Category Archives: Steven Witkoff

Encore dominates Massachusetts; Penn touted; Fontainebleau jilted

Posted on October 15, 2021 by David McKee

Gaming revenues in Massachusetts were up 10% from September 2019, reaching $89 million. The lion’s share (65%) went to Encore Boston Harbor, leaping 17.5% to $57.5 million—$7 million more than Deutsche Bank analyst Carlo Santarelli expected. (Encore also disclosed some … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Caesars Entertainment, Detroit, DraftKings, Economy, Entertainment, FanDuel, Fontainebleau, FoxBet, Golden Nugget, Health, Internet gambling, Lake Tahoe, Marketing, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Michigan, Mohegan Sun, Ocean Resort, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Rush Street Gaming, Singapore, Sports, Sports betting, Steven Witkoff, The Strip, TV, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Real estate frenzy on the Strip; Barrack busted; Masks redux

Posted on July 21, 2021 by David McKee

Setting foot inside Aztec Inn Casino is not for the faint of heart. But its owners think they’re sitting on a gold mine. It and a gaggle of properties that includes Golden Skull Tattoo and Diversity Tattoo is on the … Continue reading →

Posted in BetMGM, Caesars Entertainment, California, Colony Capital, Donald Trump, DraftKings, Fontainebleau, Health, International, Law enforcement, MGM Resorts International, Phil Ruffin, PointsBet, Real Estate, Reno, Sports, Sports betting, Steven Witkoff, The Strip, Tribal | 1 Comment

F-blue returns from the grave; Caesars socks it to you

Posted on February 15, 2021 by David McKee

The Thing That Wouldn’t Die, aka Fontainebleau, is back again. Former owner Steven Witkoff has sold it to Koch Real Estate Investments for an undisclosed price. Considering that Witkoff bought it from Carl Icahn for $600 million and estimated that … Continue reading →

Posted in Arizona, Caesars Entertainment, Carl Icahn, Economy, Eldorado Resorts, Entertainment, Fontainebleau, Harry Reid, history, Horseracing, Illinois, Law enforcement, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, Planet Hollywood, Racinos, Resorts World LV, Steven Witkoff, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation, Tribal, Virgin Hotels, Wall Street | 5 Comments

Bad news and more bad news

Posted on August 28, 2020 by David McKee

Strip gaming revenue, ‘meh’ though it was, actually looks good in the context of Las Vegas visitation in July, which plummeted 61%. There hasn’t been a convention since April, which certainly hurts. Air travel was horrible, down 64%, while drive-in … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Dining, Downtown, e-sports, Economy, Failsinos, Hard Rock International, MGM Resorts International, Oklahoma, Penn National, Politics, Sports betting, Steven Witkoff, Technology, The Strip, Tribal, TV | 2 Comments

All systems go at Ocean

Posted on July 1, 2020 by David McKee

Ocean Casino Resort CEO Terry Glebocki lays out how the former Revel weathered the Coronavirus shutdown, which is expected to lift tomorrow. Her first move was to suspend revenue-sharing agreements with slot manufacturers. After all, there was no revenue to … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Baseball, Cirque du Soleil, Entertainment, Health, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Ocean Resort, Penn National, Scientific Games, Steven Witkoff, Texas, Transportation, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 2 Comments

Case Bets

Posted on June 29, 2020 by David McKee

Rather than have a Vegas-only policy, MGM Resorts International has chosen to make face masks mandatory for customers at all its properties nationwide. It might cost them a little bit of business but it’s the right thing to do. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Caesars Entertainment, California, Dining, Health, International, Las Vegas Sands, Maryland, MGM Resorts International, Palms, Steve Wynn, Steven Witkoff | 2 Comments

Upbeat at Churchill Downs

Posted on June 18, 2020 by David McKee

JP Morgan analysts met virtually with Churchill Downs brass, including CEO Bill Carstanjen. The news was good to great. First things first, the Kentucky Derby is expected to be run with spectators (CHDN execs are keeping an eye on what … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Churchill Downs, Dan Lee, Delaware, Dining, e-sports, Full House Resorts, Horseracing, Illinois, Kentucky, Macau, Maine, MGM Resorts International, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Politics, Regulation, Rhode Island, Sports, Sports betting, Steven Witkoff, Taxes, The Strip, Twin River, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Station reopens bullishly; Who was that masked man, anyway?

