Category Archives: The Strip

Blood on the Boardwalk: Marrandino out

Posted on January 6, 2013 by David McKee

You can practically hear the wind whistling through the corridors of power as top execs continue to jump — or are flung — from the sinking Caesars Entertainment ship. First, CFO Jonathan Halkyard up and quits, in favor of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, CityCenter, Current, Florida, Harrah's, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Regulation, Revel, The Strip | 7 Comments

CityCenter’s clearance sale; Ameristar’s secret admirer

Posted on December 27, 2012 by David McKee

After a long, abyssal plunge, Las Vegas‘ real estate market has bottomed out — or so knowledgeable people tell me. Seems that the banks ’round here ignored Mitt Romney‘s (bad) advice to dump the “shadow inventory” en masse into the … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, CityCenter, Current, Donald Trump, Economy, Election, Harrah's, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Missouri, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Sheldon Adelson, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off

PNK piquing little interest; B.S. walks

Posted on December 26, 2012 by David McKee

‘Twas the day after Christmas and all through the house, shareholders were beginning to cool on the value of Ameristar Casinos stock. It closed ever so slightly down from Pinnacle Entertainment‘s $26.50/share offer price. Perhaps I was wrong and $869 … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Boyd Gaming, California, Current, Goldman Sachs, Hard Rock Hotel, Harrah's, Illinois, Isle of Capri, Louisiana, Missouri, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Plaza, Regulation, Sahara, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, The Strip, Wall Street, Warner Gaming | 1 Comment

Penn’s sucker bet; Lack of Rappaport; Running scared

Posted on December 20, 2012 by David McKee

Although Penn National Gaming‘s scheme to split itself into a REIT and a casino-management company hasn’t received one regulatory approval yet, top brass is already taking a victory lap. Gloated CFO William Clifford, he would “be picking up the phone … Continue reading →

Posted in CityCenter, Current, Economy, Entertainment, Harrah's, MGM Mirage, Penn National, Planet Hollywood, Taxes, The Strip, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Sorry, Ralph Lamb; Twain spoofed at IP

Posted on December 18, 2012 by David McKee

Las Vegas‘ most famous sheriff (mythologized weekly by Dennis Quaid on Vegas) was the victim of this, er, unfortunate Los Angeles Times gaffe … … which The Atlantic has selected as one of the best typos of 2012. I’ve had … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Entertainment, Harrah's, history, Marketing, The Strip, TV | Comments Off

Twain: Not the One

Posted on December 14, 2012 by David McKee

If I’d spent the last 20 years under a rock and didn’t know who Shania Twain is, I’d have spent Wednesday evening wondering who this person was, why she was headlining a Caesars Palace show … and couldn’t they have … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Entertainment, Harrah's, history, The Strip, Tourism, TV | 3 Comments

Drugs? Hookers? In our fair city?; It’s Vegaski, Comrade!

Posted on December 14, 2012 by David McKee

If your casino or club employs CLS Transportation, today would be a good day to call in sick and take the phone off the hook. Seems the limo fleet of CLS was taking Las Vegas visitors for a ride, running … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Harrah's, International, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, The Mob, The Strip, Tourism | 1 Comment

Coming, going, gone …

Posted on December 13, 2012 by David McKee

This just in … One weekend of performances of Peepshow was all that Mrs. Ice-T managed to do before fleeing back to New York City, at least temporarily, according to an S&G source. So if you’ve got Peepshow tickets this … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Downtown, Economy, Entertainment, Harrah's, Marketing, Sheldon Adelson, Tamares Group, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Tourism | 7 Comments

“Soul” too soulless?; The Sunshine Boys

Posted on December 10, 2012 by David McKee

One weekend down, nine to go. Bear that in mind if you simply must see Faith Hill and Tim McGraw play The Venetian. The clock’s a tickin’. Since my knowledge of the McGraw-Hill oeuvre (separately and together) consists of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Economy, Entertainment, Fontainebleau, North Las Vegas, Penn National, Plaza, Sheldon Adelson, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street | 1 Comment

The bigger-than-ever loser; Shania’s rump rocks Vegas

Posted on December 3, 2012 by David McKee

If Sheldon Adelson played the ponies as he does politics, he’d enter a Shetland in the Kentucky Derby and put all his money on it to win. What could be better than knowing the Las Vegas Sands CEO blew $100 … Continue reading →

Posted in Cirque du Soleil, Current, Downtown, Election, Entertainment, Harrah's, Macau, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Tamares Group, The Strip | 1 Comment

