Category Archives: Rhode Island

In case you missed it …

Those of you who still follow us on Twitter, er, X may recall that we promised to share the next Casino Life Editor’s Note with you. Since it’s virtually the only Casino Life content that’s not hyperlinked to the Web, … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Bally, Boyd Gaming, Health, Louisiana, New Jersey, Politics, Rhode Island, The Strip | 3 Comments

Big Gaming gets its chain yanked, not always unfairly

We apologize for the dearth of hard news lately. Compounding a two-week vacation with the Fourth of July holiday hasn’t been good for keeping you, dear reader, in the loop. This week in particular has been so slow it’s practically … Continue reading

Posted in AGA, Arizona, Bally, Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, Cordish Co., Florida, G2E, Golden Gaming, Health, history, Internet gambling, Maryland, MGM Resorts International, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Problem gambling, Regulation, Rhode Island, Seminole Tribe, Sports betting, Taxes, Vermont | Comments Off on Big Gaming gets its chain yanked, not always unfairly

All Atlantic City, all the time; Gone to the dogs; Mega-Jottings

Although terrestrial casino revenue dipped 2.5% last month, New Jersey casinos made out like bandits online, with i-gambling up 19% and sports betting leapt 33.5%. In Atlantic City the gross was $227 million at traditional casinos, as a sharp decline … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, Atlantic City, Bally, Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Caesars Entertainment, Chicago, DraftKings, El Cortez, Election, Entertainment, FanDuel, Golden Nugget, Hard Rock International, Internet gambling, Las Vegas Sands, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, Movies, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Ocean Resort, Pennsylvania, PointsBet, Politics, Reno, Rhode Island, Rush Street Gaming, Slot routes, Sports betting, The Strip, Transportation, Tribal, Vermont, Vici Properties, Virginia, Wall Street, West Virginia, WInd Creek, Wynn Resorts | 3 Comments

Stupid political antics; Baseball boondoggle; Mega-Jottings

American Gaming Association President Bill Miller likes to say—and quite rightly—that communities should welcome casinos because Big Gaming is willing to pay big taxes. Until now, that is. Las Vegas Sands has barely planted its flag in Nassau, New York, … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Atlantic City, Australia, Bally, Baseball, California, Cretins, Crown Resorts, Health, IGT, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, MGM Resorts International, Money laundering, New York, North Carolina, Politics, Rhode Island, Slot routes, Sports betting, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal, Washington State, Wynn Resorts | 2 Comments

Macao propels MGM; Ohio sports betting scandal (again)

“Mac-Holy-Cau!” So exclaimed Truist Securities analyst Barry Jonas about MGM Resorts International‘s 1Q23 earnings statement. Fueled by better than expected grosses in Macao, MGM beat the Wall Street consensus for first-quarter cash flow by 8%. Cash flow was $1.25 billion … Continue reading

Posted in Bally, Barstool Sports, Baseball, BetMGM, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, Cosmopolitan, Culinary Union, DraftKings, FanDuel, Hard Rock International, Health, Jack Entertainment, Japan, Macau, Marketing, MGM Resorts International, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Penn National, Racinos, Regulation, Rhode Island, Sports, Sports betting, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off on Macao propels MGM; Ohio sports betting scandal (again)

Big Bally’s shakeup; Smoking swatted; Mega-Jottings

Back on Jan. 25, we wrote that Bally’s Corp. CEO Lee Fenton was “possibly laying the groundwork for his own exit,” when he said, The pandemic boosted our business and we continued to hire at full pelt. I now can … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Bally, Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Chicago, Cretins, DFS, Dining, Donald Trump, DraftKings, FanDuel, Genting, Health, Horseracing, International, Internet gambling, Lake Tahoe, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Minnesota, Mohegan Sun, New Jersey, New York, Penn National, PointsBet, Politics, Real Estate, Regulation, Rhode Island, Rush Street Gaming, South Korea, Sports, Sports betting, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal, TV, United Kingdom, Vici Properties, Virginia, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Big Bally’s shakeup; Smoking swatted; Mega-Jottings

Report from Chicago; Gray Lady in high dudgeon

If you have a bridge in Brooklyn or perhaps some swamp land in Florida, then Oak Street Real Estate Capital would like to hear from you. It just paid $200 million for the site of Bally’s Chicago and $300 million … Continue reading

Posted in AGA, Atlantic City, Bally, Barstool Sports, California, Chicago, Diversity, DraftKings, FanDuel, GLPI, Hard Rock International, Health, Illinois, Internet gambling, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, Marketing, Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Las Vegas, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Real Estate, Regulation, Rhode Island, Sports betting, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal, Virginia, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Bally’s Chicago stirs skepticism; Vegas locals cooling

It’s not just us who are leery of Bally’s Corp. and its ability to do something unprecedented in its history—swing a $1.7 billion casino in Chicago. The company’s corner-cutting “improvement” of Bally’s Atlantic City does not inspire confidence. Nor does … Continue reading

Posted in Aristocrat, Atlantic City, Australia, Bally, Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Chicago, Churchill Downs, DraftKings, Economy, FanDuel, Florida, Full House Resorts, Genting, Golden Gaming, Golden Nugget, Hard Rock International, Indiana, Mohegan Sun, New York, Palms, Penn National, Pennsylvania, PointsBet, Rhode Island, Rush Street Gaming, Seminole Tribe, Silverton, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Tribal, Unite-Here, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 2 Comments

Strip perceives no inflation woe; Union sells out workers health

Truist Securities analyst Barry Jonas recently took a tour of Las Vegas‘ C-suites, meeting with executives of seven companies. He concluded that “Despite market sentiment, operators remain generally positive.” Both the Las Vegas Strip and the recently declining locals market … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Bally, Chicago, Conventions, Derek Stevens, Economy, G2E, Golden Nugget, Health, Internet gambling, Law enforcement, Missouri, Mohegan Sun, New Jersey, Regulation, Rhode Island, Slot routes, Sports betting, The Strip, Tourism, Unite-Here, United Kingdom, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Atlantic City casinos avert crisis; Congressional absurdity

It was eyeball-to-eyeball and Big Gaming blinked. Faced with probable, heavy losses of business, Borgata—the casino with the most to lose—was first to come to terms with Local 54 of Unite-Here. Terms with most of the majors were reached an … Continue reading

Posted in AGA, Arizona, Atlantic City, Bally, Baseball, Caesars Entertainment, California, Carl Icahn, Chicago, Dining, DraftKings, Entertainment, GLPI, Hard Rock Hotel, International, Internet gambling, Las Vegas Sands, Law enforcement, MGM Resorts International, Ocean Resort, Politics, Real Estate, Rhode Island, Sports betting, The Strip, Tribal, Unite-Here, West Virginia | 1 Comment

Strip carries Nevada; Atlantic City casinos play chicken

Nevada gambling revenues continued to climb in May, up 6% from last year, hitting $1.3 billion. The results were bifurcated, with tourist-dominated markets up and locals ones somewhat down. The Las Vegas Strip was the most obvious beneficiary, jumping 11.5% … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, Bally, Boulder Strip, Caesars Entertainment, California, Card rooms, Chicago, Churchill Downs, Downtown, Economy, Georgia, GLPI, Golden Nugget, Hard Rock International, Horseracing, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Law enforcement, Maryland, Mesquite, MGM Resorts International, Mississippi, Mohegan Sun, Money laundering, Nevada, North Las Vegas, Ocean Resort, Real Estate, Regulation, Reno, Rhode Island, Sports betting, The Strip, Unite-Here, Wendover | Comments Off on Strip carries Nevada; Atlantic City casinos play chicken

Bally’s bans smoking (sorta); Purge at Cosmo; Aussie renegades

Two and a half cheers for Bally’s Corp., which has banned smoking at table games at its two Rhode Island casinos. We’ll throw in the other half-cheer when Bally’s nixes smoking in all gambling areas. (Ironically, the company is part … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Australia, Bally, Chicago, CityCenter, Cosmopolitan, Crown Resorts, Health, Internet gambling, Law enforcement, Macau, MGM Resorts International, Michigan, Money laundering, Politics, Regulation, Rhode Island, Sports, Star Entertainment, United Kingdom | Comments Off on Bally’s bans smoking (sorta); Purge at Cosmo; Aussie renegades

Vegas Strip bullish, locals more bearish; Penn plummets

Nevada enjoyed a $1.1 billion gambling-revenue month in April, an 8.5% increase over last year. Powering this was the Strip with $593.5 million, a 23% improvement. Downtown, by contrast, suffered a setback, down 11% to $67 million. Utahns must have … Continue reading

Posted in Bally, Barstool Sports, Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Chicago, China, CityCenter, Cosmopolitan, Cretins, Culinary Union, Downtown, Economy, Entertainment, Fontainebleau, Hard Rock International, Health, IGT, Lake Tahoe, Las Vegas Sands, Laughlin, Macau, Marketing, Mesquite, MGM Resorts International, Nevada, New York, North Las Vegas, Palms, Penn National, Reno, Resorts World LV, Rhode Island, Station Casinos, The Rio, The Strip, Tourism, Unite-Here, Wall Street, Wendover, Wynn Resorts | 2 Comments

