Category Archives: Slot routes

Atlantic City courts the LGBT dollar; Indiana casinos court anybody’s dollar

Posted on June 17, 2014 by David McKee

Formerly a gay getaway, Atlantic City lost its LGBT-friendly image when the casinos came in 1978, or so the history goes. “When the casinos came, people were quick to bulldoze whatever they had to sell for millions, and we lost … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Harrah's, Illinois, Kansas, Marketing, Ohio, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, Sam Nazarian, Slot routes, Taxes, The Strip, Tribal | Comments Off

May challenging for Iowa, disastrous for Illinois

Posted on June 6, 2014 by David McKee

At present, the Iowa Racing & Gaming Commission is mulling whether to put a casino in relatively isolated (see video) Jefferson. While they’re weighing that Wild Rose Entertainment project, here’s something else to ponder: The latest set of revenue numbers … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Boyd Gaming, Current, Economy, Harrah's, Illinois, Iowa, Isle of Capri, MGM Mirage, Neil Bluhm, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Regulation, Slot routes | Comments Off

Station’s waning clout; Off the rez with SCOTUS

Posted on May 29, 2014 by David McKee

Station Casinos‘ insistence on re-litigating the issue of slot parlors in Nevada seems to have finally driven some officials to the end of their patience. Assembly Majority Leader William Horne (D, right), the industry’s primary water carrier, tried to plump for a … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Election, history, Missouri, Politics, Regulation, Slot routes, Station Casinos, Tribal | Comments Off

Loveman’s latest dice throw; Delicate talks in Boston

Posted on May 7, 2014 by David McKee

In one of 2014’s least surprising stories, Caesars Entertainment has had to restructure debt. It will replace $1 billion in near-term indebtedness with $1.75 billion in longer-term notes. Bond analysts have been predicting this move for a long time, even … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Harrah's, Massachusetts, Mohegan Sun, Slot routes, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off

Penn manages expectations

Posted on April 24, 2014 by David McKee

Penn National Gaming lowered estimates for cash flow and other metrics today, as well as releasing 1Q14 results that J.P. Morgan analyst Joseph Greff wrote were “generally in line with our … estimates.” According to Penn, player spending has been … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Cordish Co., Cosmopolitan, Harrah's, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New York, Penn National, Slot routes, Wall Street, West Virginia | Comments Off

NIMBY in Massachusetts; Hard Rock goes local

Posted on April 15, 2014 by David McKee

Anti-gambling forces in Massachusetts gained an ally yesterday when attorney general candidate Maura Healey (D) came out against casinos and for the repeal of their enabling legislation. This puts her at odds with Attorney General Martha Coakley (D), who holds … Continue reading →

Posted in Election, Golden Gaming, Hard Rock Hotel, Iowa, Marketing, Massachusetts, Penn National, Politics, Slot routes, Station Casinos, Technology, Warner Gaming | Comments Off

… and it’s Pinnacle; The allure of slot routes

Posted on April 10, 2014 by David McKee

E23, the Albany-area casino proposal, has lifted the curtain on its managing partner and it’s Pinnacle Entertainment. Not to belittle the project but the presence of Pinnacle gives E23 real heft. Community organizer Marlon Anderson called it “a game changer … Continue reading →

Posted in Dan Gilbert, Detroit, Illinois, MGM Mirage, New York, Pinnacle Entertainment, Slot routes | 1 Comment

What’s “incidental” & other Case Bets

Posted on April 2, 2014 by David McKee

When the Clark County Commission went out of its way to define “tavern gaming” in 2011, it went into all sorts of minutiae about kitchens and such. But it neglected to address the elephant in the room: How much gambling … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Foxwoods, Golden Gaming, Goldman Sachs, Massachusetts, Mohegan Sun, Regulation, Slot routes, South Carolina, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tribal | 1 Comment

The Adelson caucus

Posted on March 27, 2014 by David McKee

Online gambling is officially under attack, with bills having been introduced in both houses of Congress to eradicate the U.S. industry. (This must be one of those occasions when it’s OK to be “anti-business.”) As reported earlier the Senate version … Continue reading →

Posted in Illinois, Internet gambling, Missouri, Pinnacle Entertainment, Politics, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Slot routes, Tropicana Entertainment | Comments Off

Rebottling a genie

Posted on March 19, 2014 by David McKee

One would hate to think how many businesses in Clark County get by on the revenue from slot routes, rather than from their primary purpose. But county commissioners didn’t think to define “incidental” — an understandable oversight — when making … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, California, Carl Icahn, Horseracing, Indiana, Internet gambling, Slot routes, Tropicana Entertainment | 1 Comment

Louisiana and other Case Bets

Posted on March 19, 2014 by David McKee

Margaritaville ($10 million) was the difference between a positive (1.5%) and negative month in Louisiana, which was down 3% on a same-store basis. Isle of Capri Casinos had an exceptionally good month (+12%) but Pinnacle Entertainment (-3.5%), Boyd Gaming (-5%). … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Churchill Downs, Harrah's, Isle of Capri, Louisiana, New York, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Slot routes, Tribal, Wisconsin | Comments Off

Massachusetts: Penn wins

Posted on February 28, 2014 by David McKee

Oh, cruel fate. It looked like that Massachusetts slot parlor was in the bag for Cordish Gaming and the city of Leominster. After all, Massachusetts Gaming Commission Chairman Stephen Crosby had rated the project as “very good,” adding, “Thus our … Continue reading →

Posted in Cordish Co., Greenwood Racing, Horseracing, Illinois, Massachusetts, Penn National, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Rhode Island, Slot routes, Wall Street | Comments Off

Discontent in Beantown; Sands, Day 4

Posted on February 14, 2014 by David McKee

Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh (right) wants the awarding of a Beantown-area casino put off … mainly so he’ll have more time to cadge and scheme his way into “host community” status, where the big money is to be found. Steve … Continue reading →

Posted in Dining, Illinois, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Mohegan Sun, Pennsylvania, Sheldon Adelson, Slot routes, Steve Wynn | 1 Comment

Getting serious in Massachusetts; i-Flop in Delaware

Posted on January 27, 2014 by David McKee

A drive to repeal Massachusetts‘ casino-enabling legislation has got Bay State operators-to-be taking it very seriously. They’ve filed with the state Supreme Court to have it stricken from the state ballot. (The state’s attorney general, Martha Coakley, pictured, has already … Continue reading →

Posted in Cannery Casino Resorts, Delaware, Election, Illinois, Internet gambling, Massachusetts, Mohegan Sun, Penn National, Regulation, Slot routes | Comments Off

Playing with trouble

Posted on January 3, 2014 by David McKee

Pennsylvania is already pretty maxed out on casino capacity. Now it’s going to cannibalize its gaming economy even further with small-stakes games in bars and comparable edifices. Slot routes aren’t on the table yet. The legal framework is described as … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, New Hampshire, Penn National, Slot routes | Comments Off

Overexuberance in New Jersey, generosity in Maryland

Posted on December 27, 2013 by David McKee

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) is setting himself up for a fall with his blue-sky projections of Internet-gambling revenue. Eilers Research has projected that it will take two or three years for gambling revenue to reach $227 million … … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Economy, Goldman Sachs, Harrah's, history, Illinois, Internet gambling, Macau, Maryland, Massachusetts, Regulation, Slot routes, Taxes, The Mob, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off

Fertitta’s luck; The big get bigger; Tribes in cyberspace

Posted on December 12, 2013 by David McKee

Congratulations to Tilman Fertitta, just named Gaming Executive of the Year by Casino Journal magazine. “Fertitta, owner of Golden Nugget casinos, has accomplished something few gaming executives can claim these days—founding and expanding a U.S.-based casino company in the midst … Continue reading →

Posted in Cannery Casino Resorts, Internet gambling, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Slot routes, Tilman Fertitta, Tribal | Comments Off

Rising sun; Falling Poster; Crosby gets funky

Posted on December 5, 2013 by David McKee

Japan‘s ruling Liberal Democratic Party has been stymied in introducing pro-casino legislation in the Diet, thanks to grumbling, naysaying Buddhist coalition partners. But other parties have been building a casino coalition. According to The Straits Times, a “cross-party group of Japanese … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Internet gambling, Japan, Massachusetts, Politics, Regulation, Slot routes | Comments Off

Hacienda gets the Dotty’s treatment; Mohegan gets the heck out

Posted on November 25, 2013 by David McKee

When the Dotty’s slot-cafe chain decided to go ‘legit’ by purchasing the Hacienda hotel-casino near Boulder City, it meant some big surprises. For one thing, all employees found themselves without jobs. Dotty’s used the federal WARN Act to pink-slip the … Continue reading →

Posted in Internet gambling, Massachusetts, Mohegan Sun, New Hampshire, New York, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Slot routes | Comments Off

Semi-failure to launch; Crackdown in Illinois

Posted on November 22, 2013 by David McKee

It’s not just Obamacare that’s having Web site glitches in its launch. The same goes for New Jersey‘s ‘Net-betting system. Test player Joseph Brennen attempted logging in from within Atlantic City but kept getting error messages. “It’s frustrating knowing you’re … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Bally Technologies, Economy, IGT, Illinois, International, Internet gambling, Regulation, Slot routes, Technology | Comments Off