Category Archives: Sports

Heard along the Strip

Posted on September 16, 2019 by David McKee

Circus Circus, the casino Jim Murren said he would never, ever sell (because his kids liked it so much) is reported to be on the auction block. The Murren kids are grown and MGM Resorts International has never formulated a … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Canada, Cosmopolitan, Culinary Union, Eldorado Resorts, MGM Resorts International, North Las Vegas, Phil Ruffin, Planet Hollywood, Problem gambling, SLS Las Vegas, Sports, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, World Series of Poker, Wynn Resorts | 2 Comments

Maryland good, Illinois becalmed, MGM furious

Posted on September 9, 2019 by David McKee

Maryland‘s casino industry showed continued health last month, up 5.5%. MGM National Harbor had 40.5% of market share while Maryland Live corralled 34.5% of trade. MGM grossed $62.5 million, with low-tax table games up 10% as opposed to only 4% … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Connecticut, Cordish Co., Eldorado Resorts, GLPI, Golden Gaming, Hard Rock International, Illinois, International, Internet gambling, Las Vegas Raiders, Las Vegas Sands, Law enforcement, Lotteries, Macau, Maryland, Mohegan Sun, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Rush Street Gaming, Slot routes, South Dakota, Sports, Wall Street, West Virginia | 1 Comment

Stitt, tribes: “You first”; Sports betting blocked in Maine

Posted on September 4, 2019 by David McKee

Although he said that “we table the issue of the renewal or termination date of the exiting compact, and use our time more productively by focusing on coming to a shared vision of gaming in Oklahoma for the future,” Oklahoma … Continue reading →

Posted in Las Vegas Raiders, Maine, Mandalay Bay Massacre, MGM Resorts International, Oklahoma, Real Estate, Sports, Sports betting, Taxes, The Strip, Tribal | Comments Off on Stitt, tribes: “You first”; Sports betting blocked in Maine

Sports betting vexed in Massachusetts; Start spreading the news, they’re leaving today—and how!

Posted on August 30, 2019 by David McKee

Don’t expect sports betting in Massachusetts: Not now, maybe never. Why? Two words: Rhode Island. That state counted on $23 million in tax revenue from sports wagers—a ludicrous figure—and got $2 million. Bay State lawmakers are not only sobered by the … Continue reading →

Posted in Arizona, Connecticut, Economy, Environment, Florida, Las Vegas Raiders, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Nevada, New York, Politics, Problem gambling, Rhode Island, Sports, Sports betting | Comments Off on Sports betting vexed in Massachusetts; Start spreading the news, they’re leaving today—and how!

Baccarat hamstrings the Strip

Posted on August 28, 2019 by David McKee

July would have been a good month for the Las Vegas Strip were it not for a wipeout at baccarat: down 26% on 15% less wagering, so luck was definitely not with the house. Overall, Strip revenues were up 1.5% … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, Churchill Downs, Downtown, Illinois, Lake Tahoe, Las Vegas Raiders, Laughlin, Nevada, North Las Vegas, Racinos, Reno, Rush Street Gaming, Sports, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation, Wall Street | Comments Off on Baccarat hamstrings the Strip

Resort fees likely to worsen; Fertitta preaches caution

Posted on August 22, 2019 by David McKee

All hail Terry Caudill. His Four Queens is one of the very few hotel-casinos in Las Vegas to eschew resort fees. At least that’s what the Reno Gazette-Journal tells us. The RGJ took a deep dive into the resort-fee issue … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Downtown, Economy, Eldorado Resorts, Full House Resorts, Indiana, International, Internet gambling, Laughlin, Law enforcement, MGM Resorts International, Penn National, Resort fees, Sports, Sports betting, Terry Caudill, Tilman Fertitta, Wall Street | 2 Comments

MGM Springfield plays rope-a-dope; Big break for Cordish

Posted on August 20, 2019 by David McKee

With MGM Springfield well short of revenue projections (and cutting jobs), President Michael Mathis was sent out to do PR damage control. “I feel good about the trajectory,” he claimed. He blamed Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun for the shortfall: We … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Arkansas, Cordish Co., Delaware, Dining, Economy, Election, Foxwoods, Iowa, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Rhode Island, Rush Street Gaming, Sports, Sports betting, Taxes, Tribal, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Gaming and its discontents

Posted on August 19, 2019 by David McKee

Iowa, Nebraska and Council Bluffs continue to have their collective ass kicked in court by the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska. The latest drubbing occurred in federal district court. The plaintiffs filed motions arguing that, since Judge Stephanie Rose had asked … Continue reading →

Posted in Cambodia, Connecticut, Cordish Co., Foxwoods, Genting, Iowa, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, Money laundering, Nebraska, New York, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, Sports betting, Tourism, Transportation, Tribal, Wall Street | 2 Comments

Chicago: Lightfoot’s folly; Penn mulls Trop expansion

Posted on August 19, 2019 by David McKee

Between 72% taxes and 30% operating costs, a Chicago casino is a money-losing proposition, at best one eking out a 3% profit. Union Gaming Group minced few words, reporting, “The [$15 million] reconciliation fee alone would wipe out any profits generated … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, Eldorado Resorts, GLPI, Illinois, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Penn National, Politics, Slot routes, Sports, Sports betting, Taxes, Texas, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Tribal, Wall Street, West Virginia | 4 Comments

Encore vanquishing competition; Newcomers dominate Atlantic City

Posted on August 19, 2019 by David McKee

Encore Boston Harbor, the best-smelling casino on the East Coast, had a crushing month, its first full one of operation. Its $48.5 million in revenue accounted for 60% of all Massachusetts gaming revenues. That breaks down as almost $1.6 million/day … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, Connecticut, Detroit, Eldorado Resorts, Entertainment, Foxwoods, Greenwood Racing, Hard Rock International, Internet gambling, Marketing, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, Ocean Resort, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Rush Street Gaming, Sports, Sports betting, Tilman Fertitta, Tribal, Wynn Resorts | 2 Comments

Rowdy night in Boston; Stitt’s standoff

Posted on August 13, 2019 by David McKee

All hell broke loose at Encore Boston Harbor in the wee hours of Monday morning. The first brawl broke out as nightclub patrons were leaving Mémoire. It was so bad that police had to call in backup. According to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Donald Trump, Election, International, Internet gambling, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Philippines, Politics, Problem gambling, Regulation, Sports, Sports betting, Taxes, Tribal, Wall Street, William Hill, Wynn Resorts | 2 Comments

El Paso, Dayton … Las Vegas?

