Category Archives: Sports

Vegas: Locals outperform the Strip; Sisolak nuked

Posted on January 31, 2019 by David McKee

Nevada gaming revenue was up 4% last month, just a few hundred thousand shy of an even billion dollars, even though the Las Vegas Strip was relatively stagnant. Strong baccarat win by the house (jumping 14.5%) was offset by 3% … Continue reading →

Posted in AGA, Aristocrat, Boulder Strip, Donald Trump, Downtown, Environment, IGT, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Mesquite, Nevada, Regulation, Reno, Scientific Games, South Carolina, Sports, Sports betting, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off

Pac-12 to Vegas?; Climate change rattles travel industry

Posted on January 30, 2019 by David McKee

Pac-12 football championship play could be coming to Las Vegas. I emphasize the “could” because there are several moving parts to this story, including the possibility that Las Vegas and Los Angeles are pawns in the conference’s attempts to shake … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Bruce Deifik, California, Environment, International, Sports, Sports betting, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation | Comments Off

Survey says: Las Vegas bad for NFL; Power struggle in Macao

Posted on January 28, 2019 by David McKee

Put me in the one-third of Americans surveyed who wouldn’t give up their annual bonus to see their team win the Super Bowl. That’s one of the findings of a WalletHub study that, incredibly (at least to me) ranks Las … Continue reading →

Posted in Arkansas, Caesars Entertainment, California, Entertainment, Indiana, Internet gambling, Japan, Las Vegas Raiders, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Massachusetts, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, New Jersey, Ohio, Pansy Ho, Pennsylvania, Racinos, Regulation, Rush Street Gaming, Scientific Games, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, Sports, Sports betting, Technology, Tourism, Wall Street, Wisconsin | Comments Off

Super Bowl generates heavy action; Hard Rock marquee finds retirement home

Posted on January 28, 2019 by David McKee

$325 million. That’s the legal handle that PlayUSA.com is predicting will be wagered on Super Bowl LIII. Nevada will have the plurality of bets, some $160 million, with New Jersey seeing $100 million in action, including online wagers. The nascent … Continue reading →

Posted in AGA, Arizona, CityCenter, Entertainment, Hard Rock Hotel, history, International, Internet gambling, Mississippi, Movies, New Jersey, New Mexico, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Sports, Sports betting, Tourism, West Virginia | Comments Off

Sands disappoints Wall Street

Posted on January 24, 2019 by David McKee

Las Vegas Sands reported 4Q18 results yesterday and the result wasn’t what Wall Street had been hoping. Take the rapidly morphing reaction of Credit Suisse analyst Cameron McKnight. He went from “Good Read Thru” to “Disappointing 4Q Against Elevated Expectations” … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, MGM Resorts International, Singapore, Sports, Sports betting, The Strip, Transportation, Wall Street | Comments Off

AFL goes to A.C.; Majestic Star coming ashore?

Posted on January 22, 2019 by David McKee

In keeping with the new and hard-won sense of prosperity in Atlantic City, the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority hopes to bring arena football to the Boardwalk, specifically to Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall. The early talk is a of three-year public/private partnership … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, DFS, Economy, history, Indiana, Law enforcement, Macau, Majestic Star, Politics, Sports, Sports betting, Taxes | Comments Off

Massachusetts mulls sports betting

Posted on January 21, 2019 by David McKee

Massachusetts is expected to be one of the prime movers on the sports-betting front and, to that end, three bills have been filed in the Lege, no doubt much to the interest of homeboys DraftKings, the New England Patriots and … Continue reading →

Posted in Dining, IGT, Macau, Marketing, Massachusetts, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, Mississippi, Penn National, Politics, South Dakota, Sports, Sports betting | Comments Off

Adelson sparks firestorm

Posted on January 21, 2019 by David McKee

When Bill Miller was appointed CEO of the American Gaming Association, we speculated that his relationship with Sheldon Adelson would be “less strained” than that of predecessor Geoff Freeman. Indeed, that already seems to be the case. It would account … Continue reading →

Posted in AGA, Carl Icahn, Churchill Downs, Delaware, DFS, Eldorado Resorts, Florida, Geoff Freeman, Illinois, Internet gambling, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, Sports betting, Steve Wynn, Tropicana Entertainment, Wall Street, William Hill, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off

Wall Street says the “R” word; The wrath of Rufus Peabody

Posted on January 17, 2019 by David McKee

Credit Suisse analyst Cameron McKnight has uttered the word most dreaded around Las Vegas: recession. He’s even come up with some projections. “Based on our long-term Strip model, we can see a recession scenario for the Strip in which revenue … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Caesars Entertainment, Economy, Indiana, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Politics, Sports, Sports betting, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off

FanDuel fumbles; Cuomo beats Senecas

Posted on January 10, 2019 by David McKee

“It has been a dominant season for the Crimson Tide and our traders have seen enough.” With those words, FanDuel proceeded to pay out $400,000 to University of Alabama bettors, even though the national collegiate championship game had not yet … Continue reading →

Posted in history, MGM Resorts International, New York, Sports, Sports betting, Taxes, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off

