Category Archives: Tourism

Gaming and its discontents

Posted on August 19, 2019 by David McKee

Iowa, Nebraska and Council Bluffs continue to have their collective ass kicked in court by the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska. The latest drubbing occurred in federal district court. The plaintiffs filed motions arguing that, since Judge Stephanie Rose had asked … Continue reading →

Posted in Cambodia, Connecticut, Cordish Co., Foxwoods, Genting, Iowa, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, Money laundering, Nebraska, New York, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, Sports betting, Tourism, Transportation, Tribal, Wall Street | 2 Comments

Rock the casbah; The risks of Japan

Posted on August 9, 2019 by David McKee

Although Israel continues to outlaw casinos, undoubtedly to Sheldon Adelson‘s deep regret, the Middle East is pustulent with gaming houses. Yes, the Koran forbids it but that’s hardly stopping anyone. Egypt stands out with roughly 15 casinos, supposedly off-limits to … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Atlantic City, Caesars Entertainment, Genting, GLPI, Illinois, Indiana, International, Japan, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, Movies, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Scientific Games, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Sports betting, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street | 2 Comments

Vegas: The good, the mediocre and the Moulin Rouge

Posted on August 6, 2019 by David McKee

First the good news (for the hospitality industry): Las Vegas hotel occupancy is over 89% and ADRs are $135.23. The relatively bad news is that total visitation will yet again fall short of 2016’s record numbers. The Las Vegas Review-Journal‘s Richard … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Genting, Illinois, Konami, Las Vegas Raiders, Moulin Rouge, The Strip, Tourism | Comments Off

Vegas’ baccarat bonanza; New ‘link’ on Strip

Posted on July 31, 2019 by David McKee

Ever unpredictable, the Las Vegas Strip boomed last month, as gross gaming revenue shot up 18% (propelled by baccarat) to $616.5 million. Statewide, gambling win leapt 11.5% for a grand total of $1 billion. Perhaps it’s coincidental—but surely not—that McCarran … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Aristocrat, Baseball, Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, Downtown, Golden Gaming, Hawaii, history, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, North Las Vegas, Pennsylvania, Pinnacle Entertainment, Reno, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street | Comments Off

Wynn tops in U.S. casinos; Crown in hot water again

Posted on July 30, 2019 by David McKee

Steve Wynn got some love from the contributors to TripAdvisor, whose top-three-ranked casinos in America are Wynn Las Vegas, Encore and Beau Rivage, a vindication of Wynn’s spare-no-detail approach. However, Bellagio may be showing its age, clocking in at a … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Australia, Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, CityCenter, Cosmopolitan, Crown Resorts, Detroit, Downtown, Economy, Eldorado Resorts, Foxwoods, Golden Gaming, Indiana, Iowa, Las Vegas Sands, Law enforcement, Louisiana, M Resort, Macau, MGM Resorts International, Mississippi, Mohegan Sun, North Las Vegas, Oklahoma, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Reno, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Terry Caudill, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal, TV, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Atlantic City: It’s not just for daytrippers anymore

Posted on July 24, 2019 by David McKee

In an in-depth feature, the New York Times comes to the Boardwalk not to scorn but to celebrate Atlantic City and what it truly has to offer. How so? Consider that of twelve principal stops, only one (Ocean Casino Resort) … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Caesars Entertainment, Eldorado Resorts, Florida, Hard Rock International, International, New York, Ocean Resort, Seminole Tribe, Sports betting, Taxes, Tourism, Tribal | 2 Comments

One city to rule them all; “Cats” is coming for you

Posted on July 23, 2019 by David McKee

Can you believe that San José, Costa Rica is the seventh-best place to gamble? It might the best casino town of which you’ve never heard, with 30 casinos and “a quite attractive exchange rate.” That’s the conclusion of a TravelTrivia.com … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Caesars Entertainment, Eldorado Resorts, International, Lake Tahoe, Louisiana, Macau, Movies, North Carolina, Problem gambling, Reno, Singapore, Tourism, Tribal | Comments Off

Quote of the Day

Posted on July 5, 2019 by David McKee

“Chinese tourists are a high-spending source market and their visitation numbers to the US have been growing rapidly in recent years.”—from a GlobalData report on the expansion of the China-driven, luxury-hotel market in the U.S., music to Las Vegas‘ ears.

Posted in International, Marketing, Tourism | Comments Off

Touring Vegas; Bus to Nowhere; So long, Sammy

Posted on July 5, 2019 by David McKee

Paste Magazine is having one of those love/hate moments with Las Vegas that seem de rigeur for glossy publications. After a few preliminary digs at the Las Vegas Strip, it settles into a survey of the best places to go … Continue reading →

Posted in Cretins, Dining, Downtown, Entertainment, history, MGM Resorts International, Reno, Sahara, Sam Nazarian, Station Casinos, Terry Caudill, The Mob, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation | 1 Comment

Genting’s been working on the railroad; California solons pitch sports betting

Posted on July 3, 2019 by David McKee

Genting Group evidently hasn’t given up on its casino aspirations in south Florida. The company is teaming with BYD Motors of China to propose a monorail between downtown Miami and Miami Beach. Genting owns waterfront real estate in Miami it has … Continue reading →

