Category Archives: Sports

Sports betting accelerates but NFL oddsmakers baffled

If it weren’t for Coronavirus, this year’s top story in gaming would undoubtedly be the rapid spread and runaway popularity of sports betting. Case in point, Colorado‘s $211 million October handle. The continuing climb in wagering is notable in that … Continue reading

Posted in Barstool Sports, Colorado, DraftKings, FanDuel, Genting, Health, Las Vegas Raiders, Michigan, New York, Sports, Sports betting, Taxes | Comments Off on Sports betting accelerates but NFL oddsmakers baffled

Wynn zapped again; Canada boosts DraftKings

“Most of the time we can’t even be honest with ourselves.”—The Commoner in Akira Kurosawa‘s Rashomon. If at first they don’t give you a casino in Massachusetts, litigate. And when that doesn’t work, re-litigate. That’s what pouting Suffolk Downs owner … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Canada, DraftKings, Economy, Election, Las Vegas Raiders, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, Pets, Politics, Regulation, Sexual misconduct, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, Sports betting, Steve Wynn, Texas, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Wynn zapped again; Canada boosts DraftKings

Las Vegas: First, the bad news …

It’s no wonder October was a bad month for the Las Vegas Strip and Downtown. Visitation to Sin City fell 49.5% and room revenue tumbled 61%. Caesars Entertainment CEO Tom Reeg could, for the sake of argument, be right that … Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, California, Cirque du Soleil, Conventions, Derek Stevens, Donald Trump, Downtown, Economy, Entertainment, Internet gambling, Jim Murren, Las Vegas Raiders, Las Vegas Sands, Movies, Real Estate, Sports, Sports betting, Station Casinos, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation | 1 Comment

A tale of two Nevadas

October was a tale of two Nevadas, one of which (the north) did quite well whilst the other did not. Gaming revenue statewide was down 19.5%, with the Las Vegas Strip acting as a drag anchor, minus 30% at $375 … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Australia, Boulder Strip, Caesars Entertainment, Crown Resorts, Downtown, Economy, Elaine Wynn, Entertainment, Golden Gaming, Health, Lake Tahoe, Las Vegas Raiders, Laughlin, Mesquite, Nevada, North Las Vegas, Palms, Real Estate, Reno, Resorts World LV, Sports, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Technology, The Strip, Wendover, Westgate LV, Wynn Resorts | 4 Comments

Boxing returns to MGM

Posted in Charity, Current, Health, Sports, Sports betting | Comments Off on Boxing returns to MGM

Sports betting salvages Pennsylvania

An extra weekend notwithstanding, Pennsylvania casinos were down 16% last month. They grossed $218 million, with $155 million of that coming from the slots (-17%). Table games held their ground better, off 13% for $63 million. Sports betting chipped in … Continue reading

Posted in Barstool Sports, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, DraftKings, FanDuel, Greenwood Racing, Health, Internet gambling, Mohegan Sun, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Rush Street Gaming, Sports, Sports betting, Taxes, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off on Sports betting salvages Pennsylvania

Cirque sacrifies “Zumanity”; Gaming recovery vs. Covid

Covid-19 has claimed its first Cirque du Soleil casualty. Zumanity has gone permanently dark at New York-New York. We’ll miss the sexually charged show, which logged 7,700 performances in 17 (!) years. “We’re grateful to the cast, crew and team … Continue reading

Posted in AGA, Arkansas, California, Cirque du Soleil, Derek Stevens, Economy, Entertainment, Health, Internet gambling, MGM Resorts International, Mississippi, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Sports, Sports betting, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation | 1 Comment

Horseplay in Massachusetts and Monday mega-jottings

At age 86, horse owner Armand Janjigian is as alive and kicking as the thoroughbreds he wants to race in Massachusetts. No, he doesn’t have a track but he’s busily snapping up land for one. He’s also going to need … Continue reading

Posted in California, Card rooms, Churchill Downs, Crown Resorts, Detroit, DFS, DraftKings, Economy, Election, FanDuel, Galaxy Entertainment, Golden Nugget, Health, Horseracing, Illinois, International, Japan, Las Vegas Raiders, Las Vegas Sands, Lotteries, Macau, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Nebraska, New York, Penn National, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Scientific Games, Sports, Sports betting, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 2 Comments

Gaming slows across Midwest … except in Ohio

Caesars Entertainment CEO Tom Reeg must have dropped some extra-potent LSD before his last investor call. His comments were summarized by one auditor as, “When we get into a Post-COVID world Pent-Up demand you’re going to see for Gaming And … Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, Cordish Co., Dan Gilbert, Detroit, DraftKings, Economy, FanDuel, Full House Resorts, Golden Gaming, Hard Rock International, Indiana, Las Vegas Raiders, Maryland, MGM Resorts International, Ohio, Penn National, Spectacle Entertainment, Sports, Sports betting, Twin River, West Virginia, William Hill | Comments Off on Gaming slows across Midwest … except in Ohio

Station, DraftKings, Macao all looking up

So much news … where to begin? Station Casinos got a thumbs-up from analysts at JP Morgan who met with the Fertitta Brothers and CFO Stephen Cootey. “We come away impressed with [Station’s] resolve in maximizing free cash flow at … Continue reading

Posted in Canada, China, Dining, DraftKings, Economy, Health, history, Internet gambling, Macau, Marketing, Palms, Phil Ruffin, Sports, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Wall Street | 2 Comments

The trajectory of recovery

… and BetMGM doubles down on the sweet science. Happy Veterans Day tomorrow.

