Category Archives: Stanley Ho

Atlantic City: Christie’s coup d’etat

Posted on July 21, 2010 by David McKee

Last week, I tried to work up a piece entitled, “Atlantic City, R.I.P.” After all, the Boardwalk had just come off a catastrophic June, impacted by table games in Delaware. Since table games were in process of sweeping Pennsylvania, from … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Colony Capital, Columbia Sussex, Current, Donald Trump, Economy, Entertainment, Harrah's, history, Horseracing, International, Internet gambling, Macau, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Midnight Jim Gibbons, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Pinnacle Entertainment, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Stanley Ho, Taxes, The Mob, Tourism | 6 Comments

It’s Sheldon’s world, we just live in it

Posted on July 9, 2010 by David McKee

Oh, how I envy Sheldon Adelson. My own hair grows thinner and grayer while his becomes thicker and darker. (The photo at left, shows Classic Sheldon, circa 1999.) But I digress … Adelson is one of the stars of an … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, CityCenter, Cosmopolitan, Current, Economy, Florida, International, Macau, Pennsylvania, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Stanley Ho, Taxes, Texas, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street | 4 Comments

Around the horn

Posted on July 8, 2010 by David McKee

Iowa‘s casino revenues last month were nearly the textbook definition of “flat”: up a tenth of a percent, the first revenue-positive month since February 2009. (Hey, growth is growth. We’ll take it.) The drag anchor on revs was Harrah’s Entertainment, … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Boyd Gaming, Carl Icahn, CityCenter, Current, Detroit, Don Barden, Economy, Entertainment, Harrah's, Horseracing, Illinois, Indiana, International, Iowa, Isle of Capri, Macau, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Missouri, Pansy Ho, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, Regulation, Stanley Ho, Tribal, Tropicana Entertainment, TV | 2 Comments

Cool breeze from Macao; Harrah’s panty raid stymied

Posted on June 11, 2010 by David McKee

One of Stanley Ho‘s lieutenants has scanned the 2010 horizon and doesn’t like what he sees. Sociedade de Jogos de Macau division president Frank McFadden believes VIP play will soften in 3Q-4Q10, as stock-market losses take their toll (a viewed … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Detroit, Economy, Harrah's, Harry Reid, James Packer, Kansas, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Marketing, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Planet Hollywood, Politics, Regulation, Rhode Island, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho, Steve Wynn | 6 Comments

Harrah’s $1.5B Bratislava bet; Marina Bay Sands booms; Falcons swoop upon Hilton, etc.

Posted on June 2, 2010 by David McKee

With almost no exception other than The Newspaper That Shall Remain Nameless, a $1.85 billion Metropolis project headed up by Harrah’s Entertainment has flown completely under the radar of the U.S. media ever since its announcement last October. Oh, some … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Atlantic City, Colony Capital, Current, Economy, Environment, Genting, Harrah's, International, James Packer, Labor, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Pansy Ho, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Stanley Ho, Steve Wynn, Tribal, TV, Wall Street | 2 Comments

Shel & Bill, together again; Coup for HRH

Posted on May 25, 2010 by David McKee

As though yoked by karma, Las Vegas Sands CEO Sheldon Adelson and former sidekick William Weidner — the Jon & Kate Gosselin of the casino industry — seem destined to remain unwillingly chained together through eternity. Most recently, they’ve been … Continue reading →

Posted in CityCenter, Current, Downtown, Economy, Genting, Harrah's, Herbst Gaming, M Resort, Macau, Marketing, Massachusetts, Morgans Hotel Group, Pennsylvania, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho, Texas, Tilman Fertitta, Tourism, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off on Shel & Bill, together again; Coup for HRH

Quote of the Day

Posted on May 13, 2010 by David McKee

“The original Lisboa project marks a rare occasion that SJM subscribed to the build-it-and-they-will-come theory of development that drives most of its rivals. The tactic usually involves spending borrowed money like a drunken sailor in an attempt to lead the … Continue reading →

Posted in Macau, Marketing, Stanley Ho | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Macao’s best month ever

Posted on May 3, 2010 by David McKee

Pace T.S. Eliot, April was not the cruelest month for Macao. Quite the contrary: The protectorate posted gambling revenues of $1.72 billion, a single-month record. Galaxy Entertainment (whose new Cotai Strip™ pleasure palace is pictured, above) brought up the rear, … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Economy, International, James Packer, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho, Steve Wynn | Comments Off on Macao’s best month ever

MGM pre-reports

Posted on April 14, 2010 by David McKee

Aria: Nice rooms; anybody there? First, the good news: A managerial shakeup at MGM Grand Macau yielded a $54 million swing in operating income, turning what had been a modest loss last year into a considerable profit in 1Q10. Also, … Continue reading →

Posted in CityCenter, Detroit, Economy, Illinois, Macau, MGM Mirage, Pansy Ho, Stanley Ho, The Strip, Wall Street | 8 Comments

Blast from the past

Posted on April 13, 2010 by David McKee

Ever wonder what the then-Portugese enclave was like before Stanley Ho came along and built a casino empire that would change the visage of Macao irrevocably and beyond recognition, potentially eclipsing Las Vegas itself? Here are some vignettes circa 1960.

