Category Archives: TV

Circa picketed; Sundry green shoots in Vegas; Sports book busted

If you cruise by Circa, you’re liable to see members of Teamsters Local 986 walking a picket line on behalf of the ‘Circa Seven,’ a group of unfortunate warehouse workers. The seven were employed by Derek Stevens‘ Three Corners company, … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Bally, Caesars Entertainment, Cordish Co., Derek Stevens, Dining, Downtown, Economy, Florida, Golden Nugget, Las Vegas Sands, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, Money laundering, Ocean Resort, Regulation, Seminole Tribe, Sports, Sports betting, Tennessee, The Strip, TV, Virgin Hotels, Virginia, Wynn Resorts | 2 Comments

Wall Street meets Las Vegas, Part I

JP Morgan analysts conducted a pilgrimage to Las Vegas to meet with the top brass of Big Gaming. First up was MGM Resorts International, represented by CEO Bill Hornbuckle, CFO Jonathan Halkyard and BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt. They see positive … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Atlantic City, Barstool Sports, Caesars Entertainment, California, Conventions, Detroit, DraftKings, Economy, Illinois, Indiana, Lake Tahoe, Las Vegas Sands, Louisiana, Macau, Maryland, MGM Resorts International, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Penn National, Reno, Singapore, Sports, Sports betting, Texas, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation, Tribal, TV, William Hill | 2 Comments

Maryland: More gamblers = more money; Illinois improving

What will prompt recovery in gaming? Stimulus money, yes, but we got a strong indicator of something else out of Maryland last weekend. Overall, casino revenues were down 16.5% but the story is more complicated than that. At facilities restricted … Continue reading

Posted in AGA, Australia, Bally, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Canada, Churchill Downs, Connecticut, Cordish Co., Crown Resorts, DraftKings, FanDuel, Foxwoods, Golden Gaming, Illinois, Internet gambling, Iowa, Maryland, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, Penn National, Problem gambling, Sports, Sports betting, TV, Wall Street, West Virginia, William Hill | Comments Off on Maryland: More gamblers = more money; Illinois improving

Roman Empire conquers Venice

In a dramatic, dead-of-night deal, Las Vegas Sands sold The Venetian and Palazzo to a REIT/private-equity combo of Vici Properties and Apollo Management for $6.25 billion. Vici and Apollo obviously have a considerable appetite for risk on the Las Vegas … Continue reading

Posted in Australia, Caesars Entertainment, Crown Resorts, DraftKings, Internet gambling, James Packer, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, New York, Real Estate, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Sports betting, Texas, The Strip, TV, Wall Street, William Hill | 2 Comments

A.C.: Trump Dump gone, Hard Rock and Ocean going strong

At 9:08 a.m. yesterday, one of the towers of Trump Plaza was finally imploded, an important first step in clearing Atlantic City of its last excrescences of You Know Who. Maybe owner Carl Icahn, having been a “george” donor to … Continue reading

Posted in AGA, Bally, Barstool Sports, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Carl Icahn, Charity, Churchill Downs, Cordish Co., Current, Dining, Donald Trump, DraftKings, Economy, FanDuel, FoxBet, Golden Nugget, Greenwood Racing, Hard Rock International, MGM Resorts International, Missouri, Mohegan Sun, Ocean Resort, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Rush Street Gaming, Sports, Sports betting, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal, TV, Wall Street, William Hill | 3 Comments

Normality in Ohio, disaster in Illinois; Planet Ho sale mooted

Maybe the ‘skinny stimulus’ helped Ohio. Gross gaming revenues of $153.5 million were only 8.5% off last year’s pace. The gambling houses are still operating at 50% capacity and under a curfew but the number remains impressive. Hollywood Toledo continues … Continue reading

Posted in Alabama, Bally, Boyd Gaming, Churchill Downs, Colorado, Dan Gilbert, Detroit, Dining, DraftKings, Economy, Georgia, Hard Rock International, history, Illinois, Jack Entertainment, Las Vegas Sands, Louisiana, Macau, Marketing, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mattress Mack, MGM Resorts International, North Carolina, Ohio, Penn National, Planet Hollywood, South Dakota, Sports betting, Texas, The Strip, Transportation, TV, Virginia, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

How do you make … ?

… the best Super Bowl commercial: Two words—Will Ferrell.

Posted in Entertainment, Marketing, Transportation, TV | 1 Comment

Bailout for Tilman; Casinos to the Big Apple; Mega-Jottings

It was a $6.6 billion rescue package that Golden Nugget CEO Tilman Fertitta received, in the form of a merger with FAST Acquisition. Fertitta’s been hard up for cash and forks over a portion of his casino empire in return … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Atlantic City, Caesars Entertainment, Colorado, Dining, Economy, Entertainment, Florida, Full House Resorts, Golden Nugget, Hard Rock International, Internet gambling, Las Vegas Sands, Law enforcement, Marketing, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Racinos, Real Estate, Regulation, Sports betting, Tamares Group, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Tribal, TV, Wall Street | Comments Off on Bailout for Tilman; Casinos to the Big Apple; Mega-Jottings

Slow news day

It’s nice to see that the Las Vegas Golden Knights are set to return to the ice … but with Covid-19 positivity rates in Nevada having just passed 21%, is this any time for companies like MGM Resorts International to … Continue reading

Posted in Entertainment, Health, Las Vegas Raiders, MGM Resorts International, Nevada, Sports, TV | 1 Comment

Miller: Approve stimulus bill; A $7.5 billion Vegas “scam”?

