Category Archives: Tourism

Atlantic City prospers; Inflation vs. gaming: Which prevails?

Liar, liar, pants on fire. That’s what we say to Atlantic City casino executives who predict the coming of the Apocalypse is smoking is banned in their premises. First-quarter gross operating profits were up even by pre-pandemic standards, which hardly … Continue reading

Posted in AGA, Atlantic City, Bally, Caesars Entertainment, Canada, Conventions, Dan Lee, Detroit, DraftKings, Economy, Election, Gary Goett, Golden Nugget, Hard Rock International, Internet gambling, Iowa, Kansas, MGM Resorts International, Minnesota, Mohegan Sun, Nebraska, New York, Ocean Resort, Peninsula Pacific, Penn National, Philippines, Politics, Sports betting, Taxes, Technology, Tourism, Transportation, Tribal, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Boardwalk bulletin

Our East Coast correspondent paid a midweek visit to Borgata and saw relatively few slot players (despite a very attractive slot floor, above) but three busloads of conventioneers. Seems that a conclave of prosecutors was being held at the MGM … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Caesars Entertainment, Conventions, Golden Nugget, Hard Rock International, MGM Resorts International, Ocean Resort, Tilman Fertitta, Tourism | 2 Comments

MGM beats forecast, makes overseas play; California controversy

According to Deutsche Bank analyst Carlo Santarelli, the 1Q22 numbers for MGM Resorts International were “better than forecast” in Las Vegas and regionally, nor as bad as expected from Macao. Losses from BetMGM were worse than anticipated. Santarelli predicted cash … Continue reading

Posted in BetMGM, Boyd Gaming, California, Canada, Card rooms, Cosmopolitan, Dining, Downtown, DraftKings, Economy, Election, Entertainment, FanDuel, Hard Rock International, International, Internet gambling, Japan, Macau, Maine, MGM Resorts International, New York, Pennsylvania, Politics, Resorts World LV, Sports betting, Taxes, The Mob, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation, Tribal, Virginia, Wall Street | Comments Off on MGM beats forecast, makes overseas play; California controversy

Windy City shakedown; Strip explodes, Palms reborn

$75 million or else. That’s extortionate Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot‘s latest demand of casino applicants. If you win the bid, fork over the cash. Her Dishonor might settle for ‘only’ $40 million on the barrelhead, followed up by a $2 … Continue reading

Posted in Bally, Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, Chicago, China, Downtown, Florida, Hard Rock International, Health, International, Lake Tahoe, Las Vegas Sands, Laughlin, Macau, Mesquite, Nevada, New York, North Las Vegas, Palms, Politics, Regulation, Reno, Rush Street Gaming, San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, Singapore, Station Casinos, Taxes, Texas, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street, Wendover | 1 Comment

Baccarat constrains Strip; Sports betting tsunami ahead

Withered baccarat numbers meant that the Las Vegas Strip had a muted February, only a percentage point above 2019. Players dropped $599 million (-44.5%) of which the house won just $62 million (-52%). That offset a bonny month at the … Continue reading

Posted in Boulder Strip, Caesars Entertainment, California, Colorado, Downtown, DraftKings, FanDuel, Indiana, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Marketing, Mesquite, North Carolina, Palms, Reno, Sports, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation, Tribal, Wendover | Comments Off on Baccarat constrains Strip; Sports betting tsunami ahead

Barley’s leaves a bad taste; Woe is Star; Mega-Jottings

When a casino is named Barley’s Brewing Co. you’d expect to get a decent glass of suds there. Not so. Las Vegan Lon Enwright is $8 million richer—but physically damaged beyond price—after being served cleaning fluids instead of beer (the … Continue reading

Posted in Australia, Baseball, Boulder Strip, Charity, China, Conventions, Crown Resorts, Derek Stevens, history, Japan, Kentucky, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Missouri, Money laundering, Movies, New Jersey, Politics, Regulation, Resorts World LV, Singapore, Sports, Sports betting, Star Entertainment, Station Casinos, Tourism, Transportation, Tribal, Wall Street, Wisconsin | Comments Off on Barley’s leaves a bad taste; Woe is Star; Mega-Jottings

Chicago: Then there were three … ; Leaner, meaner Boyd

Enjoy these images of Rivers McCormick while you can because you’ll never see them again. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has nixed McCormick Place as a potential site for a casino, setting Bally’s Corp. and especially Rush Street Gaming down a … Continue reading

