“It’s not a bar. It’s a gaming facility.” — James Hockenyos, on why his proposed, four-drink-maximum bar with a slot route in Auburn, Illinois, would not really be a bar. Well, I’m certainly glad we’ve got that cleared up.
When skepticism turns to outright ridicule, the writing is often on the wall for such a folie de grandeur as Howard Bulloch‘s SkyVue wheel … or rather the two, totemic poles that are we are ever likely to see of the project. The Vital Vegas blog, in a canny satire, 
on Plainridge Racecourse, it deemed that owner Ourway Realty displayed “a culture of fear and concealment pervasive in the operations,” including former CEO Gary Piontkowski‘s habit of siphoning money from the count room. (Can’t we just call it a “skim”?) The Commission went on to say that Plainridge could not provide “clear and convincing evidence as to business practices that will likely lead to a successful gaming operation.” Plainridge was also faulted for its tardiness in ousting Piontkowski, then replacing him with someone inexperienced in gaming.
money back. (Interestingly, parts of the casino floor resemble Planet Hollywood.) Like Las Vegas, casinos in Mississippi are experiencing the dismal epiphany that “Gaming isn’t unique anymore — it’s everywhere.” Tack on the triple whammy of Hurricane Katrina, the Great Recession and Deepwater Horizon, and life’s not been too good for the Gulf Coast, which has fallen to eighth place in American gambling markets — quite a comedown.
Would somebody please sack the so-called casino management and marketing staff at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Everything at the Cosmo is improving except the gambling floor, which took a 20% nosedive in 2Q13, to $31 million. 
“
Despite only a minor dip in visitation, Las Vegas casinos got hammered in June. Players kept their wallets shut and the cards weren’t turning in the house’s favor. The amount of money played on the Las Vegas Strip was off 7% from last year and revenues were down 10%. Baccarat play fell 17% and other table action was down 14%. Statewide revenue (-5%) looked good by comparison, as the month brought 2Q13 to a damp close. The Strip was off 2% for the quarter, the state in general, 1%. The fewbright spots for the industry included a 3% increase in Strip slot win, mostly driven by tighter machines, not by a miniscule increase in play. But Strip baccarat win plunged 49% (hold fell by more than a third) and other table win tumbled. Combine fewer players, smaller action and less win, and 
“I think we are having a limp-wristed sort of crawl out of a hole, but a recovery is a more robust word,” the one and only Steve Wynn said earlier this week. The numbers bear him out, as 
Responding to the deafening disinterest of a Nevada electorate that has largely forgotten her, Pioneer Hotel & Gambling Hall Treasurer Sue Lowden — touting her casino expertise — has thrown her tiara into the ring in the contest to be Nevada’s next lieutenant governor. 
that he’s from Philly and that his “Casino Revolution” will have a transformative effect on the city’s warehouse district, near the riverfront. Procacci is right that locals-casino business is repeat business but he mixes apples with oranges when he likens his project (have we mentioned that he’s from Philadelphia?) to that of Steve Wynn. The last thing on Wynn’s mind is to build a locals joint, of that I’m certain. He’s never done it. Why start now? In the unlikely event that Procacci wins, his casino chefs will at least have a ready source of produce.
Continuing his recent string of futility in the court system, Sheldon Adelson wore the gold sombrero yesterday, after went 0-for-12 in Clark County District Court. Next stop, the Nevada Supreme Court, which has been friendly to the mogul in the past, unlike courts in Las Vegas and Macao. 
“Phyladelphia [sic], with all its trade and wealth and regularity, is not Boston. The morals of our people are much better; their manners are more polite and agreeable… Our language is better, our taste is better, our persons are handsomer; our spirit is greater, our laws are wiser, our religion is better, our education is better. We exceed them in every thing, but in a market.” — John Adams, a historical figure as obstreperous as Sheldon Adelson. He might feel even more smug to know that, whilst Philadelphia has four casinos, Boston lacks any … yet.
