Category Archives: Sports betting

Casinos continue to thrive; Crooks, liars and losers

There’s no “supply chain” issue when it comes to dollars flowing into American casinos. Take Missouri, for instance. Casino revenue sprang 15.5% over 2019 last month, for a statewide take of $145.5 million. Actual visitation was down 2o% but per-visitor … Continue reading

Posted in Apollo Management, Bally, Bally Technologies, Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Century Casinos, Churchill Downs, Cretins, DraftKings, FanDuel, Full House Resorts, Hard Rock International, Health, Illinois, Indiana, Las Vegas Sands, Law enforcement, Louisiana, Maryland, Mattress Mack, MGM Mirage, Missouri, Nevada, Penn National, Pennsylvania, PointsBet, Regulation, Reno, Rush Street Gaming, Scientific Games, Slot routes, Sports, Sports betting, Steve Wynn, Taxes, Tribal, WInd Creek, Wynn Resorts | 3 Comments

Everybody wins; ‘Adele’ debuts; Ohio and Maryland prosper

Let’s start the day with a rare, feel-good story about an invalidated jackpot. Normally, these things go the way of the house. But not this time. On January 8, at Treasure Island, a player named Robert Taylor was playing the … Continue reading

Posted in Apollo Management, Aristocrat, Bally, BetMGM, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, Cordish Co., DraftKings, Entertainment, FanDuel, Fontainebleau, Golden Gaming, Hard Rock International, Illinois, Louisiana, Macau, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Palms, Penn National, Phil Ruffin, Regulation, Rush Street Gaming, Sports, Sports betting, The Strip, Tribal, United Kingdom, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Everybody wins; ‘Adele’ debuts; Ohio and Maryland prosper

Station sets revenue records, Penn less fortunate

Having quietly broken ground on $750 million Durango Station, proud papa Station Casinos announced that despite “some headwinds,” the company had achieved record-level cash flow in 4Q21. “The government’s mask mandate across the state of Nevada remained in place and … Continue reading

Posted in Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Caesars Entertainment, California, Canada, Conventions, Derek Stevens, Downtown, DraftKings, Economy, FanDuel, Hawaii, Health, history, Internet gambling, Louisiana, Marketing, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Palms, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Rush Street Gaming, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Technology, Tourism, Tribal, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 3 Comments

New boss at F-blue; Station: Five white guys; Atlantic City blitzed

Yes, Tom Brady has retired but there’s actually other news happening today. For starters, Fontainebleau has a new president. And not just any prexy but “a visionary leader for our next-generation luxury resort.” He’s Cliff Atkinson, late of Luxor. If … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Caesars Entertainment, CityCenter, Colorado, Culinary Union, Dining, Diversity, Fontainebleau, Hard Rock International, Horseracing, Illinois, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, MGM Resorts International, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Real Estate, Singapore, Sports, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Taxes, The Strip, Tribal | 2 Comments

Florida: Phhhhht …; Crackdown in Macao; Scandal at Parx

That hissing sound you hear is the air going out of DraftKings‘ and FanDuel‘s electoral balloon. Florida Education Champions, their front group for bringing online sports betting to the Sunshine State, folded its hand, conceding that it can’t get enough … Continue reading

Posted in China, DraftKings, Election, Entertainment, FanDuel, Florida, Greenwood Racing, Horseracing, Las Vegas Sands, Law enforcement, Macau, Marketing, MGM Resorts International, Movies, Pennsylvania, Sports betting | 1 Comment

Adios, Tropicana?; New York sports betting tops $1 billion easily

Visit the Tropicana Las Vegas while yet you can. Why? Because Bally’s Corp. Chairman Soo Kim is seriously weighing the possibility of “knocking it down and starting over.” Yes, Kim would rebrand the place as Bally’s Las Vegas and then … Continue reading

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Atlantic City, Bally, BetMGM, Caesars Entertainment, Chicago, Columbia Sussex, Conventions, DraftKings, e-sports, Economy, Election, FanDuel, GLPI, Health, history, Laughlin, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Peninsula Pacific, Penn National, Politics, Rush Street Gaming, Sahara, Sports betting, Taxes, Texas, The Strip, Virginia | Comments Off on Adios, Tropicana?; New York sports betting tops $1 billion easily