Posted in Bally, Boyd Gaming, Chicago, Culinary Union, Economy, Hawaii, Marketing, Neil Bluhm, Politics, Regulation, Rush Street Gaming, Station Casinos, Taxes, Tourism, Transportation | 1 Comment

Penn’s Portnoy problem; Unexpected winners, losers in Pennsylvania; Mega-Jottings

That ongoing bromance between Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy and Penn National Gaming CEO Jay Snowden is prompting regulatory scrutiny in Indiana and even Nevada, especially as Penn girds its loins for a full Barstool buyout. That would bring the … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Barstool Sports, Baseball, BetMGM, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, Cordish Co., Detroit, DraftKings, FanDuel, Greenwood Racing, Horseracing, Indiana, International, Internet gambling, Las Vegas Sands, Marketing, Massachusetts, Mohegan Sun, Nevada, New York, Ocean Resort, Oklahoma, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Rush Street Gaming, Sexual misconduct, Sports betting, Taxes, Tourism, Tribal, Wall Street, WInd Creek | 2 Comments

Bounty in Missouri, penury in Macao

Customer bucks continued flowing big-time in Missouri casinos last month, up 19% over 2021. The total gross was $146 million as customers spent 2.5% more per visit and came in 16% greater numbers. Almost casinos were revenue-positive (some spectacularly so) … Continue reading

Posted in Bally, Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Century Casinos, China, DraftKings, Election, FanDuel, Galaxy Entertainment, Genting, Health, Illinois, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, MGM Resorts International, Missouri, Nevada, Penn National, Rush Street Gaming, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, Sports, Sports betting, Taxes, Tourism, Wynn Resorts | 2 Comments

Almost everyone prospers in Maryland; Broader revival continues

There’s no sign of “normalization” of gaming revenues in Maryland, where February yielded $163 million, a 19% gain over 2019. Horseshoe Baltimore continued to be somewhat sickly, down 14% to $18 million while everyone else climbed. The silver lining was … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, BetMGM, Caesars Entertainment, Carl Icahn, Churchill Downs, Cordish Co., Downtown Grand, Entertainment, Fontainebleau, Golden Gaming, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, MGM Resorts International, Missouri, Ohio, Penn National, Scientific Games, Sports betting, The Strip, Tourism, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Mega-January on the Strip; Much ado about Caesars

January’s Nevada gambling-revenue numbers are out and the Silver State topped $1 billion yet again, a 41.5% boost over last year. However, some jurisdictions manifested slight declines, a sign that casino activity may be “normalizing” after a heated 2021. To … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, Arizona, Atlantic City, Bally, Baseball, Boulder Strip, Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, Conventions, Dining, Downtown, Genting, Health, Internet gambling, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Louisiana, Marketing, Mesquite, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Las Vegas, Peninsula Pacific, Pennsylvania, Planet Hollywood, Politics, Reno, Singapore, Sports, Sports betting, Texas, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal, Wall Street, Wendover, Wisconsin | 2 Comments

Louisiana levels off, DraftKings sucks wind, Golden gilded

Gaming analysts have been cautioning us to expect “difficult comparisons” between 2022 and previous high-water years late 2019 and 2021. Indeed, Louisiana‘s January was flat with 2019, if up 8% from last year. Sports betting was weak: $49 million in … Continue reading

Posted in Apollo Management, Atlantic City, Bally, Baseball, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, DraftKings, Economy, Eldorado Resorts, Florida, G2E, Golden Gaming, Golden Nugget, Hard Rock International, Hawaii, Japan, Las Vegas Sands, Laughlin, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, Peninsula Pacific, Penn National, Regulation, Resort fees, Slot routes, Sports betting, Tourism, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Louisiana levels off, DraftKings sucks wind, Golden gilded

Station sets revenue records, Penn less fortunate

Having quietly broken ground on $750 million Durango Station, proud papa Station Casinos announced that despite “some headwinds,” the company had achieved record-level cash flow in 4Q21. “The government’s mask mandate across the state of Nevada remained in place and … Continue reading

Posted in Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Caesars Entertainment, California, Canada, Conventions, Derek Stevens, Downtown, DraftKings, Economy, FanDuel, Hawaii, Health, history, Internet gambling, Louisiana, Marketing, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Palms, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Rush Street Gaming, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Technology, Tourism, Tribal, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 3 Comments