Like many, American Gaming Association President Bill Miller is in favor of the stimulus package overwhelmingly passed by Congress … with reservations. It lacks three key items on Miller’s Christmas wish list: expansion of the CARES Act Employee Retention Tax … Continue reading

Posted in AGA, Atlantic City, Caesars Entertainment, Charity, Colorado, Dining, Donald Trump, DraftKings, Economy, Environment, Failsinos, Florida, Hard Rock International, Indiana, Laughlin, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Mississippi, Penn National, Politics, Sports, Sports betting, Tourism, Tribal, TV, Wynn Resorts | 4 Comments

The empty city and other sad news

Politico took a trip to Atlantic City and found a “city without a pulse,” its Boardwalk “empty,” its casinos “limping.” One out of every three Atlantic citizens remains without a job, not surprising when casinos can only operate at reduced … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Dining, Economy, Health, International, Internet gambling, Mohegan Sun, Politics, South Korea, Sports betting, Tourism, TV, Wall Street | 3 Comments

Heartbreaker for sports bettors; What killed Tony Hsieh?

A last-second Carson Wentz Hail Mary pass and an ensuing two-point conversion didn’t enable the Philadelphia Eagles to catch the Seattle Seahawks but it ruined the evening for 91% of bettors, who expected Seattle to cover the 6.5-point spread. Instead … Continue reading

Posted in Connecticut, Internet gambling, Sports, Sports betting, Tony Hsieh, TV | 1 Comment

You, me and Derek

Being snowed under with unrelated work today, I thought you might enjoy this interview I conducted with Derek Stevens for Casino Life, available as an online PDF. Please advise me if you experience any technical difficulties.

Posted in Derek Stevens, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Sports, Sports betting, The Strip, TV | 2 Comments

Massachusetts’ mixed message; Much ado about Circa

Even if Congress beats the odds and passes another megabuck stimulus bill before the election, it won’t provide more than a short-term shot in the arm for gaming, which saw a bubble of increased discretionary spending but is now backsliding. … Continue reading

Posted in Connecticut, Derek Stevens, DFS, Downtown, DraftKings, e-sports, Economy, Foxwoods, Harry Reid, Health, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, Penn National, Security, Sports betting, TV, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Trop in trouble; Sands has a plan; Super Bowl to Vegas?

We know that the Tropicana Las Vegas is being positioned for a sale (potentially to Twin River Holdings) but does that alone explain the pink-slipping of 828 employees, a drastic move? Placed in the context of other cutbacks, like the … Continue reading

Posted in AGA, Caesars Entertainment, Charity, Cirque du Soleil, Conventions, Dining, Economy, Entertainment, G2E, Health, Las Vegas Sands, Louisiana, MGM Resorts International, Penn National, Planet Hollywood, Politics, Resort fees, Security, Sports, TV, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Kings for a day; Covid’s casino kingpin

As you know, DraftKings is the current darling of Wall Street, its stock hovering around $50/share. Today Credit Suisse analyst Ben Chaiken initiated coverage with an “outperform” rating, putting a $76/share price target on the stock. He even went to … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Australia, Brazil, Caesars Entertainment, California, China, Crown Resorts, DraftKings, Economy, FanDuel, Golden Nugget, Health, IGT, Illinois, Internet gambling, Japan, Lake Tahoe, Las Vegas Raiders, Las Vegas Sands, Law enforcement, Lotteries, Louisiana, Macau, Maverick Gaming, MGM Resorts International, Nebraska, Rush Street Gaming, Sports, Sports betting, Technology, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, TV, Twin River, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Kraft cashes out; Foxwoods is tops

Since its IPO, DraftKings stock has rocketed 264% upward. That has prompted some profit-taking on the part of both DraftKings itself and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. (Maybe Kraft’s windfall will soften the pain of last night’s drubbing at … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Atlantic City, Caesars Entertainment, California, Conventions, Dining, DraftKings, FanDuel, Florida, Foxwoods, Hard Rock International, Las Vegas Raiders, Mohegan Sun, Ocean Resort, Reno, Sports, Sports betting, Tribal, TV, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Covid-19 rattles oddsmakers; No joy in Vegas

Before the ink was dry on a deal for BetMGM to become the official wagering partner of the Tennessee Titans, inescapable Covid-19 rippled through the Titans’ ranks, forcing indefinite postponement of a tilt against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Incidences like this … Continue reading

Posted in Economy, Florida, Health, Illinois, Internet gambling, Las Vegas Raiders, Law enforcement, Lotteries, Marketing, MGM Resorts International, Michigan, Sports, Sports betting, The Strip, TV, Twin River, Wall Street, William Hill | 3 Comments

Massacre anniversary brings accord; Stevens wants you

Let the healing begin. An $800 million settlement between MGM Resorts International and victims of the Mandalay Bay Massacre has been blessed by a Clark County judge. Said co-plaintiff Stephanie Fraser, “By the grace of God, myself and my family … Continue reading

Posted in Caesars Entertainment, Cretins, Derek Stevens, Downtown, Economy, Jim Murren, Law enforcement, Mandalay Bay Massacre, MGM Resorts International, Regulation, Resorts World LV, Security, Sheldon Adelson, TV | 1 Comment

Quote of the Day

“Where did they find these people—the seediest bar in New Jersey?”—my wife, reacting to a clip from Love Island, currently broadcasting from The Cromwell. Bad call, Caesars Entertainment.

Posted in Caesars Entertainment, Cretins, TV | Comments Off on Quote of the Day