If you’re staying at a Hilton …

Posted on November 30, 2012 by David McKee

Here’s a handy guide to using the online Las Vegas guidebooks written by yours truly — sort of a tourist’s extension of S&G, available through all Hilton-branded hotels and timeshares. Since these only concentrate on carefully selected highlights of Sin … Continue reading →

Posted in CityCenter, Cosmopolitan, Dining, Downtown, Entertainment, Harrah's, MGM Mirage, Steve Wynn, Technology, The Strip, Tourism | 2 Comments

Bad timing

Posted on November 21, 2012 by David McKee

Is it any wonder that Trump International and other Donald Trump-branded hotels are struggling when they wait until the day before Thanksgiving to blast this offer to their customer base? Wouldn’t you think people had made their Black Friday and … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Donald Trump, Marketing, The Strip, Tourism | 4 Comments

Lou Lang up to old tricks; Dog-and-pony show at Sahara

Posted on November 20, 2012 by David McKee

For months, state Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie), has been threatening to push an enormous gambling expansion through the Illinois Legislature during its lame-duck session. He says he’s “getting very close” but we’ve heard that kind of braying from Lang previously. … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Carl Icahn, Cosmopolitan, Current, Entertainment, Fontainebleau, George Maloof, Harrah's, Illinois, MGM Mirage, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Sahara, Sheldon Adelson, Slot routes, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation | 4 Comments

Right idea, wrong place?

Posted on November 19, 2012 by David McKee

Las Vegas is a city whose attractions feature the eat-at-your-own-risk Heart Attack Grill. It’s also got no shortage of vast, empty spaces waiting to be filled. So it would have seemed inevitable had Guy Fieri chosen to open a three-story, … Continue reading →

Posted in CityCenter, Current, Dining, New York, The Strip, TV | 3 Comments

A tale of two Penns

Posted on November 16, 2012 by David McKee

Update: Seeking Alpha’s Brad Thomas has run the numbers on the Penn split and doesn’t like the risk/reward scenario. Fifteen years and many consolidations ago, the casino industry was seized by a brain fever. It was set off by the … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Colorado, Cordish Co., Harrah's, history, Indiana, International, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, MGM Mirage, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Racinos, Regulation, Riviera, Sheldon Adelson, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Taxes, Texas, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street | 2 Comments

New cowgirl in town; “Zarkana” opens quietly

Posted on November 15, 2012 by David McKee

There may be a new Cirque du Soleil production show at Aria but it’s been drowned out in the thundering hooves and comparable hype that marked Shania Twain‘s arrival at Caesars Palace. It was quite a sight: 20 horses and … Continue reading →

Posted in Cirque du Soleil, CityCenter, Current, Entertainment, Harrah's, MGM Mirage, The Strip, Tourism | 1 Comment

Strange but sad and true

Posted on November 14, 2012 by David McKee

At first, I thought this news item and the accompanying video report were pure fantasy. Alas, truth proves stranger than fiction once again and we could be looking at the audio equivalent of the dreaded Christmas fruitcake. In previews since … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Entertainment, Planet Hollywood, The Strip | Comments Off

Missouri: Penn vs. Penn; Pinnacle debacle deepens

Posted on November 13, 2012 by David McKee

This just in: It’s another winning strategy from those gaming-industry masterminds at Colony Capital. God forbid you’re playing at the Atlantic Club and work up an appetite. Or did Tom Barrack hear about “Stiff of the Year” and wants to … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Atlantic City, Colony Capital, Colorado, Dining, Economy, Election, Genting, Harrah's, Illinois, International, Isle of Capri, Kansas, Marketing, Maryland, Missouri, Movies, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street | 2 Comments

D, Trop try something different; Cannibalization comes to Ohio

Posted on November 12, 2012 by David McKee

Nothing says ‘November in Las Vegas‘ quite like a beach club. Yes, after unending delays, Nov. 16 is the date certain for the opening of Bagatelle Beach & Supper Club. If Bagatelle does, as promised, deliver “afternoons that transport guests … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Current, Dan Gilbert, Derek Stevens, Downtown, Economy, Entertainment, Harrah's, Marketing, MTR Gaming, Ohio, Penn National, Racinos, The Strip | Comments Off

Wake up with Loveman; More election aftermath

Posted on November 8, 2012 by David McKee

No sooner were Wall Street analysts uttering serious concerns about a slow post-Sandy recovery for Atlantic City than who should pop up on CBS This Morning but Caesars Entertainment CEO Gary Loveman, doing damage control … It’s hard to decide … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Current, Dan Gilbert, Donald Trump, Economy, Environment, Harrah's, Internet gambling, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Politics, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Tourism, Transportation, TV, Wall Street | Comments Off