Category Archives: TV

Save the Riviera!; Soggy March in Louisiana; The blacklist

Posted on April 18, 2016 by David McKee

Local preservationist Kelden Engel is trying to fight the power. He’s seeking 51,000 qualified signatures in a petition drive to halt demolition of the Riviera, currently slated for June. Not only is he racing the clock, he may be fighting … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Churchill Downs, Eldorado Resorts, Environment, GLPI, Harrah's, history, Isle of Capri, Louisiana, LVCVA, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, Reno, The Strip, Tropicana Entertainment, TV | Comments Off on Save the Riviera!; Soggy March in Louisiana; The blacklist

DFS in retreat; Pinnacle fights smoking ban

Posted on March 23, 2016 by David McKee

What Attorney General Eric Schneiderman couldn’t do, gun-shy payment processors have accomplished: Put DraftKings and FanDuel out of business in New York State. The two have said they will refrain from taking wagers from the Empire State through the end … Continue reading →

Posted in Churchill Downs, Environment, GLPI, Harrah's, history, Illinois, Internet gambling, Law enforcement, Louisiana, Neil Bluhm, New York, Pennsylvania, Pinnacle Entertainment, Regulation, Sports, Tribal, Tropicana Entertainment, TV | Comments Off on DFS in retreat; Pinnacle fights smoking ban

DFS returns to Nevada; Dustup near the Stratosphere

Posted on March 15, 2016 by David McKee

While DraftKings CEO Jason Robins and FanDuel CEO Nigel Eccles insist that their companies are just too special to apply for a Nevada gaming license, entrepreneurs Vic Salerno and Michael Knapp are effectively calling their bluff. They’re seeking a license … Continue reading →

Posted in International, Internet gambling, Nevada, Regulation, The Strip, TV | Comments Off on DFS returns to Nevada; Dustup near the Stratosphere

Case Bets

Posted on January 25, 2016 by David McKee

Casinos: They’re not just for French resorts anymore. Marseille Mayor Jean-Claude Gaudin is plumping for a casino in his city, which is badly afflicted by poverty. He seems to be right on the curve, as far as a casino injection … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, International, Internet gambling, Isle of Capri, Mississippi, New York, Taxes, Tilman Fertitta, TV | Comments Off on Case Bets

Seminoles take to the air; Trop exec vanishes

Posted on January 20, 2016 by David McKee

Florida‘s Seminole Tribe is taking its case to the people, as its new compact with Gov. Rick Scott (R) faces an uphill slog in the Legislature. The compact is such a Rube Goldberg contraption, with so many moving parts, you … Continue reading →

Posted in Delaware, Florida, GLPI, Harrah's, Indiana, Internet gambling, Marketing, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Pinnacle Entertainment, Politics, Regulation, Seminole Tribe, Tropicana Entertainment, TV | Comments Off on Seminoles take to the air; Trop exec vanishes

RAWA bombs on Capitol Hill; DFS currently on the wane

Posted on December 15, 2015 by David McKee

It’s looking more and more like Rep. Jason Chaffetz‘s effort to move his (actually Las Vegas Sands‘) “Restoration of America’s Wire Act” has hit a dead end. Last week’s hearing found widespread skepticism, even hostility, among the members of Chaffetz’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Election, Georgia, Harrah's, Internet gambling, Politics, Sheldon Adelson, TV | 1 Comment

Holiday season in Vegas

Posted on December 2, 2015 by David McKee

An extended Thanksgiving Day weekend allowed my wife and I to partake of some random Sin City fare — helped greatly by her superior comp-getting abilities. Last Sunday, we spent the night at the Downtown Grand (not our first stay … Continue reading →

Posted in Dining, Downtown, Entertainment, MGM Mirage, TV | Comments Off on Holiday season in Vegas

Bad news for Atlantic City; Finally, a ‘Carcieri fix’

Posted on December 1, 2015 by David McKee

Just when you thought the Atlantic City market had rightsized and the Boardwalk was out of the woods, here comes Moody’s Investors Service with a baleful report. Pointing to in-progress casino expansion in several neighboring East Coast states, Moody’s predicts … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Economy, Glenn Straub, Harrah's, Internet gambling, Regulation, Revel, Technology, Tourism, Tribal, Trump Entertainment Resorts, TV, Wall Street | Comments Off on Bad news for Atlantic City; Finally, a ‘Carcieri fix’

Big month for Maryland; Much ado about Dotty’s

Posted on November 9, 2015 by David McKee

Developers of MGM National Harbor have to like what they saw when Maryland busted out its October revenue numbers: 9% growth (to $95 million), with all five casinos in the plus column. Horseshoe Baltimore General Manager Chad Barnhill is defecting … Continue reading →

Posted in Cordish Co., Dan Gilbert, Dotty's, Golden Gaming, Harrah's, Internet gambling, Maryland, MGM Mirage, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Racinos, Sheldon Adelson, TV | 1 Comment

