“My only problem is A.D.D.” read the T-shirt of one of the celebrants at last night’s opening of Top Golf, on the MGM Grand campus. He was certainly in the right place. If you are serious about honing your skills, you’ve come to the wrong place. But if you just
Architectural Photography by Michael Baxter, Baxter Imaging LLC
Architectural Photography by Michael Baxter, Baxter Imaging LLC
want to whack the heck out of some golf balls and feel better about your game by seeing others flounder, Top Golf is very much for you. Its sensory-overload environment couldn’t be further from the quasi-religious aura that pervades professional golf tourneys. It’s golf with a heavy infusion of Las Vegas, even including a nightclub. (What? You don’t think the Masters would be improved by having Afrojack scratching beats in Amen Corner?) I enumerated one high-volume music system, at least two swimming pools, two or three lounges — one with live music — and too many big-screen TVs to count. In addition to be able to watch, say, the NHL or NBA playoffs on the TV in your bay, you could follow both on the mammoth screens at the far end of the driving range. Those big boys had better be built to take some punishment: As expansive as Top Golf is, I saw some hackers booming tee shots all the way to the rear netting.
The food, which includes glazed shrimp and a superb Nutella pudding, is a cut above sports-stadium fare. Ditto the Continue reading
“We can’t be trapped in a 40-year-old [gaming] paradigm … It very well may be that it is an athletic event.” — Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval (R), on the quandary posed by e-sports, which his Nevada Gaming Policy Committee 
unrelated spending bill
The casino company held all the cards and everybody knew it. “Seeing this again, it reminds me why we’re really excited about it,” said MGC Chairman Stephen Crosby, although we can’t second the emotion, given 
megaresort in Ho Chi Minh City (to most us, Saigon). Financing Lucky Dragon will be a very light lift compared to the capital-investment mandates in Vietnam. Luckily for Weidner, his partners include Cantor Fitzgerald, which ought to be good for a few bucks. The design will be farmed out to Steelman Partners. Since only non-Vietnamese citizens would be able to gamble at the resort, Weidner’s business acumen will be tested to the max. Making a $4 billion megaresort pencil out just on tourist traffic is a challenge even in the gambling capitals of the world.
“Tribes are sovereign. But their casinos employ non-Indian workers. One argument used to sell casinos to the public is that they provide jobs. Those jobs should come with basic protections afforded by federal law.” — the Sacramento Bee on HR 511, backed by Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D, left), 
translated into 10% more winnings for the house. Borgata ($56 million) was up 4.5%, riding its slot win. Table players wagered 7% less and the house won 14% less. At the slots, however, Borgata was able to ride 12% higher coin-in to a 13% revenue gain. Borgata also continues to lead the market in Internet-gambling market share (23.5%), although Resorts Atlantic City — thanks to PokerStars — 
condo tower, 710 hotel rooms, 85 of 
positive months, led by Caesars 7.5% gain. It even had a good month at ThistleDown Racino, up 9% on an $11 million gross. Horseshoe Cleveland rose 5% ($19 million) and Horseshoe Cincinnati gained 10% ($17.5 million). How interesting that the Caesars-run properties are showing such good results just as owner Dan Gilbert has Caesars halfway out the door. Pinnacle’s Belterra Park ($7 million) was booming compared to last year, up 28% and generating $180/slot/day in VLT play — a huge improvement.
Lionel Leong said 
little island in the middle of the lagoon has swelled into an eight- to 10-story mountain with two summits connected by a rope bridge. The fast-growing island will also sprout “cabanas and other special effects platforms … [a] beach bar with white sand,” plus zip lines. Evidently, Wynn had second thoughts about his 
5%. The percentage champion was Tropicana Evansville, up 17% on an $11 million gross. Other casinos enjoying notably good fortune were Full House Resorts‘ Rising Sun ($4 million), ascending 16%, French Lick Resort ($7 million), up 12%, and Indiana Downs ($23 million), prospering 10%. The only casino to outgross Indiana Downs was Horseshoe Hammond ($37 million), up 1%. Although there were no dramatic fluctuations at the other casinos, all did well except for Majestic Star II ($6 million), incrementally down, and Belterra ($9 million), minus 4%.
million. JP Morgan analyst Joseph Greff credited much of the success to 8% greater room revenues on the Strip, led by — believe it or not — Circus Circus, up 17%. Detroit and Mississippi “contributed to the upside as well,” while MGM’s relatively small presence in Macao shielded the company from adverse consequences, even with VIP winnings down 41%. To put that in context, MGM derived $409 million of its cash flow from the Strip, only $114 million from Macao. “We are also encouraged by recent asset sales to reduce its balance sheet leverage,” referring to MGM’s enormous debt overhang and its selloff of non-core assets, climaxing in a $1.1 billion disposal of the Crystals mall. The company will also reinvest $425 million maintenance this year.
around Carcieri v. Salazar. But the prevailed time and again, and now are poised to build a Class III casino, having already compacted with Massachusetts, which stands to collect 17% of gross gaming revenues if the Massachusetts Gaming Commission rubber-stamps what is now a fait accompli. The MGC could argue that Region C is saturated with gambling and not issue a license, but that’s just taking bread off the state’s plate and I don’t see gaming commissioners doing that. Besides, it’s not like the Mashpee Wampanoag haven’t 
(in)validity of petitions filed by Scott and his sister Lisa, who was bankrolling the referendum drive. Shawn Scott had craftily worded the petitions so that only he would qualify for a casino under the wording of the referendum, but his petition-gathering drive was not so careful about dotting its i’s and crossing its its it’s. Anyway, the fall election can proceed without any Scott-related hanky-panky. In other Maine news, Churchill Downs 
this is such a close call, I for one may have come down a different way, but I don’t think this is the kind of casino Massachusetts envisions,” said Chairman Stephen Crosby. Fellow commissioner Bruce Stebbins went further, saying, “I don’t want to make an award of a license to an application that in my estimation is just not up to the level of excellence I would expect.”
would legalize online poker in the Golden State. A provision that would skim off $57 million to $60 million (accounts vary) in revenue to subsidize the horseracing industry doubtless contributed to the 18-0 legislative landslide. Although the Internet poker market in the state is generously estimated at $400 million, it also thought that no more than 10 operators, tops, could be viable in it.