{"id":25966,"date":"2020-01-29T10:39:39","date_gmt":"2020-01-29T18:39:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/?p=25966"},"modified":"2020-01-29T10:39:39","modified_gmt":"2020-01-29T18:39:39","slug":"coronavirus-hits-vegas-connecticuts-massive-screwup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/coronavirus-hits-vegas-connecticuts-massive-screwup\/","title":{"rendered":"Coronavirus hits Vegas; Connecticut&#8217;s massive screwup"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>This just in &#8230;<\/strong> It&#8217;s here! The <strong>Southern Nevada Health District<\/strong> has reported a possible case of coronavirus. More details as we get them. In the meantime, there are at least six confirmed cases in <strong>Macao<\/strong>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2020-01-27\/macau-tourist-arrivals-from-china-plunge-80-in-blow-for-casinos?srnd=markets-vp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"broken_link\">as gaming stocks suffer<\/a> and the outbreak&#8217;s devastating effect on casino revenue strengthens President <strong>Xi Jinping<\/strong>&#8216;s case for Macanese economic diversification.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/DRbyoV6sSbg\" width=\"450\" height=\"253\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>MGM Resorts International<\/strong>\u00a0has received the nod to be an\u00a0&#8220;official gaming partner&#8221; of the <strong>Las Vegas Raiders<\/strong>. You have to be an early riser to beat MGM when it comes to inking sponsorship pacts with sporting leagues and teams. MGM will be hosting &#8220;official&#8221; pre-game and post-game parties, so it had been brace itself for some wild and woolly venting of steam, especially if the <em>Malosos<\/em> lose. Raider Nation has to be the rowdiest <!--more-->fandom in the <strong>NFL<\/strong>, which holds its annual draft in the <strong>Bellagio<\/strong>\u00a0lagoon. Theoretically the famous fountains will be firing away during the draft\u2014although I suspect the prevailing wind direction will have the definitive say in that: Can&#8217;t let <strong>Roger Goodell<\/strong> get soaked, you know. Kudos to the Raiders on getting involved early in community outreach with &#8220;Clean the World.&#8221; Now lets see that &#8220;Commitment to excellence&#8221; on the gridiron.<\/p>\n<p>*\u00a0Are <strong>Jack Cleveland<\/strong> and <strong>Jack Thistledown<\/strong> really worth the $843 million that <strong>Vici Properties<\/strong> paid for them? Judging by their grosses, they should be a good return on investment and\u00a0<strong>Dan Gilbert<\/strong> will be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gamblingnews.com\/news\/jack-entertainment-pays-65m-to-lease-casinos-from-vici-properties-after-acquisition\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">getting a $66 <img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-6559\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/thistledown1-300x157.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/thistledown1-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/thistledown1-150x78.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/thistledown1.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>million bargain<\/a> in leaseback payments. He also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.casinobeats.com\/2020\/01\/27\/vici-closes-jack-entertainment-casino-racino-deals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">rents 2,759 slots and 120 table games<\/a>. Vici is also leasing <strong>Harrah&#8217;s Atlantic City<\/strong>, <strong>Harrah&#8217;s Laughlin<\/strong> and <strong>Harrah&#8217;s New Orleans<\/strong> to <strong>Eldorado Resorts<\/strong> for $154 million a year. <strong>Caesars Entertainment<\/strong> having pulled out of Ohio under a\u00a0previous administration now finds itself back in, thanks to Vici. Had the Jack-branded casinos performed better when they were Horseshoes, Caesars might never have left.<\/p>\n<p>* <strong>Connecticut<\/strong> Gov. <strong>Ned Lamont<\/strong> (D) &#8220;has proven naive&#8221; in his quest for a grand, overarching bargain for Nutmeg State gaming. On the table is sports betting. OTB operator <strong>Sportech<\/strong> wants it. So do the state&#8217;s tribal <img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-24654\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Osten.