Posted on June 4, 2020 by David McKee

On the eve of today’s reopening, Station Casinos hosted a conference call with JP Morgan analysts and was pretty darn confident that its base of Baby Boomers and retirees would flock back. So confident is that Station “has not been … Continue reading →

Posted in Australia, Caesars Entertainment, Cirque du Soleil, Crown Resorts, Derek Stevens, Downtown, Entertainment, Health, Las Vegas Sands, Marketing, MGM Resorts International, Palms, Planet Hollywood, Real Estate, Resort fees, Station Casinos, Steven Witkoff, Tamares Group, Terry Caudill, The Rio, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street | 3 Comments

The Drew is through; Stevens’ green shoots

Posted on June 3, 2020 by David McKee

Would somebody please implode Fontainebleau already? It’s an eyesore, a civic embarrassment and a product for which demand does not exist. We perhaps should be saying “The Drew” but—per Scott Roeben‘s all-but-infallible VitalVegas, The Drew is in default, meaning that … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball, Carl Icahn, Derek Stevens, Downtown, Economy, Fontainebleau, Health, Horseracing, Illinois, Phil Ruffin, South Korea, Sports, Sports betting, Steven Witkoff, Technology, Tourism, Transportation | 1 Comment

Vegas casinos can reopen, sorta; Hard Rock returns

Posted on May 15, 2020 by David McKee

Want to go back to a Las Vegas casino? Now you can. In a well-meant directive that seems to be sowing a certain amount of confusion, the Nevada Gaming Control Board stated that during the current Phase I, casinos could … Continue reading →

Posted in Caesars Entertainment, Cosmopolitan, Cretins, Dining, Economy, Georgia, Hard Rock International, Lotteries, Maryland, Massachusetts, Movies, Oregon, Penn National, Real Estate, Sahara, Steven Witkoff, The Strip, Virgin Hotels | 2 Comments

Las Vegas: What next and when?

Posted on April 10, 2020 by David McKee

While everyone from Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman up to the highest ranks of the federal government trying to rush people back to work, we’re forced to consider what Sin City will look like after the Coronavirus pandemic … and when … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Dining, Economy, Health, Lotteries, Macau, Marketing, MGM Resorts International, Resort fees, Sports, Station Casinos, Steven Witkoff, Technology, The Strip | 3 Comments

Penn/Barstool deal a home run; Blatstein lightens Showboat ship

Posted on January 31, 2020 by David McKee

Shares of Penn National Gaming jumped 12% on news of its 36% acquisition of Barstool Sports. Penn plans to unroll a Barstool-branded line of sports books, online applications and mobile-wagering services. Barstool, in turn, will promote Penn until 2060 … … Continue reading →

Posted in AGA, Atlantic City, Caesars Entertainment, Derek Stevens, Downtown, Fontainebleau, Golden Gaming, Hard Rock Hotel, Japan, Las Vegas Sands, LVCVA, Massachusetts, Maverick Gaming, MGM Resorts International, Palms, Penn National, Problem gambling, Regulation, Resorts World LV, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Steven Witkoff, Technology, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street, Washington State, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

California scheming; Exploitation in Cambodia

Posted on January 13, 2020 by David McKee

Don’t hold your water but lawmakers in California have gone so far as to hold an actual, living, breathing, preliminary hearing (emphasis on “preliminary”) on the issue of sports betting. The endgame here is not to legalize sports betting via the … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Cosmopolitan, Dining, Election, Fontainebleau, International, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Palms, Politics, Regulation, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Steven Witkoff, The Strip, Tribal, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on California scheming; Exploitation in Cambodia

Why does Massachusetts suck?

Posted on November 5, 2019 by David McKee

Did the casino industry drink its own bathwater vis-a-vis Massachusetts? The Boston Globe asks “whether the industry didn’t fully understand how tough it would be to attract gamblers in a regional market that has become increasingly competitive.” Both Encore Boston … Continue reading →

Posted in Carl Icahn, Economy, Fontainebleau, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, New York, Penn National, Steven Witkoff, Taxes, The Strip, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Fertitta plays Cassandra; Reach for the sky

Posted on September 24, 2019 by David McKee

Although Atlantic City is coming off its best month in memory, Tilman Fertitta is predicting doom and gloom. “It’s not a nine-casino market, and I don’t understand why nobody realizes that,” he told The Press of Atlantic City. “You could say the … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Derek Stevens, Dining, Donald Trump, Downtown, Economy, Election, Fontainebleau, Internet gambling, Law enforcement, LVCVA, Nevada, Pahrump, Reno, Steven Witkoff, Terry Caudill, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta | 3 Comments

New date for The Drew

Posted on April 17, 2019 by David McKee

There are some stirrings of life around the Fontainebleau/The Drew carcass. This week developer Steven Witkoff announced the hiring of Diller Scofidio+ Renfro architectural team to finish the massive hulk, with a new completion date of 2022. (We never bought … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Culinary Union, Entertainment, Fontainebleau, Genting, MGM Resorts International, Politics, Racinos, Sam Nazarian, Sports, Steven Witkoff, The Strip, Virginia | 1 Comment

Astral sighting; Cuomo nixes Gotham casinos

Posted on March 25, 2019 by David McKee

Urban blight along the Las Vegas Strip could be (partially) giving way to new casino development. Resort entrepreneur Asher Gabay has found the Promised Land in Las Vegas, where he hopes to take a run at the boutique-hotel concept. His … Continue reading →

Posted in Connecticut, Fontainebleau, Foxwoods, Genting, Internet gambling, Las Vegas Raiders, Las Vegas Sands, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, New York, Politics, Regulation, Sports, Sports betting, Steven Witkoff, The Strip, Tribal, Virginia | Comments Off on Astral sighting; Cuomo nixes Gotham casinos

18 Fremont’s cover blown; Resorts World LV delayed yet again

Posted on December 10, 2018 by David McKee

Last week, Ryan Hess stole Derek Stevens‘ thunder, posting a stunning rendering for 18 Fremont on Twitter and linking to an EB-5 visa Web page that included more sexy pictures — six swimming pools — of the Stevens brothers’ upcoming … Continue reading →

Posted in Affinity Gaming, Ameristar, Architecture, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Dan Gilbert, Derek Stevens, Dining, Downtown, Eldorado Resorts, Full House Resorts, Genting, Indiana, International, Isle of Capri, Lucky Dragon, LVCVA, Majestic Star, Missouri, Ohio, Penn National, Steven Witkoff, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Steve, Elaine kiss, make up; Sooner State tribes to get tables

Posted on March 19, 2018 by David McKee

So Steve Wynn‘s downfall wasn’t the product of a massive, Elaine Wynn-led, female conspiracy after all? The mogul and his ex-wife have agreed to terms on their Wynn Resorts stock holdings. They have consented not to contest stock sales by … Continue reading →

Posted in International, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Politics, Regulation, Sports, Steven Witkoff, Tribal, West Virginia, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Wynn: It gets worse; More changes for Palms

Posted on February 28, 2018 by David McKee

Steve Wynn may have left Wynn Resorts but the collateral damage keeps careening about like a ricocheting bullet. Yesterday The Associated Press got a hold of two police reports filed against the mogul. The more explosive of the two alleges that … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Dining, Downtown, Eldorado Resorts, Illinois, Marketing, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Palms, Regulation, Reno, Sexual misconduct, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Steven Witkoff, The Strip, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Wynn: It gets worse; More changes for Palms