Lucky Dragon Casino‘s sudden demise had a dramatic effect on the sale of SLS Las Vegas, getting owner Stockbridge Capital Partners — no doubt newly aware of its 
precarious position — back to the bargaining table with Meruelo Group. According to VitalVegas author Scott Roeben, this could also light a fire under All-Net Arena (still embryonic despite allegedly being fully funded) but let Roeben tell the story. In the comments section, he neatly skewers the business strategy of SLS, dating back to “visionary” Sam Nazarian: “praying for Resorts World to hurry up.” That’s what they were doing at the opening-day SLS press conference and nothing has changed since then, Oh, and SLS revenue projections were overestimated by 100%. Why does this not surprise me?
Speaking of Vital Vegas, it discerns signs that paid parking on the Las Vegas Strip is going over like a lead balloon. We can only hope.
* New Nevada Gaming Control Board Chairwoman Becky Harris may seem an odd choice to some, as she is a member of the anti-gambling Church of Latter-Day Saints. However, she took a masters degree in gaming law and regulation, making her excellently qualified for her new capacity, much more so than many who have served in Silver State regulatory positions. Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval (R) described her as “beyond reproach and willing to make difficult decisions.” Her first year on the job will be critical, as she is filling out the term of former chairman A.G. Burnett and will need to be reappointed next year.
* Macanese mobster “Broken Tooth” Koi is in the news again, having been present for the ‘initial coin offering’ (!) of cryptocurrency provider Dragon Corp. This led security advisor Steve Vickers to opine that “it’s true to say that certain very colourful characters previously associated with the negative side of gambling – particularly here in Macao – have shown 
an interest in cryptocurrencies, and understand the opportunity it presents to avoid borders when seeking to make cross-border transactions.” Said the Hong Kong police veteran, “Unfortunately the side effect of cryptocurrency is the anonymity it provides,” he told GGRAsia. “A number of extortion cases I have dealt with involving kidnap, ransom and other offences had a ‘crypto’ element, unfortunately. This is something that governments need to get their heads around now, before it becomes more difficult.”
The Macanese government has been generally good about seeing problems before they arise — but it tends to act slowly.” Warned Vickers, “For example, China’s programme to 
contain capital outflow could be circumvented quite easily if cryptocurrencies took on a wider distribution. The mainland is continuing the anti-corruption campaign vigorously. Those Macao casinos that are heavily or very heavily focused on the VIP trade, are more vulnerable than those that are more diversified in their business approach.” Of the American operators, that would apply to Wynn Macau. As for the rest, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau is synonymous with VIP play. Corruption in a Stanley Ho casino? Shocking! At any rate, any “Broken Tooth” Koi sighting is a cause for concern.
* E-sports gets a permanent home at Luxor on March 22 when a dedicated arena opens in the former LAX space. (Hmmmm. Nightclub out, e-sports in. Beginning of a trend?) MGM Resorts International is farming out the creation and operation of this venue to Chinese company Ourgame, so if it flops MGM won’t be too greatly exposed. AsGam.com describes the space as “a multi-level arena with a competition stage, LED video wall, telescopic seating, daily gaming stations, and state-of-the-art streaming and television-quality production studios.” MGM is hedging its bet by bringing in José Andres to oversee the food-and-beverage aspect of the arena. Despite the current industry focus on Millennials, it is clearly trying to inculcate the pre-Millenials, as it were, and make them Vegas customers before they’ve even come of age.
