Despite the decisive, if not vehement rejection of his casino bid, Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett wants another bite of the apple. Why? Because it would a smoke-free casino, which Gov. Terry Branstad (R) supports. It’s Corbett who’s blowing smoke here, sticking to discredited figures of the havoc a Cedar Rapids casino would have on its immediate competitors.
Who was that masked man anyway? If you were sunbathing at Marina Bay Sands last week, you might have had a surprise sighting of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The chief executive of Japan was in town, in part, to assess Resorts World Sentosa and Marina Bay Sands as possibilities of what the gaming industry could bring to Japan. He obviously liked what he saw.
“I think integrated resorts will be a key part of Japan’s economic growth strategy,” said Abe. “I would like [parliament] to deliberate with a perspective on what needs to be done to bolster Japan’s attractiveness, and how to get people to visit.” Time is of the essence. Any action later than the autumn emergency session and you can forget about megaresorts being ready in time to capitalize on the 2020 Olympics. Sources say that Tokyo is better-positioned for a Marina Bay-style resort, which will not displease Sheldon Adelson, while tourist-friendly Osaka would be a logical destination for a Genting Group sort of getaway.
* Congratulations to Station Casinos. Its $101 million in 1Q14 net revenue at Graton Resort & Casino has already placed that newborn property in the top four or five California tribal casinos.