Sports betting gearing up in Pennsylvania; Downtown Grand expands

Posted on January 9, 2019 by David McKee

It will be all systems ‘go’ for sports betting at Parx Casino tomorrow if the casino successfully completes a test run today. This would make Parx the fourth Pennsylvania casino to offer sports wagering, preceded by Hollywood Casino, near Harrisburg, Rivers … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Downtown Grand, Genting, Greenwood Racing, International, Midnight Jim Gibbons, New Jersey, Penn National, Pets, Problem gambling, Rush Street Gaming, Sports, Sports betting | Comments Off

MGM gets new admirer; Okada busted again

Posted on January 8, 2019 by David McKee

JP Morgan has initiated analyst-focus coverage of MGM Resorts International “as we see an increasingly favorable setup for 2019” that includes “relatively low expectations in Las Vegas.” Morgan analyst Joseph Greff applauded the upcoming pogrom of the MGM workforce, as well … Continue reading →

Posted in Caesars Entertainment, Detroit, Entertainment, Foxwoods, Kazuo Okada, Law enforcement, Louisiana, Macau, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, New York, Ohio, Penn National, Philippines, Regulation, Rhode Island, Sports, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Reid rages against the dying of the light; Michigan nixes Net bets

Posted on January 4, 2019 by David McKee

Nevada‘s most famous gaming regulator is dying. Harry Reid has pancreatic cancer and we’d say he’s throwing verbal restraint to the winds now that he has nothing to lose — but that has always been Reid’s style. The New York … Continue reading →

Posted in AGA, Caesars Entertainment, Donald Trump, Harry Reid, history, Internet gambling, Japan, Massachusetts, Politics, Regulation, Sexual misconduct, Sports, Sports betting, Tourism, Transportation, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off

Berman returns; All-star New Year’s Eve

Posted on December 28, 2018 by David McKee

Don’t say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Lyle Berman, 77, who was once in on the ground floor of tribal gaming is now purchasing two companies with the purpose of merging them to form an e-sports major … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Caesars Entertainment, California, Downtown, e-sports, Economy, Entertainment, Genting, International, Lyle Berman, Marketing, MGM Resorts International, Nevada, PokerStars, Security, Sports, Sports betting, The Strip, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off

Bad idea refuses to die; E-sports comes to the Boardwalk

Posted on December 20, 2018 by David McKee

Sens, Chuck Schumer (D) and Orrin Hatch (R), forever in search of bad ideas to espouse, it would seem, have introduced the Sports Wagering Market Integrity Act of 2018. There’s no mention of Hatch’s cockamamie notion of individual states having … Continue reading →

Posted in AGA, Atlantic City, Dining, e-sports, Economy, Marketing, MGM Resorts International, New Jersey, Politics, Racinos, Sports, Sports betting, Station Casinos, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street | 1 Comment

New boss at AGA; Route 91 Harvest returns

Posted on December 17, 2018 by David McKee

Replacing Geoff Freeman, the American Gaming Association has tapped Business Roundtable Senior Vice President for Government Relations Bill Miller. A Beltway lobbyist of two decades’ standing, Miller should be able to hit the ground running. Thirteen years of lobbying on … Continue reading →

Posted in AGA, Baseball, Caesars Entertainment, California, Eldorado Resorts, Entertainment, Geoff Freeman, Greenwood Racing, Las Vegas Sands, Law enforcement, Mandalay Bay Massacre, MGM Resorts International, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Rush Street Gaming, Scientific Games, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, Sports betting, Tamares Group, The Strip, Tribal, TV | 3 Comments

Atlantic City sparks controversy; Resort fee change at Cosmo

Posted on December 14, 2018 by David McKee

Faced with a 9% drop in operating profit at Atlantic City casinos, pundits are squaring off as to whether this means doom for the laggards. Analyst Tony Marino told The Press of Atlantic City that it “might be wise to … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Cosmopolitan, Economy, International, Internet gambling, Neil Bluhm, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Resort fees, Rush Street Gaming, Sports, Sports betting, Technology, The Strip, Transportation, Wynn Resorts | 2 Comments

Where Raiders go, trouble follows

Posted on December 13, 2018 by David McKee

It was announced today that the 2020 NFL draft will be held in Las Vegas. However, it could be like a ship stranded in a sand dune. The City of Oakland is suing the league and the Oakland Raiders for … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Reno, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, Texas, The Strip | Comments Off

Vegas ranks high for New Year’s Eve; MGM Springfield initiates bus service

Posted on December 10, 2018 by David McKee

WalletHub is out with a New Year’s Eve survey that ranks Las Vegas as the fifth-best city in which to celebrate the holiday, New York City (of course) led the list, followed by Los Angeles, Atlanta (see, we need casinos … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, California, Connecticut, Foxwoods, Georgia, Japan, Lawrence Ho, Marketing, Massachusetts, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, New Hampshire, New York, Philippines, Problem gambling, Reno, Sports, The Strip, Transportation, Tribal | Comments Off

Quote of the Day

Posted on December 4, 2018 by David McKee

“We’re actually offended by that concept. Our whole business model is based on integrity. We don’t feel we need to pay a fee to do what we do every single day. But we are willing to pay and pay well for … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball, MGM Resorts International, Sports, Sports betting | 2 Comments