Category Archives: The Strip

Trouble waiting to happen?

Posted on May 8, 2009 by David McKee

Not to belittle acts of violence that occur in or near casinos, but we don't make a practice of reporting them in LVA. That's partly because people seem to need little excuse to kill one another and would just as … Continue reading →

Posted in Columbia Sussex, Current, The Strip, Tropicana Entertainment | Comments Off on Trouble waiting to happen?

Harrah's takes out the garbage; Yemenidjian's return

Posted on May 5, 2009 by David McKee

Congratulations — I think — to new Harrah's Entertainment General Counsel Timothy R. Donovan. A graduate of The Ohio State University, Mr. Donovan comes to Harrah's by way of the garbage industry. Considering that picking up the trash around Harrah's … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Atlantic City, Current, Harrah's, Indiana, Regulation, The Strip, Tropicana Entertainment | Comments Off on Harrah's takes out the garbage; Yemenidjian's return

Murren talks smack re: Wynn, Schaeffer

Posted on May 1, 2009 by David McKee

"No one has proven, by the way, that they can operate properties better than us, so …uh … and there's a mountain of information to show that we operate properties better than anybody. Everything that we've acquired is making more … Continue reading →

Posted in Detroit, Macau, MGM Mirage, Steve Wynn, The Strip | Comments Off on Murren talks smack re: Wynn, Schaeffer

Case Bets: Isle exits U.K.; no room at the Trop; Carlino channels Astaire, etc.

Posted on April 24, 2009 by David McKee

Isle of Capri Casinos is coming up for air, literally extricating itself from underneath Ricoh Stadium in Coventry, U.K. As part of CEO James Perry‘s attempt to refocus a company that spread itself too thin under his predecessor, he’s walking … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, California, Colony Capital, Columbia Sussex, Current, Detroit, Economy, Florida, Goldman Sachs, Illinois, International, Isle of Capri, MGM Mirage, Penn National, Regulation, The Strip, Tropicana Entertainment, Wall Street | Comments Off on Case Bets: Isle exits U.K.; no room at the Trop; Carlino channels Astaire, etc.

Updates: Pinnacle, Boyd, Foxwoods, Donald Trump & Criss Angel

Posted on April 22, 2009 by David McKee

Don’t wait by the phone if you’ve got a date with Pinnacle Entertainment. It has just pushed back the timelines on its Baton Rouge and Lake Charles projects by five months. It cited investor reluctance and warned more delays are … Continue reading →

Posted in Cirque du Soleil, Current, Donald Trump, Entertainment, Louisiana, Morgans Hotel Group, Penn National, Phil Ruffin, Pinnacle Entertainment, Planet Hollywood, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off on Updates: Pinnacle, Boyd, Foxwoods, Donald Trump & Criss Angel

Pinnacle: the untold story

Posted on April 21, 2009 by David McKee

Is waxing and buffing the Pinnacle Entertainment limo a prerequisite for scoring an interview with its CEO? This small masterpiece of selective omission is more interesting for what it elides than what it says. The article parrots Dan Lee as … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Ameristar, Atlantic City, Carl Icahn, Columbia Sussex, Entertainment, Harrah's, Illinois, Louisiana, MGM Mirage, Missouri, Pinnacle Entertainment, The Strip, Tropicana Entertainment | Comments Off on Pinnacle: the untold story

Quote of the Day

Posted on April 20, 2009 by David McKee

"I have to recognize someone special here in the house. Perez Hilton, please stand up. We have the world's biggest douchebag asshole in the house!" — MGM Mirage poster boy Criss Angel, at the end of last Friday's Believe, enraged … Continue reading →

Posted in Cirque du Soleil, Current, Entertainment, MGM Mirage, The Strip | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Exit, pursued by a bear market

Posted on April 17, 2009 by David McKee

Aside from the occasional murmur by Wynn Las Vegas prexy Andrew Pascal, executives at Wynn Resorts keep a low (read: invisible) profile. Even the most assiduous follower of the casino industry would have trouble naming Wynn’s CFO off the cuff. … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Economy, Encore, Harrah's, IGT, Illinois, Macau, MGM Mirage, Pinnacle Entertainment, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off on Exit, pursued by a bear market

First, some good news

Posted on April 16, 2009 by David McKee

In a refreshing change of pace comes news of a casino that’s on schedule for its opening. OK, so it’s in Dodge City, Kansas, but we’ll take good news wherever we can get it these days. Whoever thought avionics firm … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Economy, Entertainment, Herbst Gaming, Kansas, Labor, LVCVA, Marketing, Mesquite, Sheldon Adelson, Station Casinos, The Strip | Comments Off on First, some good news

Garber to Harrah's? Apparently not

Posted on April 16, 2009 by David McKee

So is former PartyGaming PLC supremo Mitch Garber going to Harrah’s Entertainment or isn’t he? As of yesterday, it appears that the company is denyinga London Times report that it had signed Garber to head up a conglomeration of its … Continue reading →

Posted in Colony Capital, Harrah's, International, Internet gambling, MGM Mirage, Regulation, The Strip, World Series of Poker | Comments Off on Garber to Harrah's? Apparently not

A delicate balance

Posted on April 7, 2009 by David McKee

Another day, a little more movement in the CityCenter situation. Well, it's that or talk about tourism and gaming revenue numbers that are too depressing to contemplate for long. Time was that the American banking industry was practically giving away … Continue reading →

Posted in Colony Capital, Current, Detroit, Economy, James Packer, M Resort, MGM Mirage, Penn National, Station Casinos, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off on A delicate balance

MGM Mirage sells family jewels

Posted on April 6, 2009 by David McKee

Desperation has well and truly hit the fan at MGM Mirage. The company’s Strip casinos may not be priced to move … but it’s said to be quite a different story where MGM Grand Detroit and Beau Rivage are concerned. … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Colony Capital, Current, Detroit, Economy, Illinois, James Packer, Macau, MGM Mirage, Phil Ruffin, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off on MGM Mirage sells family jewels

Mandalay Bay is best in LV

Posted on April 6, 2009 by David McKee

It may be tempting fate to mention this, but online voters like Mandalay Bay best among Strip casinos … or, at bare minimum, dislike it the least. Voters in the Steve Friess "Stripper Poll" on which casino most ought to … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball, Harrah's, MGM Mirage, The Strip, Tropicana Entertainment | Comments Off on Mandalay Bay is best in LV

The end of Viva

Posted on April 2, 2009 by David McKee

That’s one of the implications of Colony Capital‘s potential cash infusion into CityCenter. Since Colony owns 3/4 of Station Casinos and might find itself with a big piece of CityCenter, it’s an utter certainty that it wouldn’t go along with … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Colony Capital, Goldman Sachs, International, MGM Mirage, Sports, The Strip | Comments Off on The end of Viva

The Company That Ate Itself

Posted on April 1, 2009 by David McKee

Perhaps it was with dry irony that the Las Vegas Review-Journal's latest Station Casinos story's subhead read, "Company blames economy, poached customers." And by whom might those customers have been poached? By Station Casinos itself! The company's imperial overreach has … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, Cannery Casino Resorts, Colony Capital, Economy, Herbst Gaming, M Resort, Station Casinos, The Strip | Comments Off on The Company That Ate Itself

New category of Las Vegan

Posted on April 1, 2009 by David McKee

Europoseur: Only found on or near the Strip, sometimes impersonated by French Canadians (see Soleil, Cirque du). Occasionally demand to be addressed by their initials only, usually smoke cigarettes and are invariably able to generate fawning press coverage. Are known … Continue reading →

Posted in Cirque du Soleil, Current, Entertainment, The Strip | Comments Off on New category of Las Vegan

Hooters vs. Riviera

Posted on March 31, 2009 by David McKee

It's a race to Chapter 11 now, with Riviera Holdings in the lead. Its glandular-themed rival down the street is opting out of an interest payment and drawing down the last of its credit, never a promising sign. However, Riviera … Continue reading →

Posted in Colorado, Economy, Harrah's, Riviera, Station Casinos, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off on Hooters vs. Riviera

Un-Believe-able discounts

Posted on March 30, 2009 by David McKee

Seen yesterday at the Luxor ticket booth: A video message promising 35% off Believe tickets if you stay at the King Tut place between Tuesday and Thursday (inclusive). Heck, just last week Luxor trotted out one of the most “george” … Continue reading →

Posted in Cirque du Soleil, Dining, Economy, Entertainment, MGM Mirage, The Strip | Comments Off on Un-Believe-able discounts

Trop snoozes, loses

Posted on March 26, 2009 by David McKee

Like a hot potato, the Tropicana Las Vegas continues to bounce from Columbia Sussex to Tropicana Entertainment and now maybe into the hands of Alex Yemenidjian. (This management-contract arrangement looks more like laying the groundwork for a sale … if … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Architecture, Atlantic City, Columbia Sussex, Current, Economy, Entertainment, Harrah's, Indiana, Marketing, Technology, The Strip, Tropicana Entertainment, Wall Street | Comments Off on Trop snoozes, loses

The Unlucky Club & other Case Bets

Posted on March 26, 2009 by David McKee

Did somebody build the inaptly named Lucky Club  (above) over an Indian burial ground? A deprivation of access is but the latest indignity suffered by this North Las Vegas grind joint. While it was still the Speedway Casino, it was … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Current, Economy, Encore, Entertainment, Lake Las Vegas, Marketing, Politics, Problem gambling, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, The Strip | Comments Off on The Unlucky Club & other Case Bets