Steve Wynn makes new friends; Freeman gets raked

Steve Wynn has found an unlikely ally in his fight against Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone: the Massachusetts environmental community. Activists joined politicians and Wynn-laughsdevelopers at a media event headlined by Wynn Everett President Robert DeSalvio. Among the activities that have been put on hold by Curtatone’s appeal of Wynn’s site permit are dredging of the Mystic River and remediation of the natural shoreline. Representatives of the Boston Harbor Association, Mystic River Watershed Association and the Environmental League of Massachusetts argued that Curtatone’s litigation is counterproductive, since it’s halted attempts by Wynn Resorts to stop the seepage of toxins into the river and to displace contaminated soil.

“Our plan calls for us to go well above and beyond typical remediation. We’re not saddling the taxpayers with any of this work,” DeSalvio said. Environmental League President George Bachrach dismissed Curtatone’s objections — including to the height of the hotel tower — as Continue reading

Posted in Environment, Foxwoods, Geoff Freeman, Internet gambling, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, Tribal | Comments Off on Steve Wynn makes new friends; Freeman gets raked

Sex in the sky; Great month for Indiana

Gary Loveman‘s beloved Vegas High Roller has become Las Vegas‘ favorite place to expose oneself, with eight known instances to date. Let’s not pretend to be surprised by Linq revisedthis. Anyway, proving that what happens here often leads to a misdemeanor chargePhilip Frank Panzica III will be pleading out to disorderly conduct for having gone downtown on Chloe Scordianos. Since the latter is from Hicksville, New York, and Panzica hails from Houston, we can only conclude that this is one of those only-in-Vegas hookups. Scordianos is not folding so easily, demanding what could be the most prurient evidentiary hearing in the history of jurisprudence. “There was no public sex act. We want to review the video. How do you know there’s a sex act until you’ve seen the video. We don’t just take the police’s word on what the evidence is,” says her attorney. Thanks to her obstinacy, Scordianos faces Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Full House Resorts, Harrah's, Indiana, Law enforcement, Majestic Star, Ohio, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, The Strip, Tropicana Entertainment, Wall Street | Comments Off on Sex in the sky; Great month for Indiana

Nevada casinos wrangle with Buffett; Mashpee Wampanoag take the lead

We’ve written about the solar-panel installation atop Mandalay Bay‘s convention center and now the 20-acre array — soon to be the United States‘ largest — is making international headlines. The high priority on solar power at MGM Resorts Mandalay-Bay-picInternational puts a spotlight on the company’s battle with NV Energy, from whose grid it would dearly like to extricate itself. MGM alone consumes some 7% of the utility’s power output and NV Energy maintains that residential customers would have to bear burdensome rate increases if MGM weren’t dunned handsomely for the privilege of taking its energy business elsewhere. Not only is MGM using solar power to lower its dependence on NV Energy, it’s replacing no fewer than 1.3 million light bulbs with energy-conserving LEDs.

In NV Energy’s defense, American Solar Energy Society economist Bill Ellard asked The Guardian, “They need to maintain the grid. You cannot let these utilities go bankrupt or else every business in the city dies. What will happen if Continue reading

Posted in Environment, Harrah's, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, South Korea, Steve Wynn, Technology, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off on Nevada casinos wrangle with Buffett; Mashpee Wampanoag take the lead

Vietnam War logic in New Jersey; Tribal corruption in Florida

New Jersey will no longer have the distinction of possessing the second-lowest casino tax rate if Assemblyman Ralph Caputo (D, left) gets his way. He’s talking about imposing at least Caputoa 40% levy on proposed north New Jersey casinos, perhaps as much as 60%. Atlantic City casinos would continue to enjoy their 8% rate. Blame it on Jeff Gural. The owner of Meadowlands Racetrack volunteered to pay as much as 55% for a Hard Rock International casino at his track. Caputo’s going to run into opposition in the state Senate, where Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D) favors a lower tax rate, bearing in mind that prospective operators are expected to make a $1 billion capital commitment to their projects.

