Steve Wynn was exuding confidence this week that Wynn Macau and Wynn Palace wouldn’t be nationalized by Macao, telling investors, “We are so stitched into that 
community, with our employees and our company, that we feel comfortable in this situation.” On background, other casino executives are less sanguine, feeling that Fernando Chui‘s administration is keeping them on tenterhooks. That’s certainly been the way Chui has liked to deal with the casino moguls. However, Wynn says he has received positive feedback from City Hall with regards to expanding Wynn Palace, something upon which politicians are historically slow to move. The government could throw the existing licensing up for re-bid in two years (Wynn’s turn comes in 2022) and if they do things could get pretty ugly. The casino bosses should be glad they’ve taken so much money out of Macao in so little time.
* Casinos along Mississippi‘s “Redneck Riviera” eked out a tiny increase in revenues this years, which is more of a victory than it looks when you consider they lost a weekend to Hurricane Nate. That’s five straight years of Continue reading
“integrity fee” of $1 out of every $100 wagered. According to the American Gaming Association, this would rob sports books of anywhere from 20% to 29% of their overall revenue. AGA President Geoff Freeman minced no words, labeling the NBA’s help-thyself a “skim.” The AGA also reminded the NBA that the money would reduce the taxable proceeds available to state and local governments, and that by imposing a set-aside on sports books, “Money that goes directly to the leagues distorts the odds that legal bookmakers are able to provide and encourages Americans to continue to operate criminally in the illegal market.” Surely the league doesn’t want that. We don’t.
result in some of the biggest operators sitting this one out. In other words, Japan is on the verge of one-upping the failed gaming expansions of Korea and Vietnam by moving forward with a gaming construct that 1) can’t fulfill the number one stated goal of Japan’s IR development – tourism growth – and 2) is so poorly designed [49,212 square feet of casino] that ROIs shrink to a level that makes participation on the part of the global IR developers much less likely.” Union Gaming Group analyst Grant Goversten on Shinzo Abe‘s formula for casino megaresorts.
right in with Virgin Hotels‘ “acquire distressed properties in North America cheaply” philosophy. Sir Richard Branson evidently thought the price was right 
experience will feature 3D footage in 4K resolution at 60 frames per second. The Big Apple coaster trains and track will be equipped with sensors that synchronize the visuals with the ride to reduce the chances of motion sickness while wearing the virtual reality headset.” The LAT 
precedent, he would join it with Wynncore by virtue of the Las Vegas Strip‘s first enclosed pedestrian bridge, an air-conditioned “umbilical.” Explained the magnate, “With our room rates, we operate 50-to-60 percent margins in the hotels. So I want to add more rooms.” The move comes while Wynn Paradise Park is in its nascent stages, giving Las Vegans the chance to see Wynn build two luxury hotels simultaneously. It won’t be cheap to stay there: Think $400/night. For that outlay you get two bathrooms and an 80-inch TV. In the face of a 1.5% slippage in Las Vegas-derived revenue, Wynn challenged Wall Street. “You have to ask yourself, investment community, do you believe that Las Vegas, Nevada, will for the next decade or two continue to be a major destination city in the United States of America and the world?”
million, just staving off a 19% surge by Golden Nugget ($29.4 million). Delta Downs was up 6% to $16 million while hard-to-sell (strangely enough) Isle Grand Palais was up 2.5% to $10.5 million. There was little joy in Baton Rouge, where even market leader L’Auberge Baton Rouge ($14 million) was down 12%. The bottom fell out of Casino Rouge ($5 million) and Belle of Baton Rouge ($4 million), down 21% and 25% respectively.