Horseshoe returns to Vegas; LV Sands thinks big

In the year’s worst-kept secret (or least surprising news story), Caesars Entertainment is finally rebranding Bally’s Las Vegas as the Horseshoe to end all Horseshoes. We were all over the story yesterday, in case you want the full monty. A … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Bally, Boulder Strip, Caesars Entertainment, Downtown, DraftKings, Election, FanDuel, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Internet gambling, Iowa, Las Vegas Sands, Laughlin, Macau, Massachusetts, Nevada, New York, North Las Vegas, Politics, Reno, Seminole Tribe, Singapore, Sports betting, Texas, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Meet the new National Harbor boss, same as the old boss

Maryland closed out 2021 hot, up 16% from 2019 with a gross of $173 million in December. As usual, MGM National Harbor was in the lead with $74.5 million. Maryland Live booked $62.5 million for a 20.5% gain and 36% … Continue reading

Posted in Alex Meruelo, Arizona, Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, California, Churchill Downs, Dining, DraftKings, Economy, FanDuel, Golden Gaming, Health, Idaho, Indiana, Las Vegas Raiders, Louisiana, Macau, Marketing, Maryland, MGM Resorts International, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Rush Street Gaming, Sahara, Sports, Sports betting, Taxes, Technology, Tennessee, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal, Wall Street, World Series of Poker | Comments Off on Meet the new National Harbor boss, same as the old boss

Las Vegas explodes

But in a good way. Despite having one less weekend in which to gamble than in 2019, gaming revenues were off the charts last November. The Las Vegas Strip vaulted 46% to $755 million and locals revenues, expected to level … Continue reading

Posted in Boulder Strip, Downtown, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Reno, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation | 3 Comments

Strip sizzles, locals thriftier; Penn’s pride and joy

While tourists were more open-handed than ever, cash flow among Las Vegas locals may be drying up, as win/day fell 11% from September. By contrast, the same metric from the Las Vegas Strip was +6%. Further tipping the scales against … Continue reading

Posted in Barstool Sports, Boulder Strip, California, Cretins, Downtown, Economy, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Nevada, New York, North Las Vegas, Penn National, Reno, Sports betting, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation, Wendover | 1 Comment

Chicago reveals all; Rumblings from Macao; Riot in Vegas

The City of Chicago unveiled the applications for its casino license late Friday, effectively burying it at the end of a news cycle, in another triumph for Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) and her administration. The five submissions “are in line … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Bally, Barstool Sports, Chicago, China, Cretins, Entertainment, Genting, Golden Gaming, Hard Rock International, Health, IGT, Illinois, Las Vegas Raiders, Macau, Maryland, Mattress Mack, Neil Bluhm, New Jersey, New York, Problem gambling, Regulation, Rush Street Gaming, Sports, Sports betting, Tourism, Transportation | 5 Comments

Wynn drops bombshells; Portnoy’s complaint

Wynn Resorts CEO Matt Maddox is leaving the building, effective Jan. 31. This shockeroo, which inspired a banner headline in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, was trundled out just minutes before the 3Q21 earnings call. Maddox will be succeeded by veteran … Continue reading

Posted in AGA, Arizona, Atlantic City, Bally, Barstool Sports, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, China, Diversity, Economy, GLPI, Golden Nugget, Hard Rock International, Health, International, Internet gambling, Macau, Marketing, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Missouri, Movies, New York, Ocean Resort, Oklahoma, Penn National, Politics, Sexual misconduct, Sheldon Adelson, Sports betting, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation, Tribal, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Cosmo finds pigeons; Scientific sheds sports betting

Reflecting the irrational exuberance surrounding the Las Vegas Strip, it’s a done deal at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. The $3.9 billion resort’s physical assets sold for $4 billion, albeit to a cloudy “group of buyers that includes a Blackstone … Continue reading

Posted in Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Caesars Entertainment, China, Churchill Downs, Colorado, Cosmopolitan, Donald Trump, DraftKings, Environment, Florida, Full House Resorts, Hard Rock International, Health, Indiana, Lotteries, Louisiana, Macau, Marketing, MGM Resorts International, Pennsylvania, Real Estate, Rush Street Gaming, Scientific Games, Seminole Tribe, Sports, Sports betting, Tennessee, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Cosmo finds pigeons; Scientific sheds sports betting