“What you’re saying is in this oversaturated market, the answer is to add casinos to the market,” Assemblyman Chris Brown (R) told Caputo of Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Carl Icahn, Florida, Hard Rock International, Horseracing, International, Mississippi, New York, Politics, Regulation, Taxes, Tribal, Tropicana Entertainment | Comments Off on Vietnam War logic in New Jersey; Tribal corruption in Florida

The party’s over; DFS sniffs at Nevada regulation

It’s no party for two executives at Bwin.Party. The Austrian government has leveled charges of corruption, “breach of trust” and money laundering at Bwin’s Norbert BwinTeufelberger and Manfred Bodner. The indictment was filed two months ago but is only now coming to light. The charges are in connection with an unsuccessful attempt by Bwin to land a sports-betting license in Turkey in 2007. According to the Austrian government, Teufelberger and Bodner laid two million Euros on lobbyist Ali Ocak, with the purpose of greasing the palms of Turkish officials. Bwin’s response is the money was a (very generous) consulting fee. “They were especially disappointed to find out that their Turkish license was a flat-out fake,” reports CAP.com. It’s interesting that it has taken nine years for the Austrians to act on the alleged bribery. For their part, Bodner and Teufelberger have to be hoping that justice delayed won’t be justice denied.

* Daily fantasy sports CEOs think they’re too good to play by the same rules as everyone else in Nevada gaming. At a hearing convened expressly to facilitate DFS operations in the Silver State, DraftKings‘ arrogant CEO Jason Robins bloviated, Continue reading

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Big month for Penn in Ohio

With one glaring exception, February was an outstanding month for Ohio casinos and racinos. The underachiever was Horseshoe Cleveland, which fell 9% on revenues of $18 Penn logomillion. Even struggling Thistledown Racino managed a 3% uptick, grossing $9 million. Horseshoe Cincinnati did just fine, vaulting 14% to an $18 million gross. Penn National Gaming, meanwhile, vastly overshot JP Morgan analyst Joseph Greff‘s expectations, growing business 13% (Greff expected 2% improvement). Hollywood Toledo was up 13%, on $17 million, and Hollywood Columbus leapt 14% with a $19 million gross. Hollywood Dayton grew 7% on $8 million while Hollywood Mahoning Valley skyrocketed 21% to an 8% gross.

The Buckeye State’s coffee achiever, however, was Continue reading

Posted in Eldorado Resorts, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, Ohio, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Illinois casinos stave off competition; Palms potentially for sale

Despite being increasingly besieged by slot routes, Illinois casinos had a good February, up 5%. Foot traffic was 3% higher and customer spending rose 2%. paradice_exterior_official Two operators had revenue-negative months, with MGM Resorts International off 1% at Grand Victoria Elgin, while Boyd Gaming dropped 6% at Par-A-Dice (a result that Boyd had hinted at with layoffs and curtailed hours). The two casinos grossed $13 million and $7 million respectively.

The operator with the best month was Gaming & Leisure PropertiesCasino Queen ($10 million), up 11%. Neil Bluhm‘s Rivers Casino grossed $34 million, good for Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Carl Icahn, Entertainment, Fontainebleau, George Maloof, GLPI, Harrah's, Illinois, Macau, MGM Mirage, Neil Bluhm, Penn National, Slot routes, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Wall Street | 2 Comments

Nevada grapples with DFS; Seminole compact dies

Rather than sit on the daily fantasy sports sidelines, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval (R, below) wants to nudge the Silver State into the game. To that end, he’s the keynote speaker for a Sandovalspecially convened, all-star hearing by the Nevada Gaming Policy Committee. Among those weighing in will be DraftKings CEO Jason Robins and FanDuel CEO Nigel Eccles, as well as William Hill US CEO Joe Asher. Others on the agenda include Narus Advisors consultant Chris Grove and Director of UNLV’s Center for Gaming Research David Schwartz. Central among the speakers will be American Gaming Association President Geoff Freeman, who previewed his speech in the pages of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Calling DFS “a compelling upstart business caught in a legal gray area between state and federal laws,” Freeman writes that, by calling for DFS operators to Continue reading

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Trump: The art of failure; Tribal gaming flexes its muscle

During a period (1995-2005) in which the Dow Jones Average Casino Index posted a 160% return on investment, Trump Hotels & Casinos ate dirt to the tune of a negative 89% ROI. Donald TrumpBy contrast, Boyd Gaming — unloved on Wall Street — returned 280% and Penn National Gaming rewarded investors’ faith with an astronomical 3,240%. In the course of posting $600 million in net losses, Trump did not have one revenue-positive year. “This is the sort of record usually associated with an Enron or a WorldCom or a Pets.com,” zings MarketWatch. Trump furthermore screwed his investors by paying himself $1.5 million in salary, compounded by seven-figure bonuses. According to MarketWatch, The Donald “pocketed $32 million over nine years, while his public stockholders lost more than $100 million.” That’s not exactly a ringing vote of confidence. Forget anything else Trump says on the campaign trail: When he Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Dan Gilbert, Donald Trump, Economy, Marketing, Massachusetts, Neil Bluhm, New York, Ohio, Regulation, Scientific Games, Tribal, Trump Entertainment Resorts, Wall Street | Comments Off on Trump: The art of failure; Tribal gaming flexes its muscle

DFS’ stormy seas; Glimmer of hope for Macao

By charging blindly into uncharted waters, the daily fantasy sports industry has made a shipload of trouble for itself. Case in point, defunct (or at least comatose) DFS site FantasyUp. The latter pulled the rug out from under its customers, ceasing operations DFSand saying it had “essentially paid” its customers — but not really. “Over the following weeks, the industry saw numerous legal issues arise, increasing the cost of doing business and the decreasing the ability to raise funds. FantasyUp no longer has the capital to fund even minimal operations,” was the official explanation. FantasyUp was also comingling operating funds with bettors’ accounts — a big no-no. (It also may have been the least of its sins.) There’s still some form of rescue possible, due to the intervention of iTeam Network, although a previous bailout attempt had fizzled.

That may have been due to the vast ocean of uncertainty upon which DFS floats. It’s made headway in Virginia and Massachusetts, but faces setbacks in Nevada, New York and Illinois. For every step forward, there seems to be one step back. After all, there’s no getting around the fact that wagering on the performance of specific athletes is gambling. Period. And some states frown upon Continue reading

Posted in California, Environment, Harry Reid, Internet gambling, Macau, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Politics, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, Transportation, Wall Street | Comments Off on DFS’ stormy seas; Glimmer of hope for Macao

Caesars: Frissora gets the nod; Rocky Mountain high point

Caesars Entertainment CEO Michael Frissora is one step away from a Nevada gaming license, having been unanimously approved by the Nevada Gaming Control Board. Frissora left the meeting grinning from ear to ear, as well he might. Since he Frissoracomes from one customer-service-intensive industry (car rentals) to another, he brings a major prerequisite that his predecessor at Caesars lacked. Simply put, there’s an experiential component to the casino industry that doesn’t show up on a spread sheet. Frissora was able to mollify the NGCB’s concerns regarding the contentious circumstances that surrounded his departure from Hertz Global Holdings, which said Frissora had made “serious missteps” as CEO. That’s a nice way of saying that Hertz had to restate three years of financial results from the latter part of Frissora’s tenure. Other issues included “certain non-fleet assets, allowances for doubtful accounts in Brazil, as well as other items.”

One of those pushing for Frissora’s removal was investor (and rival casino owner) Carl Icahn, who experienced a “lack of Continue reading

Posted in Carl Icahn, Colorado, Economy, Harrah's, Kansas, Oklahoma, Regulation, Tribal | 1 Comment

Study: Triads rampant in Macao casinos

Wow, what a shocker — not. A new study by T. Wing Lo and Sharon Ingrid Kwok of the City University of Hong Kong for the British Journal of Criminology reports that casino operators look for junket partners who have ‘dor’ or good standing with China‘s ho_stanleytriads. Lo and Kwok interviewed numerous anonymous sources, ranging from law enforcement personnel to triad members. “The study traced the development of Macau’s junket system from its reported beginnings in ferry ticket scalping hustles in Macau; through to the issuing of ‘dead’ or ‘rolling’ chips for VIP gambling in the city’s casinos under the former monopoly of Stanley Ho … on to some of the most notorious publicly known names associated with Macau junket activities. The list includes Wan Kuok Koi, also known as ‘Broken Tooth’ who rose to prominence in the 1990s because of his reputation for violence and his extravagant public image before being jailed for 15 years in 1999,” reported GGR Asia.

And when players are even willing to lose face rather than honor a gambling debt, the junket/triad relationship ensures that Continue reading

Posted in Election, Law enforcement, Macau, Marketing, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Neil Bluhm, Regulation, Rhode Island, Stanley Ho, Steve Wynn, The Mob, Tribal | Comments Off on Study: Triads rampant in Macao casinos

New peril at Taj; Packer puts the brakes on Alon

Trump Taj Mahal will have to continue limping forward on life support, as Carl Icahn is welshing on his promises of financial rescue. Uncle Carl now says that the promised Taj Mahal$100 million reinvestment is on hold, pending the outcome of a vote on casinos in northern New Jersey. “Although I had planned to invest up to $100 million in the Taj, just as I made substantial investments at the Tropicana, obviously it would not be judicious to proceed with those investments while gaming in north Jersey is an open issue, and we will have to wait to see the outcome of those proposals,” he said.

The most Icahn will commit to his new baby is up to $20 million in capex maintenance for a casino-hotel that, by Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Carl Icahn, Election, James Packer, Maine, The Strip, Tropicana Entertainment, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Quote of the Day

trump“[DonaldTrump has got to be the first presidential candidate who’s ever owned a business that sold porn, and certainly the only Republican to have ever (openly) hawked gay porn.” — Josh Androsky, reporting on a stay at Trump International, where the workforce is paid markedly subpar wages by Las Vegas Strip standards.

Posted in Culinary Union, Donald Trump, Entertainment, The Strip | 1 Comment

A Revel by any other name; Hard Rock thinks globally; Hard times for Boyd

What’s in a name? That’s the question confronting Glenn Straub, for whom the days are counting down until he can reopen the hotel portion of his casino with a new name. We revel-casino-don’t agree that Revel is a meaningless word, but finding a name that can build brand equity from scratch is no easy task. Whoever thought “Borgata” would resonate and “Revel” would land with a thud? Straub promises to reopen June 15 with 500 hotel rooms and all the original restaurants, which may mean he’s come to terms with those tenants he was trying so hard to drive from the premises. In a symbolic form of rebirth, that weird ball atop Revel (whose origin is chronicled here) was lit up the other night, as Straub tests the fitness of Revel’s infrastructure for reopening.

While we think Atlantic City has as many casinos as it needs (the numbers speak for themselves), the New Jersey Legislature is nonetheless to be commending for trying to rethink — again — the boutique-casino law and rewrite it into Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Glenn Straub, Hard Rock International, Illinois, International, Iowa, Japan, Politics, Revel, Slot routes, Tourism, Vietnam, Warner Gaming | Comments Off on A Revel by any other name; Hard Rock thinks globally; Hard times for Boyd

Quote of the Day

murren_t198“I’m supportive of both those ventures, but I’m absolutely opposed [to] … any attempt to rob the Las Vegas Convention Center of its desperately needed cash to build anything — whether it’s a stadium, or a launching pad to the Moon, or an amusement ride or any other boondoggle — when we need so desperately to put the money into the convention center.” — MGM Resorts International CEO Jim Murren on proposals to divert $780 million in public monies to build a 65,000-seat stadium behind the Strip.

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DFS advances in some markets, retreats in others; Caesars rubs your nose in it

Daily fantasy sports, the loud frat brother of sports betting, is close to a signal victory in Virginia. Both houses of the Virginia Assembly have passed DFS legalization with veto-McAuliffeproof majorities and sent the legislation to Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D). The requirements on DFS sites aren’t particularly burdensome, mainly a $50,000 annual fee to the state and a ban on play by individuals under the age of 18. It’s even tax-free. Oversight will be handled by the Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services. On another battlefront, Indiana, DFS is advancing in the Lege, even though the yearly fee was upped from $5,000 to $75,000 for Year One (and 20 grand a year after that). DFS providers will have to act as agents of the state, withholding winnings from delinquent parents, a requirement the state should hardly be imposing on the private sector.

Whether it’s because there is so much legal uncertainty surrounding DFS or because DraftKings and FanDuel have sucked all the air out of the room, smaller sites continue to Continue reading

Posted in Harrah's, Indiana, Internet gambling, Kansas, Penn National, Phil Ruffin, Planet Hollywood, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Sports, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism | Comments Off on DFS advances in some markets, retreats in others; Caesars rubs your nose in it

Crystals sold; Struggles in California

This morning, Real Estate Alert published a story saying that MGM Resorts International and Dubai World had liquidated Crystals, the high-end retail mall at CityCenter, to Simon Property Partnership. The transaction was valued at $1.1 billion and change, which means Crystals 1252that MGM CEO Jim Murren got a nice little markup on his desired $1 billion sale price. Of the deal, Deutsche Bank analyst Carlo Santarelli wrote, “If the transaction is completed, while there is economic value creation … we think the impact on sentiment could be more meaningful. In short, MGM has talked about selling non-core assets for several years now. With the profit growth plan in place and showing its merit in results, the sale of Crystals would further reinforce the theme of management delivering on its promises to the market. We think this could go a long way in changing the, what we believe to be, negative sentiment towards Continue reading

Posted in Australia, California, CityCenter, Dubai, Horseracing, Internet gambling, MGM Mirage, Regulation, Technology, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off on Crystals sold; Struggles in California

Painful progress for Seminole compact; Casinos dead in Georgia

It will be back to the negotiating table for Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R), if a state House of Representatives version of the compact with Seminole Tribe is accepted in the rick-scottstate Senate. The compromise version of the compact adds slots at parimutuels in five counties (Palm Beach, Brevard, Gadsden, Lee and Washington counties) that have already approved them. That in itself might cause the Seminoles to demand a smaller amount of revenue sharing than the $3 billion to which they have already agreed. Other counties could opt in if they vote for slots by January of next year. Four parimutuels in the greater Tampa area could add slots without holding a vote.

Money from the compact would be rechanneled to Tampa Bay Downs, and several forms of racing would be decoupled from the slots-at-parimutuels requirements. As Rep. Matt Gaetz (R) said,“I think it is barbaric that Continue reading

Posted in Florida, Georgia, GLPI, Horseracing, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Rhode Island, Seminole Tribe, Sheldon Adelson, Tourism, Unite-Here | 2 Comments

Quote of the Day

Royal-Bedroom“Thirteen is my lucky number and the new name along with the new logo fit perfectly with my vision. There is a hint of tradition while also suggesting a chic and fun edginess.” —
Louis XIII hotel Co-Chairman Stephen Hung, on his all-villa, ultra luxury resort, set to open in Macao later this year. The villas are described as being “furnished with a range of luxury features and facilities. Among these luxury features are a private elevator lobby, a roman bath, a stained glass and marble-decked bathroom, and 24-hour butlers certified by the Guild of Professional English Butlers.” Guests will be ferried to an fro in a fleet of 30 Rolls-Royce Phantoms.

Posted in Architecture, Macau | Comments Off on Quote of the Day