Posted in Current, Macau, Stanley Ho | 4 Comments

Quote of the Day

Posted on April 13, 2010 by David McKee

“This is a Nevada variation of ‘too big to fail.’ The big growth market is Asia, and if you want to be in the gaming business you need to be in Asia. Therefore, you have to do things the way … Continue reading →

Posted in International, Macau, MGM Mirage, Pansy Ho, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho, Steve Wynn, The Mob | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

MGM, Sands & the cone of silence

Posted on April 8, 2010 by David McKee

While Las Vegas Review-Journal Publisher Sherman Frederick was fretting about the “troubling egg caper” in Searchlight, Nev., his newspaper wasn’t losing much sleep over a double-barreled casino scandal. Either a sudden malady had wiped out the gaming desk or somebody … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Current, Election, Harry Reid, Illinois, Macau, Marketing, MGM Mirage, North Las Vegas, Pansy Ho, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho, The Mob | Comments Off on MGM, Sands & the cone of silence

Rose prophetic re: Macao

Posted on April 5, 2010 by David McKee

While Las Vegas newspapers have been reticent regarding the regulatory can of worms opened by recent findings about the Macanese operations of Las Vegas Sands and MGM Mirage, veteran gaming legal analyst I. Nelson Rose has felt no such compunction. … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Detroit, Economy, Illinois, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Pansy Ho, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho, The Mob | 1 Comment

S**t hits MGM, Sands fan

Posted on April 1, 2010 by David McKee

Local newspapers — and bloggers — have been slow to pick up on a couple of Reuters dispatches that show — as some doomsayers prognosticated — that involvement in Macao is coming back to bite the U.S. casino industry in … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, CityCenter, Detroit, Illinois, Macau, Mississippi, Pansy Ho, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho, The Mob | 5 Comments

There are no triads in Macao

Posted on March 30, 2010 by David McKee

Yeah, and if you believe that, boy, do I have a dandy bridge in Brooklyn to sell you. Not only are triads alive, well and operating in Macao, they succeeded in infiltrating Sands Macao, according to a detailed investigative report … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Economy, Florida, International, Macau, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Stanley Ho, The Mob | 2 Comments

MGM & Stanley Ho: The consequences of desperation

Posted on March 23, 2010 by David McKee

Contrary to the confident prediction of Las Vegas Review-Journal Publisher Sherman Frederick, the ramifications of the report of the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement on the relationship between MGM Mirage, Pansy Ho and father Stanley Ho have been as … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, International, Macau, MGM Mirage, Pansy Ho, Regulation, Stanley Ho, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Quote of the Day

Posted on March 22, 2010 by David McKee

“For two days in a row, the [American Gaming Association] Internet site that aggregates gaming industry stories has totally ignored all of the stories about the [New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement] report on the relationship between MGM Mirage and … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Current, G2E, Macau, MGM Mirage, Pansy Ho, Regulation, Stanley Ho | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Case Bets: Gibbons vs. gaming; Pansy Ho; R-J shocked, shocked!; Rat Pack not back

Posted on March 19, 2010 by David McKee

First off, a hearty S&G salute to Steve Friess, named “Best Blogger” by the readers of Las Vegas CityLife. (Yes, I was nominated but didn’t even make it into second place. I’ll live.) As you scroll — and scroll — … Continue reading →

Posted in Colony Capital, Columbia Sussex, Economy, Entertainment, Macau, Midnight Jim Gibbons, New York, Pansy Ho, Regulation, Sahara, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho, Taxes, Technology, The Mob, The Strip, Tourism | 3 Comments

Quote of the Day

Posted on March 18, 2010 by David McKee

“These tall edifices produced a disturbing impression, for they were held to invade the realms and to jeopardise the composure of the feng-shui. These were the spirits of wind and water … all that needs to be said about them … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, International, Macau, Stanley Ho | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Exonerating Adelson

Posted on March 17, 2010 by David McKee

While Las Vegas Sands CEO Sheldon Adelson might approve of Gary Kreep‘s recent PAC-tivities, inasmuch as they redound to the detriment of competitor MGM Mirage, he’s not behind them. Or, to put it another way, if Adelson’s been involved it … Continue reading →

Posted in California, CityCenter, Current, Dubai, Election, Florida, Macau, MGM Mirage, Morgans Hotel Group, Politics, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho | 5 Comments