Horseshoe returns to Vegas; LV Sands thinks big

In the year’s worst-kept secret (or least surprising news story), Caesars Entertainment is finally rebranding Bally’s Las Vegas as the Horseshoe to end all Horseshoes. We were all over the story yesterday, in case you want the full monty. A … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Bally, Boulder Strip, Caesars Entertainment, Downtown, DraftKings, Election, FanDuel, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Internet gambling, Iowa, Las Vegas Sands, Laughlin, Macau, Massachusetts, Nevada, New York, North Las Vegas, Politics, Reno, Seminole Tribe, Singapore, Sports betting, Texas, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Bally’s we hardly knew ye; IGT bets big on lotteries

Shares of Bally’s Corp. sprang to $36.76 apiece yesterday on the news that the company’s largest stockholder wants to take Bally’s private for $2 billion. Hedge fund Standard General—founded by Bally’s Chairman Soo Kim—is offering $38/share for the mini-major and … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Arkansas, Atlantic City, Bally, Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, DraftKings, Economy, Entertainment, FanDuel, Hard Rock International, Hawaii, IGT, International, Japan, Lotteries, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Ocean Resort, Regulation, Rhode Island, Rush Street Gaming, Sports betting, Taxes, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Sports betting claims first casualty; “Scam” at Caesars?

Online sports betting has evidently proven too rich for Wynn Resorts‘ blood. The New York Post reports that Wynn “is looking to unload its online sports-betting business at a steep discount as the fledgling niche faces painful losses from stiff … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Caesars Entertainment, Cretins, Culinary Union, DraftKings, Entertainment, Hard Rock International, Health, International, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Minnesota, Movies, New York, Penn National, Regulation, Sports betting, Station Casinos, United Kingdom, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 3 Comments

Adele fiasco at Caesars; Trouble for Sands in Florida

Resorts World Las Vegas, we’ll see your Celine Dion health-scare postponement and raise you an Adele cancellation at Caesars Palace. The British megastar’s team has, like so much of the human race, contracted Covid-19 and is not physically capable of … Continue reading

Posted in Alex Meruelo, Bally, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, Diversity, Election, Entertainment, Florida, Greenwood Racing, Health, history, Las Vegas Sands, Louisiana, Macau, Marketing, New York, Peninsula Pacific, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Sahara, Seminole Tribe, Sports, Sports betting | 1 Comment

Warm breeze in Atlantic City; Indiana heats up

December brought an acceleration in most forms of New Jersey gambling revenue. Atlantic City casinos managed a 1.5% increase over the end of 2019 but sports betting revenue dropped 11% year/year, blamed on low hold. Sticking close to home, Internet … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Australia, Bally, Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Cordish Co., Crown Resorts, DraftKings, Entertainment, FanDuel, Full House Resorts, Golden Nugget, Hard Rock International, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, New Jersey, New York, Ocean Resort, Peninsula Pacific, Penn National, PointsBet, Politics, Regulation, Rush Street Gaming, Sports betting, Taxes, Tribal, Virginia, Wynn Resorts | 2 Comments

Weekend jottings

Late last week, MGM Resorts International unveiled its plans for a BetMGM-branded sports book at State Farm Stadium in Arizona. No budget was announced for the facility but, given the infinitesimal amount of retail wagering in the Phoenix area, it’s … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, BetMGM, Las Vegas Raiders, Mattress Mack, MGM Resorts International, Sports, Sports betting, The Strip, Tribal | Comments Off on Weekend jottings

Illinois slouches; Boyd, Churchill praised; DraftKings assessed

Not even Rivers Casino Des Plaines was spared the impact of Hard Rock Rockford, as the newbie helped take a 4.5% bite out of Rivers’ December casino revenues compared to 2019, for a Des Plaines gross of $43 million, still … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Bally, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, California, Canada, Churchill Downs, Connecticut, Downtown Grand, DraftKings, Election, Florida, Full House Resorts, Hard Rock International, Health, Illinois, Indiana, Internet gambling, Iowa, Isle of Capri, Las Vegas Sands, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Mattress Mack, MGM Resorts International, New York, Ohio, Penn National, Regulation, Singapore, Sports, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Taxes, Wall Street | Comments Off on Illinois slouches; Boyd, Churchill praised; DraftKings assessed