Parx dethroned; Shreveport sleaze; Maine’s latest bet

Move over, Parx Casino, there’s a new leader in the Pennsylvania gaming market. That’d be Penn National‘s eponymous racino near Harrisburg. For the second month in a row it was tops in the Keystone State, banking $64 million, up 11.5% … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Australia, Bally, Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, China, Churchill Downs, Cordish Co., Crown Resorts, DraftKings, FanDuel, Florida, Golden Nugget, Greenwood Racing, Health, Internet gambling, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Macau, Maine, MGM Resorts International, Michigan, Mohegan Sun, New Jersey, Peninsula Pacific, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Regulation, Rhode Island, Rush Street Gaming, Sports, Sports betting, Taxes, Transportation, Tribal, Virginia, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Parx dethroned; Shreveport sleaze; Maine’s latest bet

Bally’s we hardly knew ye; IGT bets big on lotteries

Shares of Bally’s Corp. sprang to $36.76 apiece yesterday on the news that the company’s largest stockholder wants to take Bally’s private for $2 billion. Hedge fund Standard General—founded by Bally’s Chairman Soo Kim—is offering $38/share for the mini-major and … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Arkansas, Atlantic City, Bally, Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, DraftKings, Economy, Entertainment, FanDuel, Hard Rock International, Hawaii, IGT, International, Japan, Lotteries, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Ocean Resort, Regulation, Rhode Island, Rush Street Gaming, Sports betting, Taxes, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Fear and loathing in Chicago; All’s well in Macao; Tribe comes back from nonexistence

It wouldn’t be a fight for a Chicago casino if it weren’t down and dirty—and it is. Bally’s Corp. already sounds desperate, throwing a Hail Mary pass in the form of a report that rival bidders Rush Street Gaming and … Continue reading

Posted in Bally, Chicago, Donald Trump, Galaxy Entertainment, Hard Rock International, Indiana, Japan, Lake Tahoe, Las Vegas Sands, Law enforcement, Macau, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Real Estate, Regulation, Resort fees, Rhode Island, Rush Street Gaming, Tribal, TV, Wynn Resorts | 2 Comments

Macao fears overdone?; Dispatches from Atlantic City

After a long bout with the flu, we’re back with our usual persiflage. One of the stocks that was on the sickbed last week was Las Vegas Sands, bedridden from proposed new restrictions on Macao casinos. Deutsche Bank analyst Carlo … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Bally, Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Caesars Entertainment, Carl Icahn, China, Dining, DraftKings, FanDuel, FoxBet, Golden Nugget, Hard Rock International, Health, Internet gambling, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, MGM Resorts International, Michigan, New Jersey, Palms, PointsBet, Politics, Regulation, Rhode Island, Rush Street Gaming, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Tribal, Virginia, Wall Street | 1 Comment

China kicks sand in Big Gaming’s face; Penn lobbies for special status

You could say that getting into bed with Red China was a devil’s bargain and Satan has come to collect. Or that Beijing has finally decided to show everyone who’s boss. Either way, the central government played Big Gaming for … Continue reading

Posted in AGA, Australia, Bally, China, Crown Resorts, G2E, Galaxy Entertainment, Health, Illinois, Louisiana, Macau, Massachusetts, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, MGM Resorts International, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Racinos, Rhode Island, Taxes, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on China kicks sand in Big Gaming’s face; Penn lobbies for special status

Michigan sports betting, i-gaming surge; AGA chases renegade slots

Say what you like about Michigan, it’s giving New Jersey and Pennsylvania a literal run for their money in Internet gambling. Win/day is just over $3 million, close behind the Keystone State’s $3.15 million and challenging the Garden State’s $3.65 … Continue reading

Posted in AGA, Arizona, Atlantic City, Barstool Sports, Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, Dining, DraftKings, Economy, FanDuel, Florida, FoxBet, Hawaii, Health, Illinois, Indiana, Internet gambling, Kansas, Las Vegas Sands, Lotteries, Macau, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, PointsBet, Problem gambling, Regulation, Reno, Resorts World LV, Rhode Island, Rush Street Gaming, Slot routes, South Dakota, Sports, Sports betting, Taxes, Tribal, Wall Street, William Hill, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Sports bets a hit in Virginia; Vegas recovery an iffy prospect

Online sports betting was quick out of the gate in Virginia—$59 million in handle in 11 days—although books spent so much money acquiring customers that they took a loss on the month. “Debuting ahead of the NFL’s conference championship games … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Bally, Caesars Entertainment, Canada, Conventions, DraftKings, Economy, FanDuel, Health, history, IGT, Internet gambling, Las Vegas Sands, Lotteries, LVCVA, Marketing, Maryland, MGM Resorts International, Michigan, Resort fees, Rhode Island, Rush Street Gaming, Scientific Games, Sports betting, Tennessee, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation, United Kingdom, Virgin Hotels, Virginia, Wall Street, William Hill, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Sports bets a hit in Virginia; Vegas recovery an iffy prospect