One shouldn’t read too much into anything the Macao government says about casino operators. It likes to keep them guessing — especially U.S. ones. Still, it’s worth noting that Secretary for Economy & Finance Francis Tam Pak Yuen has floated the idea of moving concession renewals forward to 2015. This throws a slight pall of uncertainty over both MGM Resorts International and Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, which have Cotai Strip resort projects in train. All four other resort developers would have until 2017. The scarier part of Yuen’s suggestion is that casino concessions be put up for auction. He’s probably just messing with the heads of Sheldon Adelson and his ilk, but one never knows. Caesars Entertainment desperately needs to be in Macao as something other than a golf-course owner. That prospect is virtually the only thing standing between the company and disaster. If there’s a chance Caesars could do it, that might buy it time from Wall Street. But where’s Gary Loveman going to raise the capital? If he has to go against deep-pocketed Genting Group, which has made its intentions known, the battle’s as good as lost.
the job of Jim Murren or Gary Loveman to protect Adelson’s ADRs). He also included Steve Wynn in his “woe is us” monologue — quite erroneously, it turns out. Wynn Resorts released its 2Q13 figures yesterday and they reflected “strong LV Strip … performance,” 
That was my first thought upon seeing that online casino 2UP Gaming, based in London and backed by Asian money men, wants into the Boardwalk. Bravo to that 
Y’know, if I was reporting a 120% profit increase in 2Q13, I might stop and enjoy the moment. I certainly wouldn’t choose that moment to be a dick. Obviously, I am not Sheldon Adelson. Proffering evidence that his second infancy must be drawing near, Adelson 
sucking sound is their room pricing,” he added, blaming Caesars’ low rates to its gluttonous need for debt service. God knows there’s truth in that. But Sheldon, let’s face facts: Very few of Caesars’ hotels could be described as “high end” — almost nothing in the class of what Las Vegas Sands and Mirage Resorts offer. The same is, to a lesser extent, true of MGM, which has heavy presences in the bargain and middle-income sectors. Are you suggesting that $169 room nights should be the new normal at -
Recent Posts
- You can’t fix stupid; Good-bad news on the bayou
- If you can’t beat ’em, cheat ’em; Fun & games
- Pennsylvania soggy; Epic fail in North Carolina
- Sibella scandal spreads; Supremes forestall Seminoles
- Atlantic City rebounds; Sibella dumped; NFL suspicions
- MGM limping back; Atlantic City follies; Wall Street Jottings
- On and off the radio
- MGM crippled; Illinois & Indiana report; Bally’s shaky in Chi
- MGM paralyzed; DraftKings debacle; Mount Airy wins
- Bally’s opens, Chicago yawns; MGM, tree murderers
Categories
@Stiffs_Georges
Error: Invalid or expired token.-
Archives
Recent Comments
- Alice Eskandari on Durango Station, slightly downsized
- David McKee on You can’t fix stupid; Good-bad news on the bayou
- American Gaming Guru on You can’t fix stupid; Good-bad news on the bayou
- Ray Lebowski on Sibella scandal spreads; Supremes forestall Seminoles
- David McKee on Sibella scandal spreads; Supremes forestall Seminoles
- Ray Lebowski on Sibella scandal spreads; Supremes forestall Seminoles
- David McKee on MGM crippled; Illinois & Indiana report; Bally’s shaky in Chi
- Paul Shanahan on MGM crippled; Illinois & Indiana report; Bally’s shaky in Chi
- ACGambler on MGM limping back; Atlantic City follies; Wall Street Jottings
- Bob on Bally’s opens, Chicago yawns; MGM, tree murderers
Views
- Sibella scandal spreads; Supremes forestall Seminoles - 57,780 views
- You can’t fix stupid; Good-bad news on the bayou - 57,631 views
- If you can’t beat ’em, cheat ’em; Fun & games - 55,833 views
- Pennsylvania soggy; Epic fail in North Carolina - 56,753 views
- Atlantic City rebounds; Sibella dumped; NFL suspicions - 56,733 views
- Profit vs. investment on the Strip - 1,055,590 views
- Lame nag; Frissora overpaid? - 579,454 views
- The evils of bingo; Wynn’s Aqueduct exit - 90,744 views
- That casino smell - 63,859 views
- Bally’s opens, Chicago yawns; MGM, tree murderers - 59,523 views
- MGM crippled; Illinois & Indiana report; Bally’s shaky in Chi - 59,166 views
- MGM paralyzed; DraftKings debacle; Mount Airy wins - 58,345 views
- MGM limping back; Atlantic City follies; Wall Street Jottings - 58,147 views
Blogroll
Admin.