Category Archives: Tilman Fertitta

Icahn: My way or the highway

If Unite-Here doesn’t cave in today, it’s curtains for Trump Taj Mahal. Or so says Carl Icahn, who wants the union to abandon its court fight to restore health and pension benefits breached by Trump Entertainment Resorts. If Icahn carries … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Carl Icahn, Dining, Entertainment, Harrah's, Louisiana, Pinnacle Entertainment, Texas, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Tribal, Trump Entertainment Resorts | Comments Off on Icahn: My way or the highway

Migratory patterns in Atlantic City

Considerably less casino revenue continues to flow into Atlantic City, down 13% last month, but it’s not all bad. Thanks to the whale-sized “market correction” of multiple casino closings, there continues to be more money for everybody who’s left. October’s … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Current, Economy, Harrah's, Mohegan Sun, Tilman Fertitta, Tropicana Entertainment, Trump Entertainment Resorts | 1 Comment

Illinois disappoints, Ohio surprises and Golden Nugget opens early

Except for a mild, 2% increase at Harrah’s Joliet, it was a very schizoid November for Illinois, whose casinos came in 4% below last year. There was one less weekend day, which some will cite as an alibi … but then … Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Genting, GLPI, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, Illinois, Louisiana, MGM Mirage, MTR Gaming, Neil Bluhm, New York, Ohio, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, Tilman Fertitta | 1 Comment

Loveman’s credit capers; Green shoots in flyover country

Reorganization of Caesars Entertainment promises to continue to provide drama. UMB Bank threw red meat on the barbeque with a lawsuit that charged Apollo Management and Texas Pacific Group with having “thoroughly ransacked CEOC in a sweeping and now transparent plan … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Economy, Harrah's, Isle of Capri, Louisiana, Maryland, Ohio, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Regulation, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Wall Street, World Series of Poker | 6 Comments

Good news from the Boardwalk; Leven leaves

Rid of the Atlantic Club Hotel, Showboat, Trump Plaza and Revel, cash flow at Atlantic City casinos shot upward 7%, or $147.5 million. Once that unhappy quartet is removed from the year-over-year comparison, the percentage increase falls to 3% but … Continue reading

Posted in Carl Icahn, Cirque du Soleil, Colony Capital, Harrah's, Macau, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, Regulation, Revel, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Trump Entertainment Resorts, Wall Street | Comments Off on Good news from the Boardwalk; Leven leaves

Hope on the Boardwalk

Down four casinos and counting, Atlantic City suffered a 9% dip last month but a 14% gain on a same-store basis. A 13% fall in slot win and a 12% decline in coin-in seems to have driven the slippage: In … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Current, Harrah's, Internet gambling, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, PokerStars, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Tropicana Entertainment, Trump Entertainment Resorts | 1 Comment

Unhappy Halloween

  Right-leaning Stand by Children Arizona, in the course of endorsing six GOP candidates, went a little screwy. Its poster art looks like something out of a cheap Fifties horror film, with zombie-faced Little Johnny’s proverbial one-room schoolhouse about to … Continue reading

Posted in Downtown, Election, Tilman Fertitta | Comments Off on Unhappy Halloween

All’s well at Penn; Casinos wary of Uncle Sam

Helped by better-than-expected performances at M Resort and Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races, beating its own estimates, Penn National Gaming exceeded Wall Street’s consensus for 3Q14. Cannibalization of Charles Town has not been as great as was feared and … Continue reading

Posted in Ameristar, Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Delaware, Election, Harrah's, M Resort, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Missouri, Mohegan Sun, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, Regulation, Sports, Tilman Fertitta, West Virginia | Comments Off on All’s well at Penn; Casinos wary of Uncle Sam

Boyd, Pinnacle speak

Both Boyd Gaming and Pinnacle Entertainment met with Wall Street analysts this week, everybody being in town for Global Gaming Expo. Boyd CEO Keith Smith and CFO John Hirsberg said they saw an abatement in negative business trends, now confined … Continue reading

Posted in Ameristar, Arizona, Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Downtown, Louisiana, Ohio, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, Tilman Fertitta, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off on Boyd, Pinnacle speak

Revel draws more interest; Risky business

Glenn Straub having put $130 million in escrow just in case his $90 million, all-cash bid on Revel doesn’t do the trick, other bidders are tipping their hands. Money doesn’t mean much to California developer Richard Meruelo, who forfeited a … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Glenn Straub, Neil Bluhm, Ohio, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Revel, Technology, Tilman Fertitta | 1 Comment