Posted in Caesars Entertainment, California, Florida, Genting, Japan, Macau, Pokergeddon, Politics, Problem gambling, Security, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, Sports betting, Technology, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation, Tribal, TV, World Series of Poker, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off

Whales super-lucky on the Strip; New Jersey tops Nevada

Posted on June 28, 2019 by David McKee

Last month was the busiest in McCarran International Airport history, seeing 4,590,539 arrivals and departures. Unfortunately for the casinos, this did not translate into record prosperity. Far from it. Gross gaming revenue toppled 11% to $517.5 million. Slots were a bright … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, Culinary Union, Downtown, International, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Law enforcement, Macau, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Las Vegas, Palms, Reno, Sports, Sports betting, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal, William Hill | Comments Off

At long last, Encore

Posted on June 28, 2019 by David McKee

After much regulatory spilkes and political infighting, Encore Boston Harbor has come to market and early auguries are good. JP Morgan analyst Joseph Greff got one of the first looks at the property and was “impressed. In short, we think it takes … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Environment, Foxwoods, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, New Hampshire, Tourism, Transportation, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off

Wire Act reversal reversed; China scare for Las Vegas

Posted on June 10, 2019 by David McKee

A federal judge dealt a major defeat to the Justice Department in its efforts to reinterpret the Federal Wire Act as a ban on Internet gambling. Nope, only sports betting ruled Judge Paul Barbadoro. The ruling is a boon to … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Caesars Entertainment, Economy, Eldorado Resorts, Entertainment, Florida, Hard Rock International, Indiana, International, Internet gambling, Law enforcement, Lotteries, Marketing, Mohegan Sun, Ocean Resort, Palms, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Seminole Tribe, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Tourism, Tribal, Unite-Here, Wall Street, World Series of Poker | Comments Off

Memo from Murren

Posted on May 31, 2019 by David McKee

The MGM 2020 axe continues to fall. Company employees received the following open letter from CEO Jim Murren … “Dear Colleagues: “I want to begin this note by thanking so many of you for your patience, support and focus over … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Economy, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Tourism, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off

Melco nabs Crown; Scientific promotes diversity

Posted on May 30, 2019 by David McKee

Stick a fork in that Wynn Resorts takeover of Crown Resorts, which was already on life support. Melco Resorts & Entertainment just bought a 20% stake in Crown, giving Lawrence Ho a sizable footfall in Australia. The transaction will cost … Continue reading →

Posted in Australia, Caesars Entertainment, Crown Resorts, Entertainment, James Packer, Japan, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, Problem gambling, Scientific Games, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off

Stability in the heartland; The lure of “NashVegas”

Posted on May 9, 2019 by David McKee

Last month’s gaming revenues from Ohio and Illinois were flat year/year. Some would look at that as a bad thing but it shows the states aren’t losing significant play to neighboring states. Ohio casinos grossed $160 million, with MGM Northfield … Continue reading →

Posted in Australia, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Canada, Churchill Downs, Crown Resorts, Dan Gilbert, Dining, Eldorado Resorts, Georgia, GLPI, Illinois, Law enforcement, Macau, MGM Resorts International, Mississippi, Ohio, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Rush Street Gaming, Sports, Sports betting, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off

Nevada: Strip weak, locals strong; Busing it to Macao

Posted on April 25, 2019 by David McKee

Las Vegas Strip gambling revenues were down 4% last month to $552 million. Some of that is attributable to an impossible baccarat comparison. In March 2018, baccarat win was up 118%. Last month it was down 56% on 43% less … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Architecture, Arkansas, Australia, Boulder Strip, Downtown, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Lotteries, Macau, Mesquite, Nevada, New Mexico, North Las Vegas, Reno, South Korea, Sports betting, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation, Tribal | 1 Comment

Across the Pacific

Posted on April 17, 2019 by David McKee

In a nodal moment for Macao, mass-market gambling revenue constituted the majority of monies collected during 1Q19. This is the first time that mass-market winnings have surpassed VIP ones. VIP baccarat revenue was down 16% while mass-market win was up … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Environment, Japan, Kazuo Okada, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, Midnight Jim Gibbons, Philippines, Problem gambling, Technology, Tourism | Comments Off

Puerto Rico grabs sport-betting lifeline; Hotel economy at peak power

Posted on April 8, 2019 by David McKee

If you’re Puerto Rico, still—still!—digging out from Hurricane Maria, to expect help from the U.S. government is like waiting for Godot. Except I’ll give odds that Mister Godot shows up first. Making necessity the mother of dire invention, Gov. Ricardo Rosselló … Continue reading →

Posted in Caesars Entertainment, DFS, Economy, Genting, International, Las Vegas Sands, MGM Mirage, Singapore, Sports betting, Tourism, Wall Street | Comments Off

Going to the dogs

Posted on March 19, 2019 by David McKee

5 Tips to Get Your Canine Companion Ready for a Pet Friendly Las Vegas Hotel by Jessica Kane, special correspondent to Stiffs & Georges Las Vegas is a welcoming city when it comes to travelers with pets. For example, even … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Pets, The Strip, Tourism | Comments Off