Category Archives: Taxes

Suicide Sharron; Gossy-ness is back; Borgata’s buyer unmasked

Posted on October 21, 2010 by David McKee

Sharron Angle‘s latest kamikaze dive into the CityCenter aircraft carrier has sparked quite a bit of discussion in the S&G “Comments” threads. A couple of things spring to mind. One, if she is now alleging that MGM Resorts International imported … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Architecture, Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, CityCenter, Economy, Election, Entertainment, George Maloof, International, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Penn National, Politics, Taxes, The Strip, Wall Street | 5 Comments

Adelson wins twice over

Posted on October 18, 2010 by David McKee

Bowing to reality, Macao‘s government will accede to Las Vegas Sands‘ desire — and rather desperate need — for 5,000 additional guest workers in order to complete long-delayed Venetian Oriental (left). Even with an infusion of Mainland laborers, the megaresort’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Cannery Casino Resorts, Current, Don Barden, Election, Harrah's, Macau, Neil Bluhm, Pennsylvania, Politics, Racinos, Sheldon Adelson, Taxes, Tribal | Comments Off on Adelson wins twice over

Case Bets: Maryland, New Jersey, Arizona & the Riv

Posted on October 6, 2010 by David McKee

Although the Maryland public has warmed up to the idea of table games, casinos in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Delaware and New Jersey needn’t lose sleep: Marylanders are at least two years — probably four — from voting table games into … Continue reading →

Posted in Arizona, Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Current, Economy, Election, Horseracing, Marketing, Maryland, MGM Mirage, Politics, Riviera, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal | 2 Comments

Harrah’s does it again (and again … and again)

Posted on September 9, 2010 by David McKee

Hey, Gary Loveman, don’t let the doorknob hit you in the butt as you skedaddle out of Kansas for the second time.  Ever-fickle, Harrah’s Entertainment turned tail and ran from the Sunflower State on the very date its Wichita-area proposal … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, California, Current, Economy, Encore, Entertainment, Harrah's, Kansas, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Planet Hollywood, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Shuffle Master, Singapore, Steve Wynn, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal | 6 Comments

The Summer of Love(man)

Posted on August 12, 2010 by David McKee

It may be hard to believe in retrospect, but at the time of Harrah’s Entertainment‘s LBO, some analysts thought it would be partly amortized by selling off the company’s regional properties. That prompted me to write something to the effect … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Australia, Current, Detroit, Dining, Economy, Entertainment, Harrah's, history, Horseracing, Kansas, Marketing, Ohio, Racinos, Regulation, Station Casinos, Taxes, Tourism, Tribal, Wall Street | 2 Comments

12 best things about the Station bankruptcy auction

Posted on August 12, 2010 by David McKee

1. Don’t have to keep “OpCo,” “PropCo” and “LandCo” straight anymore. 2. No casinos placed in receivership or shut down. 3. No more having to spell-check whether it’s Judge “Greg” or “Gregg” Zive. (It’s the latter, in case you were … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Colony Capital, Current, Station Casinos, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism | 4 Comments

Massachusetts: On and On and On

Posted on August 12, 2010 by David McKee

Oy vey!

Posted in Current, Economy, Massachusetts, Politics, Taxes | Comments Off on Massachusetts: On and On and On

Wasted … and the 77% solution

Posted on August 10, 2010 by David McKee

Not even the cachet of Carey Hart and occasional appearances by Pink were enough to keep Wasted Space going. The Hard Rock Hotel is calling it quits on the club, bumping it in favor of a race and sports book. … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Architecture, CityCenter, Current, Economy, Entertainment, George Maloof, Harrah's, M Resort, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Midnight Jim Gibbons, Morgans Hotel Group, Pennsylvania, Riviera, Sports, Steve Wynn, Taxes, Technology, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation | 5 Comments

Chrome Dome

Posted on August 5, 2010 by David McKee

Last weekend, as I ploughed into a pile of analyst reports, court filings, etc., I came across a Clark County Commission planning report on Christopher Milam, Paul & Sue Lowden‘s proposed Silver State Arena. As you can see, it would … Continue reading →

Posted in Archon Corp., Baseball, Current, Economy, LVCVA, MGM Mirage, Riviera, Sahara, Sports, Taxes, The Strip, Transportation, TV | 8 Comments

