December 31 came and went without incident in Oklahoma, where tribal gaming compacts theoretically expired—at least if you ask Gov. Kevin Stitt (R). However, having proposed extending the existing compacts to Aug. 31, Stitt could hardly turn around and try to put a beat-down on tribal 
casinos. We’ll see what happens with his threat to crimp casino vendors’ style. Also, as former attorney general Drew Edmonson pointed out, if tribal gambling is deemed illegal, the state would “have trouble” collecting the 4% rake it gets from the casinos, “so it’s really in the state’s interest to have those operations continue in effect.” Issuing a veiled caution to Stitt, Edmonson continued “the state is sovereign, but so are the tribes … and when there is a disagreement between the two, federal courts become the arbiters.” Already Stitt is a defendant in a lawsuit filed in federal court by three major tribes.
One potential bone of contention will be the clash between compact language that gives Continue reading
and online wagering, which would taxed at a painful 50% (who said Democrats are the only party of high taxes?). The proceeds kept by the state would go toward the cost of education. In view of the likelihood of opposition from the well-funded Seminole Tribe, one pundit said of Brandes, “His bill is DOA. A longshot comes through every once in awhile. This bill isn’t getting out of the chute.” The Seminoles aren’t against sports betting. They just think it should be their bailiwick. For that matter, decisions involving gaming were taken out of the Legislature’s hands last election by popular vote.
Penn’s $11 billion debt overhang. As a return on investment 
Flamingo Las Vegas will soon debut a new restaurant called Bugsy & Meyer’s Steakhouse. Some will find the name ironic if they adhere to the theory that it was Meyer Lansky who had Busgy Siegel snuffed … On a personal note, thank you to everybody who reads this column. As we head into a new year I cannot stress enough that you make this possible. For our part, we will strive to make the next year of S&G as good as or better than the last one. Happy New Year.
has already thrown in the towel and other would-be operators may be getting cold feet. The tortoise-propelled pace of the casino-development process is just 
prior-year comparison was difficult (+6.5%) but not impossible, while December looks more promising in that respect. Strip casinos won $518 million, but slot win was flat ($278 million) and baccarat dove 23% on 31.5% less wagering. Non-baccarat table win was up 4%, so that was a bright spot. Locals won big at the slots, with casinos taking home 8% less on 1.5% lower coin-in. A favorable calendar (one extra weekend day) didn’t do anything to help the casinos. (Incidentally, isn’t Park MGM—photo by Greg Askins—the butt-ugliest 
“It’s not an issue of jobs. It’s an issue of the law. It’s like saying, ‘Yes, meth is a terrible drug, but think of all the jobs that are created in the emergency rooms, and if we stop it, those jobs will stop.’ It has to do with the law. They have clearly been outside of the law.”—former California gaming regulator Richard Schuetz on the the Golden State’s card-room industry and its 
package they’ll be proposing. “We need further deliberation.” Lawmakers conducted a listening tour of the state, compiled a report but held back from making formal endorsements. Casinos are more popular with voters than is glum Gov. Brian Kemp (R) but that’s no guarantee of anything. A two-thirds vote in the Lege is needed to merely get casinos onto the next election ballot, where they would also need a supermajority to pass. At least two proposals are gaining traction, according to the Albany Herald: “One would be built adjacent to the Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, while the other is the brainchild of Columbus entrepreneur Bob Wright, who wants to build a casino resort along the Chattahoochee River between Uptown Columbus and Fort Benning.” (Lots of troops with discretionary dollars from Uncle Sam burning a hole in their collective pocket.)
Macao. “Household debt hit levels of 57% of gross domestic product in the third quarter … more than double just 27% in 2010.” Household debt represents 
are whether the market can support such a casino and would the state benefit from it? Rush Street Gaming will be all gung-ho for the move, as it’s still pushing a $677 million project in Brockton. Still, Rush Street attorneys confessed to impatience, writing, “We ask that whatever else you do … you recognize that the ongoing delay comes at a tremendous human and financial cost. We ask that you move the process forward quickly.” Oh, the humanity. Still, as the Globe puts it, “regulators are now facing an increasingly