When a loss is a gain

Come this time next month, we could easily be reporting year/year gains in Atlantic City. Last month, as Revel and Showboat were winding down operations, the Boardwalk was only 1% off last year’s pace. Internet gambling played a role in … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Carl Icahn, Current, Economy, Harrah's, Internet gambling, Mohegan Sun, New York, Revel, Tilman Fertitta, Trump Entertainment Resorts | 1 Comment

Trump bookmarks Chapter 11; Christie’s canny moves

Trump Entertainment Resorts is back in familiar territory: Chapter 11. It is the fourth time that minority owner Donald Trump‘s casinos have gone insolvent. He may try to wash his hands of the mess, but he gets equity for the use … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Culinary Union, Donald Trump, Harrah's, Internet gambling, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Sports, Tilman Fertitta, Trump Entertainment Resorts | 2 Comments

Showboat, 1987-2014; Paris, 1999-????

In the end, the Showboat Atlantic City had a good run of it, lasting almost three decades on the Boardwalk. It succumbed, in part, to wounds inflicted by owner Caesars Entertainment, which cut into its customer base by building Harrah’s … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Economy, Harrah's, New York, Pennsylvania, Revel, Sam Nazarian, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Tourism, Trump Entertainment Resorts, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Atlantic City: Worse to come

If you thought this year’s shrinkage of the Atlantic City casino market from 12 casinos to eight was bad, brace yourself. A Deutsche Bank report predicts more contraction to come. Resorts Atlantic City and Trump Taj Mahal have been marked … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Dining, Harrah's, Marketing, Maryland, Mohegan Sun, New York, Regulation, Revel, Tilman Fertitta, Tropicana Entertainment, Trump Entertainment Resorts | 2 Comments

Dispatch from the Boardwalk

As Revel informs the bankruptcy court that it’s dickering with “potential” bidders, a new set of gaming numbers rolls in with the tide. Subtracting the Atlantic Club Hotel from the comparisons, Atlantic City is down 7% year/year. Online gaming revenue, … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Harrah's, Internet gambling, Mohegan Sun, Revel, Tilman Fertitta, Tropicana Entertainment, Trump Entertainment Resorts | 2 Comments

Good Caesars and Bad Caesars

That’s how a bondholder lawsuit distinguishes between Caesars Entertainment Operating Co. and Caesars Growth Partners. It castigates the toga-clad companies for — for instance — transferring Caesars Interactive (worth: $779 million) “for little or no consideration.” Similarly, Octavius Tower and … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Harrah's, Internet gambling, Louisiana, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Wall Street | Comments Off on Good Caesars and Bad Caesars

Enormous changes at the last minute

After years of hand-wringing about the future of Atlantic City, there is a sudden imperative to do something about the seaside resort. It’s gone from a leadership vacuum to possibly having too many chefs in the kitchen. State Senate President … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Carl Icahn, Churchill Downs, Economy, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, Mississippi, Penn National, Revel, Tilman Fertitta, Trump Entertainment Resorts | Comments Off on Enormous changes at the last minute

Caesars gains a hot tub, Biloxi loses a casino

You live in Las Vegas long enough, you think you’ve seen everything. Then somebody uses a helicopter to airlift a big-ass jacuzzi (technically an “onsen tub”) onto the terrace of the Nobu Tower at Caesars Palace, where it will grace the high-roller … Continue reading

Posted in Harrah's, Mississippi, Regulation, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta | 2 Comments

Soft landing in A.C.; “Nocturne” put to sleep

Internet-gaming revenue continues to slip in New Jersey, down 9% from May. There are only three players of consequence: Borgata (36.5%), Caesars Atlantic City (27%) and Tropicana Atlantic City (18%). Still, Internet gambling continues to provide a cushion for the … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, California, Cosmopolitan, Current, Entertainment, Harrah's, Internet gambling, Mohegan Sun, Revel, Sam Nazarian, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Tropicana Entertainment, Trump Entertainment Resorts, Wall Street | Comments Off on Soft landing in A.C.; “Nocturne” put to sleep

Steve Wynn’s right-hand woman

Considered by many the logical successor to Steve Wynn, his envoy to Macao, Linda Chen, is more spoken of than seen. CNN offers us a rare glimpse of the woman who may well be calling the shots at Wynn Resorts … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Harrah's, Macau, Mississippi, Penn National, Regulation, Reno, Steve Wynn, Tilman Fertitta, Transportation | 1 Comment