Gone baby, gone

Posted on August 5, 2010 by David McKee

“[T]he confidence that ­property prices and stock markets would permanently defy gravity” is a phrase that perfectly encapsulates how the casino industry got itself into its present pickle. In what other mindset could an industry convince itself that it could … Continue reading →

Posted in Archon Corp., Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Cannery Casino Resorts, CityCenter, Colony Capital, Cosmopolitan, Current, Dining, Economy, Encore, Entertainment, Environment, Fontainebleau, Harrah's, history, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Regulation, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street | 4 Comments

Quote of the Day

Posted on August 1, 2010 by David McKee

“Living in Nevada is like sitting at a restaurant table where everyone’s kind of a cheapskate. Nobody here wants to pay taxes but you need that to have a competent government.” — Green Party gubernatorial candidate David Curtis.

Posted in Current, Economy, Election, Taxes | 3 Comments

Adelson fires Sands China CEO; Kenny Guinn, 1936-2010

Posted on July 23, 2010 by David McKee

It’s getting rather slippery on the tiled floors of Venelazzo and its Macao offshoots, what will the frequent bloodbaths that are becoming a hallmark of Sheldon Adelson‘s reign as creator and CEO of Las Vegas Sands. The victim sent over … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Economy, Harrah's, history, International, Macau, MGM Mirage, Midnight Jim Gibbons, Monte Carlo fire, Politics, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, Station Casinos, Taxes, The Strip, Wall Street | 3 Comments

Chris Christie, rock star

Posted on July 22, 2010 by David McKee

New Jersey‘s outspoken governor lays down some righteous grooves at Meadowlands, including telling the horsey set what it needs to hear: “I don’t have the money to be subsidizing failure.” Gov. Chris Christie on New Jersey horseracing: this industry has … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Colony Capital, Columbia Sussex, Current, Economy, Entertainment, Goldman Sachs, Horseracing, Movies, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Station Casinos, Taxes, Technology, Tourism, Wall Street | 3 Comments

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

CityCenter: Stop the madness!

Posted on July 16, 2010 by David McKee

Just when I thought I was out of the Sharron Angle vs. CityCenter insanity, they pull me back in. As I feared, the mythical “CityCenter bailout” has become a meme in that echo chamber of misinformation and urban mythology, cable … Continue reading →

Posted in CityCenter, Cosmopolitan, Current, Election, Fontainebleau, Harry Reid, MGM Mirage, Taxes, The Strip, TV, Wall Street | 9 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

When her head stops spinning …

Posted on July 9, 2010 by David McKee

… where will Sharron Angle stand vis-a-vis the casino industry? She’s already raised the bogeyman of “undue [casino] pressure” — as opposed to “due pressure”? — in her now-scrubbed original Web site, which keeps coming back from the cyber-grave. The … Continue reading →

Posted in CityCenter, Current, Economy, Harry Reid, MGM Mirage, Politics, Sheldon Adelson, Taxes, The Mob, The Strip | 7 Comments

“Project Linq”

Posted on July 1, 2010 by David McKee

I’m not sure anybody but Gary Loveman could come up with such a preposterous handle as “Project Linq” (alas, not “Linc,” as in Clarence Williams III on the Mod Squad, although that would be pretty cool) for Harrah’s Entertainment‘s street … Continue reading →

Posted in Archon Corp., Current, Economy, Election, Harrah's, Marketing, Massachusetts, Politics, Sports, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street, World Series of Poker | 6 Comments

Quote of the Day

Posted on July 1, 2010 by David McKee

“Only in Massachusetts would we have a casino bill and try to build a politically correct casino. Have any of you people ever been to a casino, and [do you] understand what it takes for a casino to be successful … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Massachusetts, Politics, Taxes | 3 Comments

Aqueduct: Then there were three

Posted on June 30, 2010 by David McKee

As the contentious racino contract for Aqueduct Racetrack is rebid, the field has narrowed to three suitors, all of whom are in enviable cash positions. Penn National Gaming‘s bankroll has taken on Holy Grail status, Genting Bhd has a money-spinner … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, California, Columbia Sussex, Cordish Co., Current, Election, Florida, Genting, Harrah's, history, Lake Tahoe, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Problem gambling, Racinos, Regulation, Reno, Taxes, Tribal | 1 Comment