Ohio, Missouri booming; Of sports and sports betting

Scarcely had Deutsche Bank analyst Carlo Santarelli projected 12% gaming growth in Ohio over December 2019 than the numbers came in and it was 16%. The $197 million gross showed play heating up from November, too. Slot revenue was up … Continue reading

Posted in Bally, Barstool Sports, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Century Casinos, Churchill Downs, DraftKings, FanDuel, Genting, Hard Rock International, Health, Illinois, Jack Entertainment, Las Vegas Raiders, Massachusetts, Mattress Mack, MGM Resorts International, Missouri, Movies, New York, Ohio, Penn National, Politics, Rush Street Gaming, Sports, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Taxes, Technology, Tribal, TV, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Meet the new National Harbor boss, same as the old boss

Maryland closed out 2021 hot, up 16% from 2019 with a gross of $173 million in December. As usual, MGM National Harbor was in the lead with $74.5 million. Maryland Live booked $62.5 million for a 20.5% gain and 36% … Continue reading

Posted in Alex Meruelo, Arizona, Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, California, Churchill Downs, Dining, DraftKings, Economy, FanDuel, Golden Gaming, Health, Idaho, Indiana, Las Vegas Raiders, Louisiana, Macau, Marketing, Maryland, MGM Resorts International, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Rush Street Gaming, Sahara, Sports, Sports betting, Taxes, Technology, Tennessee, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal, Wall Street, World Series of Poker | Comments Off on Meet the new National Harbor boss, same as the old boss

Doldrums in Macao; “Love” in jeopardy; Mega-Jottings

There’s an Eeyore sweatshirt that says, “Could be worse. Not sure how, but it could be.” That pretty much sums up the situation in Macao, which finished 2021 44% ahead of 2020 when it comes to gambling revenue … but … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Atlantic City, Cirque du Soleil, Colorado, Cordish Co., Economy, Florida, Galaxy Entertainment, GLPI, Health, IGT, International, Lake Tahoe, Las Vegas Raiders, Las Vegas Sands, Laughlin, Law enforcement, Macau, Maryland, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, MGM Resorts International, North Carolina, Politics, Real Estate, Regulation, Sports betting, Taxes, Tribal, Wall Street, Washington State, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Doldrums in Macao; “Love” in jeopardy; Mega-Jottings

Why is this man smiling?

Could it be because MGM Resorts International CEO Bill Hornbuckle came justhisclose to being S&G‘s Executive of the Year? Could it be for his vigorous pursuit of diversity within the lion’s house? Might it be for MGM’s very proactive “Convene … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Caesars Entertainment, Diversity, DraftKings, FanDuel, Health, Mattress Mack, MGM Resorts International, Mississippi, Ohio, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Problem gambling, Real Estate, Regulation, Resort fees, Sports betting, Taxes, Technology, Virginia, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Borgata behaving badly; Headless body in topless car

On the “george” side of the ledger we find Bally’s Atlantic City, which is offering room rates starting at $29/night through February 28, albeit on “select nights.” Hey, it’s a terrific way to raise awareness of the new-look Bally’s. As … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Bally, Entertainment, Hard Rock International, history, Las Vegas Raiders, Law enforcement, Marketing, MGM Resorts International, Morris Bailey, Sports, Sports betting, The Rio | 2 Comments

Mixed signals in Pennsylvania; Atlantic City casinos get their wish

Despite fewer weekends than in 2019, Pennsylvania casino revenues nudged up 3% last month, albeit not a same-store comparison, what with three new casinos having opened in the interim (that would make it -9%). Slots won $185.5 million and table … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, California, Canada, Card rooms, Churchill Downs, Cordish Co., DraftKings, FanDuel, Health, Las Vegas Raiders, Michigan, Mohegan Sun, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Rush Street Gaming, Sports, Sports betting, Taxes, Tribal, WInd Creek | Comments Off on Mixed signals in Pennsylvania; Atlantic City casinos get their wish

If at first you don’t succeed … sue; Academy Awards odds posted

It’s a tried and true adage of American life that if you can’t get what you want fair and square, take it to court. Case in point: Full House Resorts. Having lost out on the Indiana Gaming Commission‘s selection of … Continue reading

Posted in Alabama, Bally, Chicago, Churchill Downs, Dan Lee, Election, Full House Resorts, Health, Indiana, International, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, Movies, Nebraska, Ohio, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Sports betting, WInd Creek, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on If at first you don’t succeed … sue; Academy Awards odds posted