Category Archives: Sahara

MGM: The lion mews; AGA: Betrayal by Miller

Posted on July 31, 2020 by David McKee

Second-quarter results for MGM Resorts International are in and the company got hammered pretty badly. Las Vegas Strip revenues fell 90% to $151 million, regional operations dropped 90% to $89 million and Macao grossed a feeble $33 million, down 95%. … Continue reading →

Posted in AGA, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, CityCenter, Conventions, Cordish Co., Culinary Union, Downtown, Economy, Golden Nugget, Health, Horseracing, Illinois, Macau, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Nevada, Ohio, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Racinos, Real Estate, Sahara, Sports betting, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Mixed signals from Vegas

Posted on July 10, 2020 by David McKee

Reading the Las Vegas tea leaves on a daily basis has one oscillating between seeing a faster-than-anticipated or slower-than-expected recovery. Case in point: Penn National Gaming‘s lack of plans to reopen the Tropicana Las Vegas. It’s worth remembering that Penn … Continue reading →

Posted in Caesars Entertainment, Derek Stevens, Donald Trump, Economy, Entertainment, GLPI, Health, M Resort, Nevada, Penn National, Phil Ruffin, Reno, Sahara, Technology, The Strip | 1 Comment

Penn, Boyd bushwhack jobs

Posted on June 22, 2020 by David McKee

There’s still no timeline for Tropicana Las Vegas to reopen, certainly not by mid-July. That news comes as Penn National Gaming slashed 2,575 jobs over eight states. Evidently Penn doesn’t expect the current surge in business to last, as most … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, China, Colorado, Dining, Economy, Florida, Health, Kansas, Law enforcement, M Resort, MGM Resorts International, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Penn National, Sahara, Scientific Games, Sports betting, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Notes from hither and yon

Posted on June 17, 2020 by David McKee

In an effort to stay ahead of Coronavirus, resorts in Las Vegas are bringing back a chilled-out version of the traditional pool party. Some will require reservations for admission, and non-guests will have to book daybeds and cabañas. Out: DJs. … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Caesars Entertainment, Cosmopolitan, Dining, Economy, Entertainment, Hard Rock International, Health, Horseracing, Las Vegas Sands, Marketing, Mohegan Sun, New York, Sahara, The Strip, Transportation | 1 Comment

MGM changes mind on Aria; No appetite for deals?

Posted on June 8, 2020 by David McKee

Having told its entire Aria staff to look for new jobs, MGM Resorts International finds itself in the position of saying, “Never mind.” In an interview last weekend, CEO Bill Hornbuckle floated the possibility of reopening Aria by July 4, followed … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, California, CityCenter, Conventions, Current, Derek Stevens, Dining, Downtown, Economy, Election, Entertainment, Hawaii, Health, Las Vegas Sands, Law enforcement, LVCVA, Marketing, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Money laundering, Resort fees, Sahara, Singapore, Sports, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Terry Caudill, The Rio, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal, TV, Virginia, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Stevens doubles down; Bullish LV reopenings

Posted on May 28, 2020 by David McKee

Derek Stevens‘ 1,000-free-flights promotional gambit was such a wild success that the mogul has offered 700 airlifts more. But hurry: Stevens has extended his mega-comp to 12 additional cities, from Atlanta to Tampa. We only quibble about Stevens adding Boston … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Brothels, Cosmopolitan, Culinary Union, Derek Stevens, Economy, El Cortez, Golden Gaming, Health, Nevada, Sahara, Station Casinos, Tamares Group, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Tourism, Transportation, Wynn Resorts | 2 Comments

Nevada casinos to reopen; Ruffin stiffs workforce

Posted on May 26, 2020 by David McKee

Pending a decline in Coronavirus cases over this past weekend, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) is expected to announce a reopening of Silver State casinos, effective June 4, which should give them time to get their paperwork filed with the … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Meruelo, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Cirque du Soleil, Culinary Union, Downtown, Economy, Hawaii, Health, history, Las Vegas Sands, MGM Resorts International, Phil Ruffin, Resort fees, Sahara, The Rio, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation, Westgate LV, Wynn Resorts | 2 Comments

