Category Archives: Technology

From the S&G Twitter feed …

Posted on April 5, 2010 by David McKee

It’s a crazy day here and I’m deeply enmeshed in reportage (hint: it involves Station Casinos) so I’d like to take up some of the blogging slack by once more pimping the S&G Twitter feed (@stiffsgeorges), which can also be … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Archon Corp., Bally Technologies, Current, Election, Entertainment, Harrah's, Isle of Capri, James Packer, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Marketing, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Pinnacle Entertainment, Planet Hollywood, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Steve Wynn, Technology, Wall Street | Comments Off on From the S&G Twitter feed …

A comment on “Comments”

Posted on April 2, 2010 by David McKee

Due to an as-yet-inexplicable malfunction in our blogging software, all comments, regardless of provenance — yes, even mine — are shunted directly into “Spam.” Since I no longer receive notification of the arrival of a comment that may require moderation … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Entertainment, Harrah's, Ohio, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Technology, The Strip, Tourism, TV, Wall Street | 2 Comments

Quote of the Day

Posted on April 1, 2010 by David McKee

“I am the one person who when I call, John Ensign will answer.” — Doug Hampton, husband of Sen. Ensign’s mistress, to execs of BioDiesel (a company trying to convert casino cooking oil into car fuel). It looks like Mrs. … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Technology | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

A clarification, a continuation & a poll

Posted on March 25, 2010 by David McKee

Firstly, in defense of both LVA and our research department, they’ve been following the subject of resort fees since the June 16, 2007 Question of the Day. These past couple of weeks we’ve been trying to get a handle on … Continue reading →

Posted in Cirque du Soleil, Current, Dining, Economy, Encore, Entertainment, Harrah's, MGM Mirage, Steve Wynn, Technology, The Strip, Tourism | 1 Comment

Calling all readers

Posted on March 24, 2010 by David McKee

It’s been brought to my attention by readers kerr_mudgeon and Jeff in OKC that attempts to post comments to S&G are an exercise in futility. First, I apologize and, secondly, I’ve already alerted IT to the problem. (For whatever reason, … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Technology | Comments Off on Calling all readers

Please stand by

Posted on March 19, 2010 by David McKee

It’s been brought to my attention that some readers are having problems with our subscription interface, which seems to lead you to a “Comment” page. Thankfully, our IT department has added some explanatory prose which will hopefully make joining the … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology | Comments Off on Please stand by

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

Signs of the Times

Posted on March 19, 2010 by David McKee

Seen today outside The Rio on Flamingo Road: Two chicks holding handmade, barely legible “Car Wash” signs. What the … ? Was this an official Rio event? There’s no mention of it either on the casino’s Web site nor on … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Entertainment, Harrah's, Marketing, Planet Hollywood, Regulation, Technology, The Strip | 2 Comments

Introducing Planet Harrah’s

Posted on February 23, 2010 by David McKee

Newly Harrah’s-ized Planet Hollywood has got a new Web site. OK, it’s a little rudimentary by 2010 standards but we’re in the top of the first inning here. (If for some reason the page doesn’t show in your browser, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Architecture, Cirque du Soleil, Current, Entertainment, Harrah's, MGM Mirage, Planet Hollywood, Technology, The Strip, Wayne F. Newton, World Series of Poker | 12 Comments

Skin(less) City

Posted on February 19, 2010 by David McKee

Before we get into the good (?) stuff, I should mention that S&G has been nominated as part of Las Vegas CityLife‘s “Best of the Valley” poll. I probably should have pimped this a week ago, when the poll went … Continue reading →

Posted in Colorado, Current, Detroit, Economy, Entertainment, International, Isle of Capri, Kansas, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Midnight Jim Gibbons, Problem gambling, Regulation, Technology, The Strip | 5 Comments

IGT quits Japan; Vdara goes bargain-friendly; Singapore opens

Posted on February 11, 2010 by David McKee

After losing $21 million in Japan last year, IGT is saying a not-so-fond farewell to the Land of the Rising Sun. Its sales of pachislot machines had been in decline and were nowhere near the volume needed to reach break-even. … Continue reading →

Posted in CityCenter, Genting, IGT, International, MGM Mirage, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Technology, The Strip, Wall Street | 2 Comments

Aren’t we glad?

Posted on February 9, 2010 by David McKee

When given lemons, make lemonade. When hit with a throat infection, lay low and scrounge around for S&G fodder. So it is today — and I didn’t have to scrounge very far. While Las Vegas didn’t dodge too many bullets … Continue reading →

Posted in Alabama, Architecture, Atlantic City, Bally Technologies, Carl Icahn, Dubai, Economy, Entertainment, Harrah's, IGT, Illinois, Indiana, James Packer, Pennsylvania, Planet Hollywood, Regulation, Steve Wynn, Technology, The Strip, Transportation, Tropicana Entertainment, Wall Street, WMS Industries | 3 Comments

Calling all S&G readers

Posted on January 28, 2010 by David McKee

We’ve got a problem and could use your help. Mandarin Oriental gave me eight-plus minutes of great B-roll footage. Trouble is, it’s silent and I lack the Mac wizardry to lay some appropriately trippy (think Tangerine Dream) music behind it, … Continue reading →

Posted in CityCenter, Technology, The Strip, TV | Comments Off on Calling all S&G readers

Head over to Twitter …

Posted on January 27, 2010 by David McKee

I’m in the nexus between one big research project and another, scrambling like made to catch up on news in the casinosphere. So the blogorrhea is suffering but the Twitter feed is jumping like a pack of jackrabbits. So check … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Technology | Comments Off on Head over to Twitter …

S&G readers are the best

Posted on January 22, 2010 by David McKee

How come? Well, here’s a fr’instance: I was chatting with one of our regulars yesterday and he volunteered an idea that gave me one of those, “Wow! I could have had a V-8” moments. In discussing beloved but hard to … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Bally Technologies, Downtown, IGT, Tamares Group, Technology, Tourism | 10 Comments

More from the mailbag …

Posted on January 22, 2010 by David McKee

Here’s some inside insight into what was happening during the most recent Consumer Electronics Show, during which Las Vegas Sands tossed some exhibitors from their Venelazzo suites because they were conducting product demos off the show floor. A show attendee … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Economy, Sheldon Adelson, Technology, The Strip, Tourism | 1 Comment

“Subscirbe” no more!

Posted on January 13, 2010 by David McKee

It took a lot of to-ing and fro-ing with the makers of Gravel, our WordPress template, but the subscription link has now been fixed to read “Subscribe,” not “Subscirbe [sic]” as of yore. It was something that couldn’t be fixed … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Technology | 2 Comments

From the S&G Twitter feed …

Posted on January 12, 2010 by David McKee

For those of you who aren’t following it, here’s what you’ve been missing: • Station [Casinos] shuts Cherry @ Red Rock [Resort], ends flirtation w. Strip-ish nightlife. In Summerlin? Right casino, wrong place. http://tinyurl.com/ye36uqm • @IOC_Brand Jim Perry, Virginia McDowell … Continue reading →

Posted in California, CityCenter, Current, Economy, Election, Entertainment, Florida, Harrah's, IGT, International, Isle of Capri, Kansas, Lyle Berman, Mississippi, Politics, Regulation, Station Casinos, Technology, TV | Comments Off on From the S&G Twitter feed …

Big payoff for Pennsylvania

Posted on January 12, 2010 by David McKee

Gov. Ed Rendell (D) and other state leaders have got to be feeling the love for the Keystone State‘s budding casino industry, which generated over $1 billion in tax revenue last year. That boffo return was achieved without table games … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Cannery Casino Resorts, Economy, Harrah's, IGT, Indiana, Kentucky, MGM Mirage, Neil Bluhm, Ohio, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Racinos, Reno, Sheldon Adelson, Taxes, Technology, Tribal, Tropicana Entertainment, TV | 2 Comments

2.5 Cheers for Harrah’s

Posted on January 8, 2010 by David McKee

As erratically as it has been run since the departure of Phil Satre, they still get some things right at Harrah’s Entertainment … and not in the sense that a stopped watch is correct twice a day. For instance, Harrah’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, Harrah's, MGM Mirage, Minnesota, Planet Hollywood, Station Casinos, Technology, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal | 5 Comments