require Nevada regulatory approval. But it would not, contrary to its initial appearance, give MGM a near-monopoly on the Las Vegas Strip. In fact, 
successful, it would give one company control of 15 Las Vegas Strip hotels (if you count The Rio), 
on Paddock’s ammunition and her players’-club card was in his room. In the meantime, victims who may want to sue MGM Resorts International and/or Las Vegas Metro are chafing for more information. Said attorney Marwan Porter, “It’s very important after situations like this — these types of tragedies — it’s very difficult for the victims to have any type of closure without knowing what happened. Why it happened? What could be done in the future to prevent this type of tragedy from happening? Our clients are extremely frustrated. They need answers.” (So do we.) As for the elusive motive, it looks like an avalanche of gambling debts dating back to 2015 may have had more bearing than 
“You always hear people saying ‘Risking their life.’ He actually gave up his life for the betterment of all of us to be able to live in a free world and for us to be able to have a voice, for us to go out and be free no matter your skin color, no matter who you are, no matter the height and size and the weight or whatever the case may be. He had a vision and he took a bullet for all of us. Literally. In the rawest form that you could say that.” — LeBron James on the importance of Martin Luther King.
Commissioner Matthew McConnell. Mercer has ailing Shenango Valley Mall, where former Macy’s and Sears stores stand empty. A casino in an ex-department store? Stanley Ho did it in Macao, so why not follow the example in Pennsylvania? “The Macy’s space is almost 110,000 square feet, and Sears is about 65,000 square feet, so there’s certainly some available space out there,” says realtor Jim Sarvas.
precarious position — back to the bargaining table with Meruelo Group. According to VitalVegas author Scott Roeben, this could also light a fire under All-Net Arena (still embryonic despite allegedly being fully funded) 
$187.5 million. Worst off was Sands Bethlehem ($25 million), sinking 44%, followed by Parx Casino, tumbling 28% to $33 million. The best of the worst was Lady Luck Nemacolin ($2 million), only off 6%. SugarHouse Casino plunged 41% to $14 million (a palindromic plunge), while sibling Rivers Casino was down 17.5% to $23 million. Harrah’s Philadelphia fell 27% to $16 million. Valley Forge Resort Casino eked out $7 million, falling 23.5%. The litany of woe continued outstate at Mount Airy ($10.5 million), down 21%, Mohegan Sun ($16 million), minus 20%, and Presque Isle Downs ($8) million, down 10%. The Meadows Racino ($16.5 million) took an 18% hit and Penn National‘s eponymous racino fell 16% to $17 million. That’s the end of the carnage and thank God for that.
and warm, up 13%. Slot revenues were flat on 1% higher coin-in but casinos took a bit of a hurt at tables, where revenues fell 8% despite 2% more wagering. Overall, Borgata was 1% up, at $58 million, while Golden Nugget handily outpaced the online competition with 29% of market share. For someone who once mulled pulling out of Atlantic City, Tilman Fertitta is certainly cleaning up in it. Volatility was once again the downfall of Caesars Atlantic City, where most of the table-game wipeout probably hit. Winnings plummeted 20% (extreme even for Atlantic City) on a $24 million gross. Harrah’s Resort was flat ($29 million) while the grind-joint strategy is finally paying off at 
so, it outbid three other (undisclosed) competitors, one of which is believed to have been Sands Bethlehem. Penn’s chosen location is Yoe, in York County. “We are going to be in cross-border competition and hope to penetrate even deeper into Maryland than we have thus far,” said Penn mouthpiece Eric Schippers of Yoe, which is 10 miles from the Free State’s northern border and just off I-83. (Actual penetration of Maryland, at Hollywood Casino Perryville, has been a distinct failure.)
stocking cap — 
electorate. The odd couple has to obtain 766,200 signatures, covering all of Florida‘s 27 congressional districts and they’re getting close. The petition drive has also already survived one legal challenge in the courts. While I can understand Disney’s rationale up to a point — you’ll never see any Marvel– or Star Wars-themed slots — I’m not sure what the Seminoles hope to gain. Should renegade counties vote to authorize blackjack or craps, that runs a cart and horses through the tribe’s compact with the state. Perhaps that is the tribe’s endgame: To get out of its revenue-sharing obligation to the state. At any rate, it is difficult to disagree with attorney Marc Dunbar, who called it “a parade of uncertainty.”