New blows to Adelson, SLS; Seminoles’ air war

Posted on November 6, 2015 by David McKee

Ex-Sands China CEO Steven Jacobs‘ wrongful-termination case will still proceed under the gavel of Judge Elizabeth Gonzalez. The Nevada Supreme Court, in an unpublished opinion, reaffirmed Gonzalez’s standing in the case and also ordered Las Vegas Sands to pony up … Continue reading →

Posted in Florida, Indiana, Internet gambling, Macau, Politics, Regulation, Sam Nazarian, Seminole Tribe, Sheldon Adelson, SLS Las Vegas, Taxes, The Strip, TV | Comments Off on New blows to Adelson, SLS; Seminoles’ air war

Turmoil at Revel, Trump; DFS to try self-regulation

Posted on October 28, 2015 by David McKee

Atlantic City civic gadfly Glenn Straub is at it again. In addition to trying to wrest electrical power from Stockton University by way of the Showboat (Stockton is contesting the validity of the quid pro quo in court), he’s threatening to sue … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Baseball, Carl Icahn, Glenn Straub, Harrah's, Internet gambling, James Packer, Macau, Melco Crown Entertainment, Regulation, Trump Entertainment Resorts, TV | Comments Off on Turmoil at Revel, Trump; DFS to try self-regulation

Macao rebukes Wynn

Posted on October 20, 2015 by David McKee

Steve Wynn‘s criticism of Macao governmental policy toward casinos as “outrageous and ridiculous … the single most counterintuitive and irrational decision that was ever made” went over like a lead balloon in China. Casino executives, including Wynn Macau President Gamal Aziz, … Continue reading →

Posted in Internet gambling, Macau, Massachusetts, Regulation, Sports, Steve Wynn, TV | Comments Off on Macao rebukes Wynn

DFS rose fast, fell faster

Posted on October 15, 2015 by David McKee

This just in: Nevada has lowered the boom on DFS operators. The fat’s in the fire for daily fantasy sports — and New Jersey might want to rethink its push for unregulated sports betting in the Garden State. According to … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Geoff Freeman, International, Louisiana, New York, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, Texas, TV | Comments Off on DFS rose fast, fell faster

Boardwalk of Broken Dreams; Adelson strikes again

Posted on September 28, 2015 by David McKee

As Donald Trump continues to boast of his business expertise, the Boston Globe examines his less-than-stellar track record in Atlantic City, scene of four bankruptcies. (Five, if you count the current insolvency of Trump Entertainment Resorts, in which he holds … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Donald Trump, Election, Harrah's, history, International, Japan, MGM Mirage, Sheldon Adelson, The Strip, Transportation, Trump Entertainment Resorts, TV | Comments Off on Boardwalk of Broken Dreams; Adelson strikes again

Nah, this isn’t sports betting

Posted on September 25, 2015 by David McKee

Draft Duel: Where Winning Is Fantasy from Funny Or Die

Posted in Sports, TV | Comments Off on Nah, this isn’t sports betting

Quote of the Day

Posted on September 24, 2015 by David McKee

“When coverage doesn’t go his way, he engages in personal attacks on our anchors and hosts, which has grown stale and tiresome. He doesn’t seem to grasp that candidates telling journalists what to ask is not how the media works … Continue reading →

Posted in Cretins, Donald Trump, Election, TV | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Quote of the Day

Posted on September 21, 2015 by David McKee

“Thank you, HBO, for believing in dragons.” — Game of Thrones writer/co-showrunner David Benioff, accepting the Emmy Award for “Best Drama.” (At left, GoT actress Gwendoline Christie with her Pop! Figure Brienne of Tarth, a sure sign that You Have … Continue reading →

Posted in TV | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Fantasy sports pushback; Wynn “punished enough”

Posted on September 17, 2015 by David McKee

If the glutting of our TV screens with obnoxious FanDuel and DraftKings ads has not been enough to trigger a backlash, it has been sufficient to inspire Wynn Las Vegas‘ resourceful sports books director, Johnny Avello, to devise his version of … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Geoff Freeman, Macau, Massachusetts, Politics, Sports, Steve Wynn, TV, Wall Street | Comments Off on Fantasy sports pushback; Wynn “punished enough”

Trouble in Fantasyland

Posted on September 15, 2015 by David McKee

Daily fantasy sports leagues have gotten awfully brazen since pairing with major sports leagues, inundating TV airwaves with advertising, and this has gaming regulators in some states looking askance at DFS. The first shot across the bow came from Nevada, … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Detroit, Kansas, MGM Mirage, PokerStars, Politics, Regulation, Sports, TV | 1 Comment

Caesars, O’Malley flunk key tests

Posted on August 26, 2015 by David McKee

Caesars Entertainment got caught with its pants down by Howard Stutz, who wrote that the company “committed public relations suicide” by lavishing a $200,000 bonus on General Counsel Tim Donovan. This is the same Caesars that is trying to stiff … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, California, Election, Entertainment, G2E, Harrah's, Maryland, Mohegan Sun, Taxes, Technology, The Strip, Tribal, TV | 1 Comment