Posted in Economy, Entertainment, MGM Resorts International, Mississippi, Sports, Sports betting, The Strip | Comments Off on The trajectory of recovery

Election Special: “The biggest political event ever”

An anonymous British financier will have to wait another 24 hours to find out if his $5 million bet on Donald Trump comes up a winner. He’ll pocket $15 million from Curaçao bookies if it does. The flutter, made after … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Colorado, Culinary Union, Donald Trump, DraftKings, Election, FanDuel, International, Internet gambling, Louisiana, MGM Resorts International, Nebraska, Nevada, Politics, Racinos, Sheldon Adelson, South Carolina, South Dakota, Sports, Tribal, Virginia | 2 Comments

Baker’s casino crackdown; NFL playoffs diluted

No more all-night gambling for you, Massachusetts! Seeing a rise in Covid-19 cases, Gov. Charlie Baker (R) has curtailed casino hours. They have to close by 9:30 p.m. until further notice. If you’re buying booze (essential for Election Night) or … Continue reading

Posted in DraftKings, Economy, FanDuel, Health, International, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Regulation, Rush Street Gaming, Sports, Sports betting, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Baker’s casino crackdown; NFL playoffs diluted

Buy, sell, lease, buy, sell, lease …; Election: What’s at stake

In an elaborate transaction, Caesars Entertainment sold Tropicana Evansville to Gaming & Leisure Properties Inc. for $340 million, after which the lease on the casino will revert to Twin River Holdings, which will pay $28 million a year for the … Continue reading

Posted in Caesars Entertainment, Colorado, Cretins, Delaware, Donald Trump, Downtown, Election, GLPI, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Racinos, South Dakota, Sports, Sports betting, The Strip, Twin River, Virginia | 2 Comments

Adelson abandons Vegas; Boyd salvages bad quarter

Sheldon Adelson may have flung $75 million at deciding who’s going to run the country for the next four years but he’s giving up on America. News broke yesterday that Las Vegas Sands is shopping Venelazzo for six billion. We’ve … Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Conventions, Current, Downtown, DraftKings, FanDuel, G2E, Las Vegas Raiders, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, Marketing, MGM Resorts International, Rush Street Gaming, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Sports, Sports betting, The Strip, Wall Street | 3 Comments

Ill winds in Louisiana; Boyd gets a boost

Gambling win in Louisiana was dealt a double blow last month by those twin vixens Hurricanes Laura and Sally. Hardest-hit as usual was storm magnet Lake Charles, where revenue plunged 65%. Treasure Chest in Kenner lost two days of business, … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Barstool Sports, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, Donald Trump, FanDuel, GLPI, Golden Nugget, Louisiana, Money laundering, Penn National, Phil Ruffin, Sports, Sports betting, The Strip, Twin River, Wall Street | 1 Comment

You, me and Derek

Being snowed under with unrelated work today, I thought you might enjoy this interview I conducted with Derek Stevens for Casino Life, available as an online PDF. Please advise me if you experience any technical difficulties.

Posted in Derek Stevens, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Sports, Sports betting, The Strip, TV | 2 Comments

Trop in trouble; Sands has a plan; Super Bowl to Vegas?

We know that the Tropicana Las Vegas is being positioned for a sale (potentially to Twin River Holdings) but does that alone explain the pink-slipping of 828 employees, a drastic move? Placed in the context of other cutbacks, like the … Continue reading

Posted in AGA, Caesars Entertainment, Charity, Cirque du Soleil, Conventions, Dining, Economy, Entertainment, G2E, Health, Las Vegas Sands, Louisiana, MGM Resorts International, Penn National, Planet Hollywood, Politics, Resort fees, Security, Sports, TV, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Missouri wilts; Encore closes (sorta); Station upgraded

Pent-up demand and stimulus checks appear to be sputtering across the Midwest. Missouri casinos were down 7.5% last month, grossing $129.5 million. Slots ($112 million) were off 6% and table games tumbled 17%. Top grosser in the state was Ameristar … Continue reading

Posted in Australia, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Century Casinos, Downtown, Economy, Hard Rock International, International, James Packer, Marketing, MGM Resorts International, Missouri, Mohegan Sun, Palms, Penn National, Regulation, Sports, Sports betting, Station Casinos, The Strip, Transportation, Twin River, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Missouri wilts; Encore closes (sorta); Station upgraded

Kings for a day; Covid’s casino kingpin

As you know, DraftKings is the current darling of Wall Street, its stock hovering around $50/share. Today Credit Suisse analyst Ben Chaiken initiated coverage with an “outperform” rating, putting a $76/share price target on the stock. He even went to … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Australia, Brazil, Caesars Entertainment, California, China, Crown Resorts, DraftKings, Economy, FanDuel, Golden Nugget, Health, IGT, Illinois, Internet gambling, Japan, Lake Tahoe, Las Vegas Raiders, Las Vegas Sands, Law enforcement, Lotteries, Louisiana, Macau, Maverick Gaming, MGM Resorts International, Nebraska, Rush Street Gaming, Sports, Sports betting, Technology, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, TV, Twin River, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment