Category Archives: The Strip

Strip land values skyrocket; Second chance for Margaritaville

In a deal not seen since the giddiness of 2007, someone is expected $34 million an acre for Strip land, for a grand total of $540 million. The property in question is a collection of parcels wedged between Planet Hollywood to … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Foxwoods, history, IGT, Mississippi, Planet Hollywood, Technology, The Strip, Transportation | 3 Comments

Bringing back sexy; They did a bad, bad thing

In search of a novel angle to market Las Vegas, the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority has come up with a new campaign. And. It. Is. Hawt. Because lesbians. Although, if you’re a mushy romantic at heart, this mini-movie is sure to … Continue reading

Posted in Foxwoods, Internet gambling, LVCVA, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, Regulation, Reno, Sports, The Strip | 2 Comments

Wall Street hearts Caesars; AGA does the right thing

One of our favorite investment banks, JP Morgan, has initiated coverage of Caesars Entertainment, providing us with further transparency of the company’s performance. The price target is a lowly $16/share, which presumably reflects the company’s recent, shall we say, financial … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Culinary Union, Geoff Freeman, Harrah's, Marketing, Penn National, Sexual misconduct, The Strip, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Wall Street hearts Caesars; AGA does the right thing

Strike!; Memo to Congress

If any casino owners were thinking that the Culinary Union might get complacent or fragment in the face of a good Las Vegas economy, they got a rude wakeup call yesterday. Some 99% of Culinary members voted to authorize a … Continue reading

Posted in Culinary Union, Current, Downtown, Economy, Geoff Freeman, Harrah's, history, MGM Mirage, Regulation, Sports, Taxes, Technology, The Strip | Comments Off on Strike!; Memo to Congress

Let them skate; Sheldon’s new brainstorm

Nevada State Treasurer Dan Schwartz, the man who would be governor, is a refreshingly impolitic and heterodoxical candidate. He’s made a frequent campaign point that the Silver State has the worst schools in the nation and needs to re-orient its … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, e-sports, Election, Macau, Marketing, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, Politics, Sheldon Adelson, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, Sports, Taxes, The Strip, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Let them skate; Sheldon’s new brainstorm

Smashing concept at Palms; Strike vote today

Station Casinos is firing up the marketing machine for the rollout of its $620 million re-do of the Palms. The new ad campaign is branded “From Dust to Gold” and is heavy on the smashing of glitzy objects. Whether gleeful … Continue reading

Posted in Culinary Union, Current, Economy, George Maloof, history, Internet gambling, LVCVA, Marketing, Mississippi, Sports, Station Casinos, The Strip | Comments Off on Smashing concept at Palms; Strike vote today

Adversity at Sands; Paging Katniss Everdeen

Some are blaming bad weather for two months of substantially reduced table-games winnings at Sands Bethlehem. But could casinos in the Catskills finally be having an effect? It’s hard to say, although one suspects the answer is “yes.” Sands Bethlehem tumbled … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Bruce Deifik, California, Churchill Downs, CityCenter, Entertainment, Environment, Genting, Hard Rock International, history, International, Internet gambling, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Mohegan Sun, New York, Pennsylvania, Revel, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Transportation, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Adversity at Sands; Paging Katniss Everdeen

Song and dance; Musical chairs at Scientific

Apparently the Culinary Union‘s secret-ballot election is so secret that it is off-limits to members of the media. Instead, the Culinary will stage a pair of dog-and-pony shows tomorrow at which interviews and b-roll filming will be possible. I don’t … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Atlantic City, Culinary Union, Election, Internet gambling, Scientific Games, The Strip, Transportation | Comments Off on Song and dance; Musical chairs at Scientific

Vici Properties strikes again; Mohegan Sun pitches Japan

They came, they saw, they bought. Yes, Vici Properties has struck again, inking a bargain-price deal to acquire the Octavius Tower of Caesars Palace and Harrah’s Philadelphia. On paper, Vici is paying $507.5 million and $241.5, respectively, for the two assets. … Continue reading

Posted in Election, Florida, Galaxy Entertainment, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, Japan, Louisiana, Macau, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, Oklahoma, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Problem gambling, Seminole Tribe, Sexual misconduct, Société des Bains de Mer, South Korea, Steve Wynn, Taxes, The Strip, Tribal | Comments Off on Vici Properties strikes again; Mohegan Sun pitches Japan

MGM, Wynn woo Wall Street

This week, in conjunction with the opening of Park MGM, the parent company rolled out the red carpet for Wall Street analysts. “While there were no major announcements/surprises, we felt management put forth a thorough effort to better articulate its … Continue reading

Posted in Elaine Wynn, Japan, LVCVA, Macau, Marketing, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Ohio, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Transportation, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on MGM, Wynn woo Wall Street

How much for a used Dragon?; Indiana good, Missouri ‘meh’

Believe it or not, there is “a lot of interest in the property at this time” according to Lucky Dragon Casino owner Andrew Fonfa, a contention independently verified by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. That being said, a Lucky Dragon sale is … Continue reading

Posted in Affinity Gaming, Ameristar, Architecture, Boyd Gaming, Centaur Gaming, Eldorado Resorts, Environment, Full House Resorts, GLPI, Harrah's, Horseracing, IGT, Indiana, Isle of Capri, Lucky Dragon, Majestic Star, Missouri, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, Taxes, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street, Wisconsin | Comments Off on How much for a used Dragon?; Indiana good, Missouri ‘meh’

Culinary girds for battle; Let’s get it on

Collective-bargaining-agreement talks between the Culinary Union and 34 casinos must not be going well. The Culinary fired off an e-mail blast yesterday, publicizing the fact that it will hold a strike vote May 22 and, should it pass, will hit … Continue reading

Posted in Cosmopolitan, Culinary Union, Current, Dining, Downtown, Entertainment, Florida, Harrah's, history, MGM Mirage, Politics, Seminole Tribe, Sexual misconduct, Taxes, The Strip | 1 Comment

Quote of the Day

“I wish there was a train from Summerlin to Downtown Las Vegas and the Strip.” — Rampart Casino General Manager Michelle Bacigalupi on the new look coming to the property, which has historically struggled to define its identity. And, yes, we’d … Continue reading

Posted in Downtown, The Strip, Transportation | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Park MGM to eclipse Bellagio?; Cleveland does not rock

Park MGM isn’t even open yet and Bloomberg has already drunk its bathwater. Think I’m exaggerating? A fluff piece declares that the casino-in-progress will “steal attention from MGM’s highest-end hotel, the Bellagio, as well as the most recent hotel to … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, CityCenter, Cosmopolitan, Dan Gilbert, Dining, history, Law enforcement, Lucky Dragon, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Ohio, Steve Wynn, Technology, The Strip, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Ohio good, Maryland better; The mystery of Carrot Top

Last month found the State of Maryland in good health when it came to gaming revenue, up 6%. Most of this was driven — one is tempted to say “of course” — by MGM National Harbor, vaulting 15.5% for an … Continue reading

Posted in Churchill Downs, Cordish Co., Dan Gilbert, Economy, Eldorado Resorts, Entertainment, Environment, GLPI, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, Macau, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Ohio, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, Sheldon Adelson, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, Taxes, The Strip, Transportation, West Virginia | Comments Off on Ohio good, Maryland better; The mystery of Carrot Top

Las Vegas numbers perplex; Macao shatters expectations

While Las Vegas, as mentioned earlier, is slogging through a 10-month visitation slump, you wouldn’t know it from March’s gaming-revenue numbers, which were 9% higher on the Las Vegas Strip ($574 million), although locals casinos took a 5% hit. Deutsche … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, California, Colorado, Delaware, Downtown, Economy, Eldorado Resorts, Entertainment, Florida, Galaxy Entertainment, Harrah's, Illinois, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Macau, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, Mesquite, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Nevada, New York, North Las Vegas, Ohio, Penn National, Reno, Rhode Island, Sheldon Adelson, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, The Strip, Wall Street, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

MGM sets Springfield date; Adelson hits pay dirt

Even as it’s using MGM Springfield as a catspaw to potentially land Wynn Boston Harbor, that didn’t prevent MGM Resorts International from announcing a date certain for the Springfield opening. Mark August 24 on your calendars, for that is the day … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Atlantic City, Churchill Downs, Detroit, Dining, Donald Trump, Entertainment, history, Horseracing, International, Japan, Louisiana, Macau, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Penn National, Singapore, South Korea, Sports, Technology, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on MGM sets Springfield date; Adelson hits pay dirt

Wynn: The brand stays

Recently we wrote, in a different forum, that the ultimate verdict on whether to keep the “Wynn” brand on Wynn Resorts would be delivered by customers. Based on 1Q18 results, the vote is “yes.” Deutsche Bank analyst Carlo Santarelli called … Continue reading

Posted in Galaxy Entertainment, GLPI, Japan, Macau, Massachusetts, Penn National, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off on Wynn: The brand stays

MGM Connecticut hopes fading … for now

MGM Bridgeport will have to wait a bit. According to Connecticut Speaker of the House Joe Aresimowicz (D), the best chance of passage of any gaming-related legislation is narrow. Expressing misgivings about the consequences of further diluting the Nutmeg State’s gambling … Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Foxwoods, Genting, Indiana, Japan, Macau, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, Movies, Politics, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, The Strip, Transportation, Tribal | Comments Off on MGM Connecticut hopes fading … for now

New era at Wynn; Resorts turns 40

Kudos to Wynn Resorts CEO Matt Maddox for tacitly acknowledging that women were second-class citizens at the company. He’s created a department to promote diversity — better late than never. Wynn might say it’s not conceding anything but were there … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Entertainment, Harrah's, history, Internet gambling, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, PokerStars, Sexual misconduct, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment