Category Archives: Movies

“Elvis”: A modern morality tale

According to Baz Luhrmann‘s new biopic Elvis, the protagonist (uncanny Austin Butler) was a falling angel, self-styled Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks) was Satan and Hell is Las Vegas. Such is the narrative trajectory of this epic, which ends with … Continue reading

Posted in Current, history, Movies | 2 Comments

FSE gets new look; Tilman’s big bet; Boyd beats The Street

Fremont Street Experience will now be ‘branded content’ or, to put it less politely, a big-ass billboard for slot companies. Well, one slot company: Aristocrat Gaming. It’s inked a pact with FSE to present “an action-packed new video … The … Continue reading

Posted in Aristocrat, Boyd Gaming, Charity, Chicago, CityCenter, Downtown, Economy, Elaine Wynn, Entertainment, Hawaii, Internet gambling, Marketing, Movies, Neil Bluhm, Politics, Real Estate, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 3 Comments

Barley’s leaves a bad taste; Woe is Star; Mega-Jottings

When a casino is named Barley’s Brewing Co. you’d expect to get a decent glass of suds there. Not so. Las Vegan Lon Enwright is $8 million richer—but physically damaged beyond price—after being served cleaning fluids instead of beer (the … Continue reading

Posted in Australia, Baseball, Boulder Strip, Charity, China, Conventions, Crown Resorts, Derek Stevens, history, Japan, Kentucky, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Missouri, Money laundering, Movies, New Jersey, Politics, Regulation, Resorts World LV, Singapore, Sports, Sports betting, Star Entertainment, Station Casinos, Tourism, Transportation, Tribal, Wall Street, Wisconsin | Comments Off on Barley’s leaves a bad taste; Woe is Star; Mega-Jottings

Sunday Special: Coming down the Oscar stretch

With one week until the Academy Awards, you still have time to get your money down in New Jersey and Indiana. (Why not Nevada, we ask?) Although its odds have narrowed significantly, The Power of the Dog (DraftKings -280/BetMGM -250) … Continue reading

Posted in BetMGM, DraftKings, Indiana, Movies, New Jersey | 1 Comment

Twin Spires collapse; The Great Buffet Battle

Online sports betting has claimed its second victim. First it was Wynn Interactive. Now it’s Churchill Downs subsidiary Twin Spires. Too much competition and too little profitability were the reasons cited by CEO Bill Carstanjen. CHDN will also cease its … Continue reading

Posted in Century Casinos, Churchill Downs, Cretins, Florida, history, Illinois, Indiana, Internet gambling, Movies, New York, Peninsula Pacific, Pennsylvania, Seminole Tribe, Sexual misconduct, Sports betting, Virginia, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 2 Comments

Atlantic City revisited; Oscars: Year of The Dog

Bally’s Atlantic City and Golden Nugget traditionally jockey for last place in Atlantic City monthly gaming grosses. Indeed, a midweek visit to Bally’s by our East Coast correspondent found the place practically deserted (and in need of more capex $$). … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Bally, Caesars Entertainment, Chicago, DraftKings, Golden Nugget, Hard Rock International, Marketing, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Movies, Ocean Resort, Rush Street Gaming, Tribal | 1 Comment

Florida: Phhhhht …; Crackdown in Macao; Scandal at Parx

That hissing sound you hear is the air going out of DraftKings‘ and FanDuel‘s electoral balloon. Florida Education Champions, their front group for bringing online sports betting to the Sunshine State, folded its hand, conceding that it can’t get enough … Continue reading

Posted in China, DraftKings, Election, Entertainment, FanDuel, Florida, Greenwood Racing, Horseracing, Las Vegas Sands, Law enforcement, Macau, Marketing, MGM Resorts International, Movies, Pennsylvania, Sports betting | 1 Comment

Sports betting claims first casualty; “Scam” at Caesars?

Online sports betting has evidently proven too rich for Wynn Resorts‘ blood. The New York Post reports that Wynn “is looking to unload its online sports-betting business at a steep discount as the fledgling niche faces painful losses from stiff … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Caesars Entertainment, Cretins, Culinary Union, DraftKings, Entertainment, Hard Rock International, Health, International, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Minnesota, Movies, New York, Penn National, Regulation, Sports betting, Station Casinos, United Kingdom, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 3 Comments

Ohio, Missouri booming; Of sports and sports betting

Scarcely had Deutsche Bank analyst Carlo Santarelli projected 12% gaming growth in Ohio over December 2019 than the numbers came in and it was 16%. The $197 million gross showed play heating up from November, too. Slot revenue was up … Continue reading

Posted in Bally, Barstool Sports, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Century Casinos, Churchill Downs, DraftKings, FanDuel, Genting, Hard Rock International, Health, Illinois, Jack Entertainment, Las Vegas Raiders, Massachusetts, Mattress Mack, MGM Resorts International, Missouri, Movies, New York, Ohio, Penn National, Politics, Rush Street Gaming, Sports, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Taxes, Technology, Tribal, TV, Wall Street | 1 Comment

If at first you don’t succeed … sue; Academy Awards odds posted

It’s a tried and true adage of American life that if you can’t get what you want fair and square, take it to court. Case in point: Full House Resorts. Having lost out on the Indiana Gaming Commission‘s selection of … Continue reading

Posted in Alabama, Bally, Chicago, Churchill Downs, Dan Lee, Election, Full House Resorts, Health, Indiana, International, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, Movies, Nebraska, Ohio, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Sports betting, WInd Creek, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on If at first you don’t succeed … sue; Academy Awards odds posted

MGM resurgent in Maryland; More Mega-Jottings

November was another terrific month for Maryland casinos, as revenues picked up a bit from October, accumulating 14% more than in November 2019.. (If inflation is so bad, where do Marylanders find all this money with which to gamble, one … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Atlantic City, Australia, Caesars Entertainment, California, Churchill Downs, Cordish Co., Crown Resorts, Economy, Election, Entertainment, Florida, Golden Gaming, Hard Rock International, Japan, Las Vegas Raiders, Las Vegas Sands, Louisiana, Macau, Maryland, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, Movies, Nevada, Penn National, Planet Hollywood, San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, South Korea, Sports, The Rio, The Strip, Virgin Hotels, Virginia, West Virginia, World Series of Poker, Wynn Resorts | 4 Comments

Wynn drops bombshells; Portnoy’s complaint

Wynn Resorts CEO Matt Maddox is leaving the building, effective Jan. 31. This shockeroo, which inspired a banner headline in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, was trundled out just minutes before the 3Q21 earnings call. Maddox will be succeeded by veteran … Continue reading

Posted in AGA, Arizona, Atlantic City, Bally, Barstool Sports, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, China, Diversity, Economy, GLPI, Golden Nugget, Hard Rock International, Health, International, Internet gambling, Macau, Marketing, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Missouri, Movies, New York, Ocean Resort, Oklahoma, Penn National, Politics, Sexual misconduct, Sheldon Adelson, Sports betting, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation, Tribal, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Indiana wins big, Missouri too; Pennsylvania guv blows smoke

While the American economy overall may be a disappointment for some, Big Gaming has nothing of which to complain. Indiana is coming off another bully month, up 16% from 2019, for an overall gross of $201 million, driven in no … Continue reading

Posted in Bally, Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Century Casinos, Dining, DraftKings, FanDuel, Full House Resorts, Hard Rock International, Health, Indiana, Internet gambling, MGM Resorts International, Missouri, Movies, Nevada, Penn National, Politics, Sports, Sports betting, Technology, Tribal | 3 Comments

Mega-jottings for the weekend

It didn’t take Blackstone Group long to start spending the ‘mad money’ it got for selling The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. It plunked down $305 million for all 15 hotels owned by Condor Hospitality Trust. Dare we suggest that Blackstone … Continue reading

Posted in Churchill Downs, Connecticut, Cosmopolitan, Foxwoods, Full House Resorts, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mohegan Sun, Movies, Real Estate, Resorts World LV, Société des Bains de Mer, Spectacle Entertainment, Sports betting | Comments Off on Mega-jottings for the weekend

Maryland, Ohio prosper; Sands scraping bottom in Macao

Regional gaming continues to be a gravy train. Maryland casinos grossed $168.5 million in August, up 9% from 2019. Just think how much better the take would have been had the month not been two weekend days shorter than August … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, Cordish Co., Golden Gaming, Hard Rock International, Health, Jack Entertainment, Las Vegas Raiders, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, Maryland, MGM Resorts International, Movies, Ohio, Penn National, Sports, Sports betting, Taxes, Wall Street | 2 Comments

Las Vegas heats up; Zombies overrun Atlantic City

In a benchmark development, three of the four major Las Vegas Strip operators posted higher midweek rates for the July 4-July 10 period than in 2019. Caesars Entertainment was flat, probably due to its sheer proliferation of hotel rooms. MGM … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, BetMGM, Caesars Entertainment, Colony Capital, Conventions, Cordish Co., Economy, Entertainment, Indiana, Japan, Las Vegas Sands, Marketing, MGM Resorts International, Movies, Nevada, Pennsylvania, PointsBet, Rush Street Gaming, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, Sports betting, Stanley Ho, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation, TV, William Hill, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Las Vegas heats up; Zombies overrun Atlantic City

MGM “roaring back”; LV recovery accelerates

That’s what Credit Suisse analyst Ben Chaiken had to say about MGM Resorts International, citing strength in regional casinos, Las Vegas and sports betting (in that order). First-quarter cash flow exceeded 2019 levels, aided in part by “strong demand reaching … Continue reading

Posted in BetMGM, Charity, Colorado, Conventions, Dining, Economy, Entertainment, Health, history, Macau, Marijuana, Marketing, Maryland, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, MGM Resorts International, Movies, Nevada, Resorts World LV, Sports, Sports betting, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation | 2 Comments

Sands blitzes Texas; Las Vegas “swarming” with tourists; Oscars suck

Starting last week, Las Vegas Sands has been blanketing the Texas airwaves with a barrage of pro-casino ads. Faced with a loss of traction in the Lege, Sands is turning to the court of public opinion. Going in drag as … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Brothels, Caesars Entertainment, China, Cosmopolitan, Derek Stevens, Diversity, Downtown, Economy, Entertainment, Hawaii, Health, Las Vegas Sands, Louisiana, Macau, Movies, Nevada, New York, Ocean Resort, Oklahoma, Pahrump, Politics, Singapore, Texas, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Tourism, Tribal | 2 Comments

Hope in the Roman Empire; DraftKings rules

Although it tried to flash Wall Street some ankle yesterday, Caesars Entertainment’s 4Q20 numbers failed to surprise analysts. In a reverse image of the rest of the industry, better-than-expected cash flow on the Strip (cost-cutting?) was “more than offset” by … Continue reading

Posted in Caesars Entertainment, California, China, Colorado, Conventions, DraftKings, Economy, Health, Illinois, Internet gambling, Louisiana, Macau, Marketing, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, Movies, Real Estate, Sports, Sports betting, Tamares Group, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street | Comments Off on Hope in the Roman Empire; DraftKings rules

MGM revisited; Mixed month for Indiana

Today it was Credit Suisse analyst Ben Chaiken‘s turn to weigh in on MGM Resorts International‘s 4Q20 numbers and he found even more to like than did Joseph Greff yesterday. Leading with Macao, Chaiken saw MGM China capturing more of … Continue reading

Posted in Barstool Sports, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Colorado, Dan Lee, Donald Trump, DraftKings, FanDuel, Full House Resorts, Galaxy Entertainment, Genting, Hard Rock International, Illinois, Indiana, Internet gambling, Japan, Jim Murren, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, Marketing, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, Movies, New York, Penn National, Regulation, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, Spectacle Entertainment, Sports betting, Steve Wynn, The Mob, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street, Washington State, Wynn Resorts | 2 Comments