Current, Downtown, Economy, Election, Harry Reid, history, Laughlin, MGM Mirage, Michael Gaughan, Midnight Jim Gibbons, Movies, North Las Vegas, Phil Ruffin, Politics, Regulation, Reno, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, Steve Wynn, The Mob, The Strip, Wall Street | 2 Comments

Dead governor walking

Posted on June 9, 2010 by David McKee

After three and a half years that felt more like three centuries, Nevadans gave the pink slip to Gov. Jim Gibbons. In a fitting end to a thoroughly incompetent tenure, Midnight Jim got an ignominious drubbing — a 28-point annihilation, … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Election, Midnight Jim Gibbons, North Las Vegas, Oscar Goodman, Politics, Regulation | 2 Comments

This is what “recovery” looks like

Posted on June 9, 2010 by David McKee

Here’s our new business model: a Strip that hasn’t gotten past “dead cat bounce” yet and emaciated revenues elsewhere. Instead of longing for the snows of yesterday and invoking the magic number “2007,” the top minds in the industry are … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, Current, Detroit, Downtown, Economy, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, MGM Mirage, Regulation, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street | 3 Comments

Harrah’s still pining for Macao

Posted on June 8, 2010 by David McKee

While we’re on the subject of white elephants today, Harrah’s Entertainment still has a little boondoggle in Macao in the form of a $577 million golf course. Cornered by a reporter at G2E Asia, Harrah’s Asian viceroy, Michael Chen, conceded … Continue reading →

Posted in CityCenter, Current, Dining, Economy, G2E, Harrah's, history, James Packer, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Movies, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Sports, The Strip, TV | 2 Comments

The Adelson Curse

Posted on June 7, 2010 by David McKee

Eleventh-hour polling in Nevada puts Archon Corp. financial wiz Sue Lowden in an exacta with Danny Tarkanian … for distant-runner-up status in tomorrow’s primary. (Mason-Dixon has her third, Daily Kos places her second.) If this data bears out, rarely will … Continue reading →

Posted in Archon Corp., Election, Midnight Jim Gibbons, Politics, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, The Mob | Comments Off on The Adelson Curse

Bargain-hunting at Harrah’s

Posted on June 4, 2010 by David McKee

But not in the way you might think … Harrah’s Entertainment is $557 million richer — which effectively amortizes the Planet Hollywood deal — after the swap of a 16% ownership stake to three investment firms for $1.2 billion in … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Boyd Gaming, Carl Icahn, Columbia Sussex, Current, Dining, Economy, Florida, Harrah's, MGM Mirage, Oklahoma, Regulation, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal, Tropicana Entertainment, Wall Street | 4 Comments

“Yup, it’s in bad shape”

Posted on June 4, 2010 by David McKee

That’s what a correspondent wrote after seeing a ginormous photo of the sadly faded Paris-Las Vegas “balloon” marquee. For the grisly details click here. Planet Hollywood, this could be you. Just give it a few years. On the subject of … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Atlantic City, Cirque du Soleil, CityCenter, Colony Capital, Current, Donald Trump, Downtown, Economy, Entertainment, Harrah's, MGM Mirage, Regulation, Tamares Group, The Strip, Tourism | 3 Comments

Another bright idea

Posted on June 3, 2010 by David McKee

Gov. Jim Gibbons proposes deregulating taxicabs. I’m sure he’ll get a big “thank you” from every Vegas visitor who’s ever been “longhauled” to their hotel, usually via the tunnel under McCarran International Airport. Unregulated chiropractors sounds like

Posted in Election, Midnight Jim Gibbons, Regulation, Transportation | 1 Comment

Quote of the Day

Posted on June 3, 2010 by David McKee

“The first requirement alone creates an oxymoron by requiring proof of ‘good moral character.’ If they had good moral character they would not be reporters in the first place.” — truer words were never spoken, in this case by Las … Continue reading →

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

When bad things happen to bad people … plus Cher

Posted on June 2, 2010 by David McKee

Two of the three casinos that say they were stiffed for $822,000 by ex-Boston Celtic Antoine Walker are now owned by Harrah’s Entertainment. The unlucky third is Red Rock Resort. Back “in the olden days” (a Sue Lowden-ism that’s quite … Continue reading →

Posted in Cretins, Economy, Entertainment, Fontainebleau, Harrah's, MGM Mirage, Movies, Planet Hollywood, Regulation, Sports, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism | 3 Comments

Case Bets: Station, Macao, Maryland, Missouri, Mississippi, Encore 2x, etc.

Posted on June 1, 2010 by David McKee

$864.5 million: That’s the magic number if you want to put in an opening bid on 11 Station Casinos properties (plus unspecified land and some tribal-casino-management contracts) come Aug. 6. Boyd Gaming‘s already made it clear that it’s good for … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Bally Technologies, Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, Colony Capital, Current, Economy, Encore, Entertainment, Harrah's, Horseracing, International, Isle of Capri, Macau, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, Regulation, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Harrah’s, Penn & pols play chess in Ohio

Posted on May 27, 2010 by David McKee

Even as Harrah’s Entertainment was closing its purchase of an Thistledown Race Track, lawmakers were moving to foreclose the prospect of racinos in that state. This doesn’t preclude Buckeye State voters for approving as many as seven racinos this fall, … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Harrah's, Horseracing, Ohio, Penn National, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Taxes | Comments Off on Harrah’s, Penn & pols play chess in Ohio

Motley Crew

Posted on May 26, 2010 by David McKee

(Editor’s note: Whoever labeled the photo at left misplaced the captions. FF3 is the guy having the good hair day and brother Lorenzo is the one with the handkerchief in his breast pocket.) In my 15 years of following the … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, Cannery Casino Resorts, CityCenter, Colony Capital, Current, Downtown, Economy, George Maloof, Goldman Sachs, James Packer, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Station Casinos, Tourism, Wall Street | 6 Comments

Shel & Bill, together again; Coup for HRH

Posted on May 25, 2010 by David McKee

As though yoked by karma, Las Vegas Sands CEO Sheldon Adelson and former sidekick William Weidner — the Jon & Kate Gosselin of the casino industry — seem destined to remain unwillingly chained together through eternity. Most recently, they’ve been … Continue reading →

Posted in CityCenter, Current, Downtown, Economy, Genting, Harrah's, Herbst Gaming, M Resort, Macau, Marketing, Massachusetts, Morgans Hotel Group, Pennsylvania, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho, Texas, Tilman Fertitta, Tourism, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off on Shel & Bill, together again; Coup for HRH

Case Bets: Macao, Maryland, Internet casinos

Posted on May 24, 2010 by David McKee

April was a bonny month for Macao, where overall visitation rose 13% and mainland Chinese tourism rose 17%. Now if only Peking would take its hand off the spigot known as visa quotas, we might have some honest-to-god year/year comparisons … Continue reading →

Posted in Alabama, Cordish Co., IGT, Internet gambling, Kentucky, Macau, Maryland, Politics, Regulation, Sports, Taxes, Technology, The Strip, Tourism | 2 Comments

That’ll show ’em!

Posted on May 20, 2010 by David McKee

What do you do if a group of conventioneers is discomfited during their stay at your brand-new, “grand slam home run,” unfinished $5.7 billion megaresort? Sue the bastards! That ought to work wonders for Sheldon Adelson‘s convention traffic. (True, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, LVCVA, Marketing, Politics, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Taxes, The Strip | 1 Comment