Category Archives: TV

Confidence or desperation?

Posted on March 31, 2010 by David McKee

Casino operators must be feeling very bullish about recent, incremental increases in visitation to Las Vegas, even though customers continue to spend less. (This is the new business model which the industry as a whole is loath to acknowledge: being … Continue reading →

Posted in Cirque du Soleil, Current, Donald Trump, Economy, Entertainment, Harrah's, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Pennsylvania, Phil Ruffin, Planet Hollywood, Sahara, The Strip, Tribal, TV | 2 Comments

Cloud 9 brought to earth

Posted on March 19, 2010 by David McKee

We’ve been enjoying [sic] an unusually blustery winter in Las Vegas. All that’s missing is Eeyore. Well, him and now the Cloud 9 sightseeing balloon. This piquant Strip attraction met a tragic end yesterday. (Douchebaggy Fox 5 doesn’t permit video … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, M Resort, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation, TV | Comments Off

Mania in Macao

Posted on March 17, 2010 by David McKee

Las Vegas casino floors nearly look somnolent compared to the intense baccarat play captured by CNN at Melco Crown Entertainment‘s megaresort, City of Dreams. For added fun, one gets a bit of James Bond (Sean Connery) throwing down against “smug … Continue reading →

Posted in CityCenter, James Packer, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Movies, The Strip, TV | 1 Comment

And the winner is … Mohegan Sun

Posted on March 17, 2010 by David McKee

Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs is on pace to become the first Pennsylvania casino to deploy table games. A hearty S&G congratulations to the Mohegans and a big “WTF?” to WNEP-TV and its eccentric video-embed format.

Posted in Current, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Tribal, TV | 1 Comment

Case Bets: Lake Las Vegas, Todd English, the CityCenter smear, Harrah’s Chester, etc.

Posted on March 16, 2010 by David McKee

Far on the outskirts of Sin City, the Kingdom of Make-Believe (aka Lake Las Vegas) is the newest and — in terms of acreage — biggest metaphor yet for the unrealistic expectations and sometimes insane assumptions which have laid our … Continue reading →

Posted in Archon Corp., CityCenter, Current, Dining, Dubai, Economy, Election, Harrah's, Harry Reid, Lake Las Vegas, Laughlin, Macau, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Pennsylvania, Sheldon Adelson, The Strip, TV | 14 Comments

House of cards

Posted on March 12, 2010 by David McKee

Literally. How Venetian Macao was recreated in playing-card form.

Posted in Macau, Sheldon Adelson, TV | Comments Off

Bad PR for gaming

Posted on March 12, 2010 by David McKee

Mike Ensign‘s 96 dimes of hush money to his son’s mistress’ pimp daddy (aka Doug Hampton) and “Casino Jack” Abramoff make cameo appearances in this attack ad (found via @RalstonFlash). Throw in the heavy-handed meddling in casino affairs of Gov. … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Election, Iowa, Marketing, New York, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Reno, Sahara, TV | Comments Off

This is getting nasty

Posted on March 11, 2010 by David McKee

Update: S&G sends its condolences to Sen. Reid after his wife and daughter were severely injured in an automobile accident this afternoon. Back when Archon Corp. Treasurer Sue Lowden (left) threw her hat into the 2010 U.S. Senate race, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Archon Corp., CityCenter, Current, Economy, Election, Harry Reid, Labor, Laughlin, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Sheldon Adelson, TV | 1 Comment

Quote of the Day

Posted on March 10, 2010 by David McKee

“Political pundits cast aspersions on candidates and incumbents by labeling their policies and beliefs ‘communist’ or ‘socialist. I have noticed many of these exchanges recently and wanted to bring them to light in a humorous way by placing them here … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Current, Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Movies, Politics, The Mob, The Strip, TV | Comments Off

Wynn on the defensive

Posted on March 10, 2010 by David McKee

Steve Wynn hasn’t done his homework on the tortured history of Foxwoods‘ vagabond casino project and if his aides at Wynn Resorts tried to bring him up to speed, they’ve obviously failed miserably. Still — and quite understandably — chafing … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Pennsylvania, Politics, Steve Wynn, Tribal, TV | 4 Comments

Did my eyes deceive me …

Posted on March 8, 2010 by David McKee

… or was that the skeleton of Echelon which was used to illustrate Nevada’s economic woes in the TV spot that Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) is running this week? That’s no outrage in and of itself: Echelon was a casualty … Continue reading →

Posted in Archon Corp., Boyd Gaming, CityCenter, Current, Economy, Election, Harry Reid, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Politics, Sheldon Adelson, The Strip, TV | 2 Comments