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Osten.jpeg 200w, https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Osten-150x150.jpeg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/>casinos. So does MGM (which has no Connecticut presence). And so does the state lottery. If the decision on whom to award sports betting were predicated on who brings the most money to <strong>Hartford<\/strong>, <a href=\"https:\/\/ctmirror.org\/2020\/01\/28\/a-tribe-a-state-and-a-mutual-reliance-on-gambling\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the lottery would vanquish the tribes<\/a>, $370 million to $255 million. Since MGM is busy trying to siphon off Nutmeg State revenues up in <strong>Springfield<\/strong>, solons may feel no warm fuzzies toward Leo the Lion. State Sen. <strong>Cathy Osten<\/strong> (D) is pushing for online gambling and wants to deal the tribes in, figuring to raise $13 million off sports betting and another $26 million from Internet casinos. Lady Bountiful personified, Osten would throw in a tribal casino in <strong>Bridgeport<\/strong>, in addition to the already-approved <strong>Tribal Winds<\/strong> in <strong>East Windsor<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Foxwoods Resort Casino<\/strong>, which owes $1.9 billion to <strong>Wall Street<\/strong>, certainly needs the extra money. They&#8217;re paying the price for having screwed up in <strong>Philadelphia<\/strong>, and overreaching in <strong>California<\/strong> and <strong>Kansas<\/strong>. <strong>Mohegan Sun<\/strong> is <img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-21705\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Mario-Kontomerkos-300x190.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"190\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Mario-Kontomerkos-300x190.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Mario-Kontomerkos-150x95.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Mario-Kontomerkos.jpg 625w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>in even worse shape, if possible, owing $2 billion, even as CEO <strong>Mario Kontomerkos<\/strong> develops new megaresorts in <strong>South Korea<\/strong> and <strong>Greece<\/strong>. Being on the front lines of sports betting at <strong>Resorts Atlantic City<\/strong>, Mohegan Sun knows the added value of that play.\u00a0\u201cWe believe it is a casino game, and you should offer it to the two people that are in the business.\u00a0Let us offer it. We\u2019ll pay you for the exclusivity,\u201d said Chief of Staff <strong>Chuck Bonnell<\/strong>. Sportech&#8217;s <strong>Ted Taylor<\/strong> calls his company &#8220;a perfect fit&#8221; for sports betting but it is a minor donor to Connecticut&#8217;s tax coffers.<\/p>\n<p>Since the tribal compact negotiated long ago by <strong>Lowell Weicker<\/strong> gives tribes the prerogative of offering any games available elsewhere in the state, if Sportech gets its wish, so do the tribes, although Lamont&#8217;s administration does not share that interpretation. With Connecticut having already been lapped several times over by <strong>Michigan<\/strong> and nearby <strong>New Hampshire<\/strong>, cutting of the Gordian knot that is sports betting is not to be expected anytime soon.<\/p>\n<p>* <strong>McCarran International Airport<\/strong> set a record with 51.5 passengers passing through it in 2019. That didn&#8217;t flow through to gambling grosses but, with that many people visiting <strong>Las Vegas<\/strong>, somebody&#8217;s bound to be prospering.<\/p>\n<p>* Convicted felon <strong>O.J. Simpson<\/strong>&#8216;s defamation suit against <strong>The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/d6d3cda689128860b40a2fe69f358583\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> will go to trial<\/a> instead of arbitration. No word from the Cosmo as to its next move.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Jottings<\/strong><\/em>: <strong>Japan Casino Academy<\/strong> is opening its doors to would-be dealers. So far, the student body is 57% female &#8230; A fifth tribe has piled onto the federal lawsuit against <strong>Oklahoma<\/strong> Gov. <strong>Kevin Stitt<\/strong> (R). The <strong>Muscogee Creek Nation<\/strong> is the newest plaintiff, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tulsaworld.com\/news\/muscogee-creek-nation-latest-to-join-gaming-lawsuit-against-gov\/article_dad5fc03-fe60-579c-a0f5-b65ca2c91a18.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">budgeting $500,000 for legal expenses<\/a>. With the tribes and Stitt having painted themselves into corners, federal adjudication might be the best thing that could happen for the Sooner State.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This just in &#8230; It&#8217;s here! The Southern Nevada Health District has reported a possible case of coronavirus. More details as we get them. In the meantime, there are at least six confirmed cases in Macao, as gaming stocks suffer &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/coronavirus-hits-vegas-connecticuts-massive-screwup\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[23,244,251,66,154,199,166,283,171,255,62,112,245,167,71,115,33,74,243,31,9,19,100,20],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25966"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25966"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25966\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25967,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25966\/revisions\/25967"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}