Vegas casinos can reopen, sorta; Hard Rock returns

Posted on May 15, 2020 by David McKee

Want to go back to a Las Vegas casino? Now you can. In a well-meant directive that seems to be sowing a certain amount of confusion, the Nevada Gaming Control Board stated that during the current Phase I, casinos could … Continue reading →

Posted in Caesars Entertainment, Cosmopolitan, Cretins, Dining, Economy, Georgia, Hard Rock International, Lotteries, Maryland, Massachusetts, Movies, Oregon, Penn National, Real Estate, Sahara, Steven Witkoff, The Strip, Virgin Hotels | 2 Comments

Carnage in Louisiana; Documentary slams MGM

Posted on April 22, 2020 by David McKee

Louisiana casinos grossed $97 million last month, having been closed on March 17. April appears to be a dead loss. Surprisingly, the Baton Rouge market was the least hard-hit although at -58% everything is relative. The 61% statewide plunge compares … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Charity, Churchill Downs, Dining, Eldorado Resorts, GLPI, Law enforcement, Louisiana, Mandalay Bay Massacre, MGM Resorts International, Movies, Penn National, Sahara, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta | Comments Off on Carnage in Louisiana; Documentary slams MGM

Quick stimulus update

Posted on March 25, 2020 by David McKee

Here’s a good rundown of the economic-stimulus bill. Republicans made some concessions (attaching strings to corporate bailouts) and Democrats made others (no forgiveness or deferment for student loans). It’s not yet clear how much of its wish list the casino … Continue reading →

Posted in AGA, Alex Meruelo, Donald Trump, Economy, Sahara, Taxes | Comments Off on Quick stimulus update

Stitt catches a break; Station, Gaughan step up to the plate

Posted on March 21, 2020 by David McKee

Did the government of Oklahoma screw up the exclusivity agreement that gave it power over tribal gambling? That’s the contention of a new legal brief from the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes, who say that the recent expansion of lottery offerings … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Charity, Dan Gilbert, Downtown, Genting, Golden Gaming, Health, International, Internet gambling, Lotteries, MGM Resorts International, Michael Gaughan, Ohio, Oklahoma, Sahara, Singapore, Sports, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Taxes, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Tribal, William Hill | 1 Comment

Where do we go from here?

Posted on March 19, 2020 by David McKee

In the process of canceling its 2020 earnings guidance, Marriott International gave some oblique insight into how the casino industry is likely to cope with the Coronavirus quarantine. Occupancy, it said, had fallen to 25%, compared to 70% last year. … Continue reading →

Posted in AGA, Alabama, Baseball, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Carl Icahn, Charity, Economy, Health, Illinois, Indiana, International, Internet gambling, Iowa, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, MGM Resorts International, Movies, Oregon, Penn National, Real Estate, Regulation, Sahara, Sheldon Adelson, Slot routes, South Korea, Sports, Sports betting, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Gaming stocks immune to rally; Casinos get serious about coronavirus

Posted on March 11, 2020 by David McKee

Gaming stocks by and large didn’t feel the love on Wall Street yesterday, trending slightly downward, not counting 9% rallies for Station Casinos and Melco Resorts & Entertainment (the latter the only Macao operator to bounce back). The market recouped … Continue reading →

Posted in AGA, Alex Meruelo, Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Cosmopolitan, Current, Detroit, Dining, Donald Trump, Economy, Eldorado Resorts, Florida, Health, Lake Tahoe, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, Maryland, Massachusetts, Maverick Gaming, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, MGM Resorts International, Michigan, Penn National, Phil Ruffin, Reno, Rhode Island, Sahara, South Dakota, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Taxes, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Tourism, Transportation, Vermont, Wall Street, Washington State, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Gaming stocks immune to rally; Casinos get serious about coronavirus

Odds favor Bloomberg; Hilton returns to Vegas

Posted on February 20, 2020 by David McKee

As Saturday’s Nevada caucus nears, South Point oddsmaker Jimmy Vaccaro is boldly going where none of his colleagues have gone before, posting presidential odds. We’ll break them down by category. Vaccaro has Sen. Bernie Sanders (I), as expected, winning Nevada … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball, China, Connecticut, Cretins, Culinary Union, Election, International, Internet gambling, Kentucky, Las Vegas Sands, Law enforcement, Macau, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mattress Mack, MGM Resorts International, Nevada, New Hampshire, Politics, Resorts World LV, Sahara, Scientific Games, Sports betting, Taxes, Technology, The Strip | 1 Comment

What if they gave a casino and nobody came?