From one Isle to another

Posted on March 8, 2010 by David McKee

Let’s start the week with a salute to a company that’s doing the right thing. Between its Florida and Missouri operations, Isle of Capri Casinos employs some 170 citizens of Haiti. Their salaries go to support family members on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Charity, Current, Environment, Florida, Harrah's, International, Isle of Capri, Missouri, Movies, TV | 2 Comments

Chronicle of a Black foretold; River City looking good

Posted on March 2, 2010 by David McKee

Randy Black, that is. The CEO who ran the Mesquite market straight into the ground (with a sizable assist from the Nevada Gaming Control Board and Gaming Commission) and turned the former Si Redd’s Oasis into a slot route — … Continue reading →

Posted in Archon Corp., Boyd Gaming, Current, Don Barden, Election, Harry Reid, IGT, Mesquite, Michael Gaughan, Midnight Jim Gibbons, Pinnacle Entertainment, Planet Hollywood, Politics, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, TV, Wall Street, WMS Industries | 1 Comment

Case Bets: Loveman & ladies’ shoes, CityCenter, Singapore, the Palms and Wayne Newton

Posted on February 26, 2010 by David McKee

Naptime in the casino. If American casinos are less frenetic than those of, say, Macao, the gambling culture in Singapore is very relaxed indeed. Fancy a catnap at your slot machine? No problem! Oh, to see the expression on Sheldon … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Architecture, CityCenter, Current, Entertainment, Genting, George Maloof, Harrah's, MGM Mirage, Midnight Jim Gibbons, Problem gambling, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, The Strip, TV, Wall Street | 4 Comments

Sheldon Adelson, TV star

Posted on February 19, 2010 by David McKee

There I was, wrapping up a two-day “staycation” with dinner at Metro Pizza when I looked up and … let’s say I’m lucky I didn’t choke to death from shock at what I saw. There was Las Vegas Sands potentate … Continue reading →

Posted in Archon Corp., Current, Economy, Entertainment, International, James Packer, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Melco Crown Entertainment, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, Steve Wynn, The Strip, TV, Wall Street, Wayne F. Newton | 1 Comment

Aqueduct: Penn got hosed

Posted on February 12, 2010 by David McKee

Despite its runaway hyperbole, this Empire State editorial makes a good point: The Aqueduct racino deal smells like a week-old fish and ought to be investigated. (It isn’t — but it should be.) Since all bids involved multiple players, sorting … Continue reading →

Posted in Alabama, Atlantic City, Carl Icahn, Downtown, Fontainebleau, Harrah's, Macau, MGM Mirage, New York, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Racinos, Sahara, Steve Wynn, Tamares Group, The Strip, Tribal, TV | 2 Comments

A funny thing happened …

Posted on February 8, 2010 by David McKee

I was touring the Erotic Heritage Museum, when my guide, doctoral student Amanda Morgan, made the following observation: “As you know, Nevada is very conservative. If you look at the population of people in Las Vegas and looked at the … Continue reading →

Posted in California, CityCenter, Election, MGM Mirage, Midnight Jim Gibbons, Politics, The Strip, TV | 4 Comments

Lowden’s interesting omission

Posted on February 4, 2010 by David McKee

Here, for your viewing pleasure, is Archon Corp. Treasurer Sue Lowden‘s newest ad spot. I saw it on the tube this morning and was struck by the euphemistic way it gets around having to describe her as a “casino executive,” … Continue reading →

Posted in Archon Corp., Election, Marketing, Politics, TV | 5 Comments

Case Bets: Laughlin postmortem, Newton grounded, Gibbons robs problem gamblers

Posted on February 4, 2010 by David McKee

It’s an S&G Special Austerity Edition (i.e., no pictures) … Three grand. That’s the value of a human life in Nevada. The Washingtonian who crashed his car into Laughlin‘s Edgewater casino, killing two and injuring seven, is out on $6,000 … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Architecture, Boyd Gaming, Current, Detroit, Economy, Entertainment, Harrah's, IGT, Laughlin, MGM Mirage, Midnight Jim Gibbons, Movies, Politics, Problem gambling, Regulation, Reno, Transportation, TV, Wall Street, Wayne F. Newton | Comments Off

See Laughlin and die

Posted on February 3, 2010 by David McKee

It’s standard industry practice to jam slot machines up as close to the front door as humanly possible. Hell, if they could put them out on the street, they would. (Casino Royale actually has machines on the Strip, but they’re … Continue reading →

Posted in Dining, Entertainment, Laughlin, Macau, MGM Mirage, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, Station Casinos, The Strip, TV | 8 Comments