We’ve warned against turning the tribal-recognition process over to Congress and a bill singling out a California tribe for special treatment would seem to be an object lesson in the “Why.” Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R) wants to reinstate Ruffey Rancheria, formerly 
the reservation of the Siskiyou County American Indians, created in 1907, taken away from the landless tribe in 1957. Since LaMalfa’s bill would constitute an end run around the land-into-trust process used by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, especially with regard to approval of gaming, it’s stirring some ire in the Etna area, along with criticism of setting a precedent that would turn the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act on its ear. LaMalfa has already smuggled a land-into-trust bill for the Chumash Indians through the House and into the Senate. (LaMalfa, pictured, bears an unfortunate resemblance to the proverbial used-car salesman.)
Ruffey Rancheria attorney Tahj Gomes tried to strike a bipartisan note before Congress. “For us, Continue reading
“We would characterize sentiment as bouncing along the bottom here, with expectations also reasonably/incredibly low.” However … “We believe most of the issues that have caused 2018’s underperformance are transitory, and the picture is bright(er) heading into 2019,” thanks to the debut of Park MGM and projected improvement in MGM Cotai numbers, among other factors. “Mandalay Bay also has easy comparisons in 2019 and therefore should experience some growth.” Greff has set a target of 
with mullahs, he’s doing the next best thing, warbling sweet nothings to Kim Jong-un. Citing his service in the Korean War, Adelson called for detente between the two Koreas so that he could get down to “open up business,” 
small gains, such as last month’s 2% uptick in gambling revenues, $116.5 million. Players were spending 5% more but were 3.5% fewer in number. Penn National Gaming-run casinos were flat for the month, with a stagnant performance at Hollywood Aurora ($10 million) to some extent negating a 3% gain at Empress Joliet ($15 million), while Argosy Belle grew business 2.5% for $4 million. Boyd Gaming‘s Par-A-Dice had an unwontedly good month, up 3.5% ($6.5 million). It should be noted that Penn and Boyd have the best of both worlds, since they also own slot routes.
uncomfortable with Federal Trade Commission 
“Yeah, and Steve Wynn was the only person doing bad things at Wynn Resorts, and he was also the only casino executive in Las Vegas harassing women, and not a single other person knew about anything he was doing except the victims. Deep sigh.” — Scott Roeben, commenting on the circle-the-wagons reaction to the 
can bet on the outcome of past races. The Illinois Racing Board voted it through unanimously. “We’re out of time,” wailed board member Robert Schiewe Jr. By contrast, General Counsel Michael Pieczonka warned, “I don’t know how we can draft rules to do something that can’t be legally done. That’s the problem.” After all, despite several attempts, the Illinois Legislature has never approved racinos. Fuck that, said one board member, in effect. “It could immediately result in some extra revenue,” remarked Thomas McCauley. Proponents of historical racing are prepared to argue that it’s simply another form of parimutuel wagering.
MGM National Harbor, of course, led the pack, grossing $59 million — yes, almost $2 million a day — for an 18% gain. Slot revenue averaged $344 in win/slot/day and tables had an average win of $5,323 per day. High-taxed slots contributed $30 million, low-taxed tables $29 million. Close behind at $48 million, Maryland Live shot up 15%, with $34 million from slots and $14.5 million from tables. (You can see why MGM’s business plan emphasizes maximizing table revenue.)
million for improperly attempting to influence Hoosier State regulators or having “violated public trust and confidence in the integrity of Indiana’s casino industry.” Caesars essentially 
since it has an exclusive contract to operate a casino at Meadowlands. In a display of rather poor taste, Hard Rock CEO Jim Allen used Hard Rock Atlantic City‘s opening to tell reporters that “every study projects a casino at the Meadowlands would do well.” This hardly squares with Allen’s 
iLottery (powered by Scientific Games) immobilized, 
made the slightest of upward bounces. While occupied room nights were up a mere 0.5%, room rates on the Strip rose 7% and revenue per room ($130) was also up 7%. Room rates averaged $144/night. Thus Sin City was able to ride out a month when all-important convention traffic was down 5%. Gaming revenue on the Strip was also up a disproportionate 6%, to $581.5 million. Statewide, the increase was 5%, with the final tally safely above the $1 billion mark.
Part of Jennifer’s and my soul was unawakened until we adopted Spike last Nov. 25. He was discovered through an online ad in the Augusta Chronicle. Jenny fell in love with his face and when I read “He is sad at the shelter,” my heart just broke. Spike made a seamless transition into our three-cat household and enjoyed his new role as alpha male of the group. (He also gave 
long tried to paint as a failure, has just come off its 
specifically because he is a [Donald] Trump crony. It is possible they will ratchet up police surveillance of his Macao properties in order to spread fear among high rollers and even middle-class gamblers that they are being checked in on by the authorities. Or they will launch an audit of their books. Either way, a move could be viewed as having plausible deniability that the government cloaks as a crackdown on corruption or tax evasion, as they did against Lotte in China’s battle with South Korea.” — China Market Research Managing Director Shaun Rein on