Posted on November 19, 2019 by David McKee

That’s what’s happening in Chicago, where nobody—and I mean nobody—is showing any interest in a new casino license. Gee, do you think it could have something to do with the 72% tax rate which effectively ensures that a Windy City … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Meruelo, Illinois, Macau, Politics, Sahara, Sam Nazarian, Scientific Games, Security, Taxes, Technology | 2 Comments

Cordish bully on Philly

Posted on November 4, 2019 by David McKee

We’ll soon find out if the Philadelphia market can sustain five casinos when Cordish Gaming‘s Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia opens, next door to Citizens Bank Park (baseball) and close to Lincoln Financial Field (football) and Wells Fargo Center (basketball and … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Caesars Entertainment, California, Charity, Cordish Co., Dan Gilbert, DFS, Donald Trump, Entertainment, Florida, Las Vegas Raiders, MGM Resorts International, Ohio, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Sahara, Sports, Sports betting, The Strip, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Sammy Naz strikes again; Stevens removes urban blight

Posted on September 26, 2019 by David McKee

While the ink has scarcely dried on the Sahara logo on the Las Vegas Strip, owner Alex Meruelo is already in hot water. The Las Vegas Review-Journal is reporting that Meruelo is being sued for unpaid licensing fees. In what … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Meruelo, Caesars Entertainment, Derek Stevens, Downtown, G2E, history, Illinois, Marketing, New Jersey, Racinos, Real Estate, Sahara, Sam Nazarian, SLS Las Vegas, Sports, Sports betting, Terry Caudill | Comments Off on Sammy Naz strikes again; Stevens removes urban blight

Wall Street: The Strip is all right; Rivals pile into Waukegan

Posted on September 16, 2019 by David McKee

JP Morgan analyst Joseph Greff has just returned from a two-day field trip to Las Vegas. His overall reaction was “incrementally positive.” He said he sensed “a fairly steady trend line in terms of overall spend and net revenue performance.” … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, Conventions, Dan Gilbert, Dan Lee, Detroit, Dining, Entertainment, Full House Resorts, Illinois, Japan, Las Vegas Raiders, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, Marketing, Maryland, MGM Resorts International, Ohio, Palms, Penn National, Resort fees, Rush Street Gaming, Sahara, Sports betting, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street, Warner Gaming, Wisconsin | Comments Off on Wall Street: The Strip is all right; Rivals pile into Waukegan

‘Wynn-wash’ in Boston; MGM, Sahara soak customers

Posted on September 9, 2019 by David McKee

Encore Boston Harbor President Robert DeSalvio gives us the nitty-gritty (emphasis on gritty) of developing the Massachusetts megaresort. For instance, I’ll bet you didn’t know Wynn Resorts rented 600 railroad cards to—repeatedly—haul arsenic-tainted soil from the site, trucked off to Georgia, … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Cretins, Detroit, Downtown, Entertainment, Environment, Hard Rock Hotel, Iowa, Las Vegas Sands, MGM Resorts International, Nebraska, Nevada, Palms, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Resort fees, Sahara, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Technology, Terry Caudill, Transportation, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on ‘Wynn-wash’ in Boston; MGM, Sahara soak customers

Touring Vegas; Bus to Nowhere; So long, Sammy

Posted on July 5, 2019 by David McKee

Paste Magazine is having one of those love/hate moments with Las Vegas that seem de rigeur for glossy publications. After a few preliminary digs at the Las Vegas Strip, it settles into a survey of the best places to go … Continue reading →

Posted in Cretins, Dining, Downtown, Entertainment, history, MGM Resorts International, Reno, Sahara, Sam Nazarian, Station Casinos, Terry Caudill, The Mob, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation | 1 Comment