For all the flack that it’s taken for its misleading “refund” on losses promotion, Revel Resort continues to woo customers back. Its revenues rose 2% in August, pushing the megaresort ahead of Showboat and into the middle tier of Atlantic City casinos. Tropicana Atlantic City fell 18% and Trump Entertainment Resorts underperformed as usual, down 16% in what is ostensibly prime business time. If that’s how they and the Trop do in August, what can we hope for when the cold weather returns? The Caesars Entertainment quartet dropped an average of 9% each, with Harrah’s Marina having the worst of it. Borgata continued to dwarf the market, with $63 million and a 13% gain, while Resorts Atlantic City was another bright spot, up 12%
Sandals on the ground. Sleuths from Las Vegas Sands and MGM Resorts International are among the many who are sussing out potential casino sites now that the sooner-or-later expansion of casino 
gambling to Japan finally looks like “sooner.” (Sands, having never gone off the idea of the Japanese market, looks to be farthest ahead.) Basically, if you’ve got a casino in Macao, you’re in the hunt, so Melco Crown Entertainment and Stanley Ho are also showing interest. So is — don’t laugh — Caesars Entertainment, although it’s losing money hand over fist, with scant improvement in sight. “We are starting to think through designs and master plans and partners we think would be most appropriate and really starting to invest more heavily in this effort,” declared Caesars exec Steve Tight. Invest what? Anybody can doodle casino designs on a napkin but for Caesars to get serious will require the the sponsorship of the Nipponese version of Dan Gilbert, if such a person exists. Perhaps if familiar manufacturing names like Sega and Konami continue to be interested …
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe favors casino legalization, although the earliest one can hope for it is the end of this year. Japanese casinos have been “just around the corner” for at least eight years now, so a few more months won’t kill us.
At 8:20 pm ET and the results are final in West Springfield, MA and Hard Rock LOSES 55% to 45%!
Holy $%!#!
I cannot believe the Hard Rock defeat in West Springfield!
Anyway, the “Big B” keeps humming along in A.C. I was very DISAPPOINTED in Revel (again). The demand for high-quality beach club and nightclub has been overwhelming. They must be second guessing their outsourcing of their nightlife/entertainment venues. Glad Resorts is kicking back to life. They deserve it after all they have been through and the dedication they have shown to the market.
I am also disappointed in GN. I really love what Tillman has done there and yet they continue to fall. It is a bit of a head-scratcher to me. The place looks great, the food options, new nightclub, etc., are all excellent. Is the place being operated properly?