Category Archives: Revel

Revel bought? Straub says no; R.I.P., Keely Smith

Posted on December 19, 2017 by David McKee

Revel/Ten may have yet another name soon, now that wannabe buyer Bruce Defik has done what Glenn Straub wouldn’t: apply for a New Jersey gaming license. Straub continues to assert that there is no deal in place but “a court … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Atlantic City, California, Detroit, Dining, Entertainment, Glenn Straub, history, Internet gambling, James Packer, Macau, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, Pennsylvania, Politics, Regulation, Revel, Station Casinos, Taxes, The Strip, Tribal | Comments Off

Smooth talk in Bridgeport; Sands Bethlehem for sale (again)?

Posted on October 25, 2017 by David McKee

“Sharp dressed, smooth talker” Uri Clinton met with Bridgeport residents in an effort to convince them that MGM Resorts International has their best interests at heart in its pursuit of Bridgeport as a casino site. Perhaps naively, Clinton hopes that … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Downtown Grand, Economy, Foxwoods, Geoff Freeman, Glenn Straub, Internet gambling, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, New York, Pennsylvania, Problem gambling, Regulation, Revel, Sheldon Adelson, Taxes, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off

Warm September for Atlantic City

Posted on October 13, 2017 by David McKee

Things continue to look up for the Boardwalk. Last month, Atlantic City casinos showed a 2.5% revenue increase on a same-store basis. Toss the dead weight of Trump Taj Mahal out of the year/year comparison and the growth is an … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Dan Gilbert, Detroit, Entertainment, Glenn Straub, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, Internet gambling, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, Revel, Tilman Fertitta, Tropicana Entertainment, Trump Entertainment Resorts, Wall Street | Comments Off

Clean slate at Caesars; Heresy at G2E; Another Revel mystery

Posted on October 9, 2017 by David McKee

“Twenty-five years ago Caesars [Entertainment] was the premier name internationally but they dropped the ball,” said C.G. Anderson Partners analyst Greg Bousquette of the company that must find a way to become relevant after spending years snarled in debt, then in … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Colorado, Economy, Entertainment, G2E, Glenn Straub, Harrah's, Iowa, Japan, Macau, Mandalay Bay Massacre, Neil Bluhm, New York, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Revel, Singapore, South Korea, Technology, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off

Adelson cools on Japan; Revel mystery deepens

Posted on September 18, 2017 by David McKee

Details of Japan‘s casino-implementation bill are starting to trickle out: a blend of tax rates for mass-market play (22%) and VIP action (12%), a minimum gambling age of 20 and casino square floors no bigger than 15,000 square feet. Limitations like … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Dining, Election, Entertainment, Galaxy Entertainment, Glenn Straub, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, Japan, Marijuana, MGM Mirage, Politics, Regulation, Revel, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, Taxes, Wall Street | 3 Comments

Atlantic City wins big; Typhoon Hato clocks Macao

Posted on August 25, 2017 by David McKee

Having trounced its opposition in last year’s election, Atlantic City continues on its roll, with its casinos posting a 20% increase in operating profit through June. “For three consecutive quarters now, the current operators reported double-digit growth in gross operating profits. … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, California, Glenn Straub, Harrah's, Macau, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, Revel, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, Tilman Fertitta, Tribal | Comments Off

Freeman hearts Atlantic City; Big win for Martinez

Posted on August 11, 2017 by David McKee

American Gaming Association President Geoff Freeman gave Atlantic City the thumbs-up this week, pointing to the reinvention of Trump Taj Mahal as Hard Rock Atlantic City and to the as-yet-undisclosed joint venture between Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts International. He … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Bally Technologies, Detroit, Dining, e-sports, Eldorado Resorts, Florida, Geoff Freeman, Glenn Straub, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, Internet gambling, Isle of Capri, MGM Mirage, Politics, Revel, Seminole Tribe, Taxes, Tribal | Comments Off

Legal weed a casino buzzkill; Caesars’ Australian pact nixed

Posted on August 7, 2017 by David McKee

In the casino biz, “pot” is now something other than what you put your poker bets into. It’s a source of money that’s not welcome at Ye Olde Casino (and you thought gambling moguls didn’t care where you got your … Continue reading →

Posted in Arizona, Atlantic City, Australia, Economy, Environment, Florida, Geoff Freeman, Glenn Straub, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, Law enforcement, Regulation, Revel, Seminole Tribe, Tribal | Comments Off

Revel sold? Sez who?; Wynn loses his shirt

Posted on August 1, 2017 by David McKee

Atlantic City may have seen the last of Glenn Straub. Last week, Global Gaming Business Editor Roger Gros took to Twitter to announce that Revel (aka Ten) had been sold, former exec Mark Juliano — late of Sands Bethlehem — … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Glenn Straub, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Neil Bluhm, New York, Pennsylvania, Racinos, Regulation, Revel, Sheldon Adelson, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, Steve Wynn, Wall Street | Comments Off

Revel: The great silence; Strangulation in Japan

Posted on July 19, 2017 by David McKee

“Atlantic City casino owner clueless over $220M offer.” So read one of the headlines about the mystery New York City private equity firm that is ostensibly proffering $220 million (up from $200 million) for Revel and owner Glenn Straub‘s professions of … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, GameCO, Glenn Straub, International, Internet gambling, Japan, Macau, Mohegan Sun, Regulation, Revel, The Mob, Wall Street | Comments Off

Revel up for grabs?; So long, O.J.

Posted on July 14, 2017 by David McKee

Glenn Straub could theoretically never do a damned thing with Revel and still turn a tidy profit. A New York-based private equity firm is reported as willing to pay him $200 million for the shuttered megaresort, which Straub picked up for … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Donald Trump, Genting, Glenn Straub, history, New York, Regulation, Revel, Station Casinos, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off

Glenn Straub, gaming’s problem child; Panic in New York State

Posted on June 28, 2017 by David McKee

“We’ve been shut down now for three years. As an abandoned building, we want the value of an abandoned building, not the value of a casino hotel,” said Revel owner Glenn Straub, defending his failure to pay Casino Reinvestment Development … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Atlantic City, Boulder Strip, Foxwoods, GameCO, Glenn Straub, history, Marketing, New York, Planet Hollywood, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Revel, Station Casinos, Taxes, Technology, Tourism, Tribal | Comments Off

MGM rebuffed in Connecticut; Taking the Trump out of the Taj

Posted on June 23, 2017 by David McKee

For the second time, a federal court has ruled against MGM Resorts International in its attempts to wrest a casino license away from Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Resort Casino. According to the Hartford Courant, the court held that “the company … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Atlantic City, Donald Trump, Foxwoods, GameCO, Glenn Straub, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, Macau, Maryland, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Revel, Technology, Tropicana Entertainment | 1 Comment

That wacky Glenn Straub; New York caves on ‘Net bets

Posted on June 20, 2017 by David McKee

Call it Revel, call it Ten but, whatever you do, call it “closed.” Because that’s what Revel is. Owner Glenn Straub is frittering away the prime earning weeks of the year while he fights with state and local officials, whether … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Cosmopolitan, Donald Trump, Environment, Glenn Straub, Internet gambling, New York, Pennsylvania, Politics, Regulation, Revel | Comments Off

Hard Rock ups Atlantic City commitment; Japan inspires casino designers

Posted on May 31, 2017 by David McKee

Compared to Carl Icahn‘s half-a-loaf policies, Hard Rock International CEO Jim Allen is Lady Bountiful, at least as concerns [Trump] Taj Mahal. We put The Donald’s name in brackets because it’s one of the first things to go, to be … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Atlantic City, Carl Icahn, Donald Trump, Election, Glenn Straub, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, Harry Reid, International, Japan, Lawrence Ho, Massachusetts, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, Regulation, Revel, Sahara, SLS Las Vegas, Technology, Unite-Here | 1 Comment

Executive shuffle at Station; Freeman’s bold agenda

Posted on May 25, 2017 by David McKee

Long-serving (some would say long-suffering) Station Casinos CFO Marc Falcone has had enough and will resign on May 31. He’ll still be at Station’s service thanks to a one-year consulting agreement — read “non-compete.” He’s served Station well, coming aboard … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Donald Trump, Geoff Freeman, Hard Rock International, Law enforcement, Palms, Politics, Regulation, Revel, Sports, Station Casinos, Taxes, Wall Street | Comments Off

Hard Rock takes Icahn to the cleaners

Posted on May 11, 2017 by David McKee

Well, now we know how much Hard Rock International paid for Trump Taj Mahal — and why Carl Icahn wanted to keep it a secret. The defunct casino changed hands for $50 million, well below the nine-figure sum Icahn was … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Carl Icahn, Columbia Sussex, Donald Trump, Glenn Straub, Hard Rock International, MGM Mirage, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Revel, Sheldon Adelson, Tribal, Tropicana Entertainment, Trump Entertainment Resorts | Comments Off

Quote of the Day

Posted on April 24, 2017 by David McKee

“Water rights are civil rights, and civil rights are human rights. This is not a money problem. This is a democracy problem. Flint, Michigan, is a moral parable about the peril of giving up control of your water.” — NAACP … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Environment, Glenn Straub, Revel | Comments Off

Trump’s Amman Castle?; Wynn goes 0-for-2

Posted on March 30, 2017 by David McKee

Gambling is illegal in Jordan but that doesn’t stop Donald Trump. The new president’s company has renewed the trademark for a Jordanian casino. This won’t play well with religious hawks in the Hashemite kingdom, who went into full cry when … Continue reading →

Posted in Donald Trump, Genting, Glenn Straub, International, Internet gambling, Japan, Macau, Revel, Steve Wynn, The Strip | Comments Off

Atlantic City suffers February hiccup; Caesars K.O.’d in Korea

Posted on March 14, 2017 by David McKee

All good things must end and, in the case of Atlantic City, a pretty steady comeback hit a pothole in December, with business down 2%. Even Borgata ($58 million) was down a percentage point. Citywide, slot revenue was actually up … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Carl Icahn, Dan Gilbert, Detroit, Glenn Straub, Golden Gaming, Greenwood Racing, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, Internet gambling, Isle of Capri, Macau, Maryland, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, Pennsylvania, PokerStars, Revel, Sheldon Adelson, South Korea, Tropicana Entertainment | 1 Comment