Posted on August 12, 2019 by David McKee

Las Vegas, if you’ll pardon the pun, dodged a bullet when the FBI apprehended a man bent on killing large numbers of Jews and gay people. Conor Climo, the alleged bomber, has been linked to the white-supremacist netherworld and supposedly … Continue reading →

Posted in Churchill Downs, Connecticut, Current, Downtown, Foxwoods, Full House Resorts, Indiana, Kentucky, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Racinos, Sports, Sports betting, Wall Street | Comments Off on El Paso, Dayton … Las Vegas?

Hooters out, Oyo in?; Crown in hot water

Posted on August 5, 2019 by David McKee

Hooters Hotel Casino, the brand that should have worked in Las Vegas but didn’t, may finally be on the way out. VitalVegas reports that hotelier Highgate may be rechristening Hooters with its Oyo brand. Highgate already operates hotels in the … Continue reading →

Posted in AGA, Atlantic City, Australia, Crown Resorts, Detroit, Diversity, Environment, Hooters, Illinois, James Packer, Law enforcement, Louisiana, Marketing, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Money laundering, Paragon Gaming, Penn National, South Carolina, Sports, Sports betting, The Strip | 2 Comments

Tribes brush off Stitt; MGM riles Jewish community

Posted on July 29, 2019 by David McKee

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt‘s proposal to levy higher exclusivity fees on the Sooner State’s 134 tribal casinos continues to go over like a lead balloon. The guv finds himself in receipt of a letter from all of the state’s gaming-enabled … Continue reading →

Posted in AGA, Atlantic City, California, history, International, Macau, Marketing, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, Ohio, Oklahoma, Phil Ruffin, Sports, The Strip, Transportation, Tribal, TV | 1 Comment

California: Child brides and gambling don’t mix

Posted on July 17, 2019 by David McKee

One of the weirdest gaming stories ever is playing out in California. Both Ted Kingston and Joseph Kingston, 95% owners of Lake Elsinore Casino, are tied to the Kingston Group, a polygamist sect that the Southern Poverty Law Center has … Continue reading →

Posted in Arkansas, California, Florida, Law enforcement, Nevada, New Jersey, Sports, Sports betting, The Mob | 1 Comment

Sports wagering, ‘Net bets power New Jersey; Slow month in Pennsylvania

Posted on July 15, 2019 by David McKee

Despite being 7% down on a same-store basis, Atlantic City casino revenues grew 14% last month. The $236 million gross represents a 3.5% downturn in slot winnings (down 8.5% same-store) but a 26% jump at the tables (down 3.5% same-store). … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Eldorado Resorts, Greenwood Racing, Hard Rock International, Internet gambling, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, Movies, Ocean Resort, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Rush Street Gaming, Sports, Sports betting, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Tribal | 1 Comment

Whales super-lucky on the Strip; New Jersey tops Nevada

Posted on June 28, 2019 by David McKee

Last month was the busiest in McCarran International Airport history, seeing 4,590,539 arrivals and departures. Unfortunately for the casinos, this did not translate into record prosperity. Far from it. Gross gaming revenue toppled 11% to $517.5 million. Slots were a bright … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, Culinary Union, Downtown, International, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Law enforcement, Macau, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Las Vegas, Palms, Reno, Sports, Sports betting, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal, William Hill | Comments Off on Whales super-lucky on the Strip; New Jersey tops Nevada

Vegas gets first tribal casino

Posted on June 26, 2019 by David McKee

My doctor says it behooves me to take it easy, so that can mean only one thing … news briefs! If you were waiting for Native American tribes to put down roots in Las Vegas, wait no longer. Virgin Hotels … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Meruelo, Animals, Arizona, Boyd Gaming, Downtown, Entertainment, Florida, Hard Rock Hotel, Law enforcement, Marketing, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, Movies, Sahara, SLS Las Vegas, Sports, Tamares Group, The Strip, Transportation | Comments Off on Vegas gets first tribal casino

Case Bets

Posted on June 14, 2019 by David McKee

* Shares in Australian casino company Star Entertainment tumbled after it disclosed that the U.S./China trade war is impinging on profitability. “The very large VIPs continue to travel but they don’t take as many risks as they have in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Australia, Canada, Economy, Genting, International, Law enforcement, Macau, Mississippi, Mohegan Sun, New Mexico, New York, Penn National, Philippines, Rush Street Gaming, Sports, Sports betting | Comments Off on Case Bets

Record year for U.S. casinos; Boyd lauded

Posted on June 11, 2019 by David McKee

While the gaming industry seems to be straining at the limits of how far it can expand in the good old U.S. of A. the numbers don’t lie: The casino industry posted a record $41.7 billion last year. That’s a … Continue reading →

Posted in AGA, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Economy, Full House Resorts, Illinois, Indiana, Majestic Star, Penn National, Sports, Transportation, Wall Street | Comments Off on Record year for U.S. casinos; Boyd lauded