Category Archives: Marketing

Portnoy torches Penn; Station “outstanding”; DraftKings improves; Alabama betting brouhaha; Derby gone to the dogs

Penn Entertainment stock collapsed 13% Wednesday afternoon after Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy took to Twitter to rant and rave about the firing of Ben Mintz, a ‘Stool fool who dropped the N-word on air for all the world to … Continue reading

Posted in Alabama, Animals, Barstool Sports, Baseball, Caesars Entertainment, California, Canada, Churchill Downs, Cordish Co., Cretins, DraftKings, Golden Gaming, Horseracing, Illinois, Internet gambling, Marketing, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, North Las Vegas, Ohio, Penn National, Sports, Sports betting, Station Casinos, The Mob, The Strip, Wall Street, West Virginia | Comments Off on Portnoy torches Penn; Station “outstanding”; DraftKings improves; Alabama betting brouhaha; Derby gone to the dogs

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)

Pennsylvania, Lousiana flagging; All eyes on Macao

Casino winnings in Pennsylvania stuttered last month, hitting $311 million, flat with March 2022. Spreading more gaming wealth among a greater number of properties obviously isn’t helping on a same-store basis. Parx Casino maintained its supremacy with $53 million, despite … Continue reading

Posted in Ameristar, Atlantic City, Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, California, Canada, China, Churchill Downs, Cordish Co., CQ Holdings, Detroit, DraftKings, FanDuel, FoxBet, Galaxy Entertainment, Golden Nugget, Greenwood Racing, Illitch Family, Internet gambling, Las Vegas Sands, Louisiana, Macau, Marketing, Massachusetts, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, MGM Resorts International, Michigan, Mohegan Sun, Ocean Resort, Penn National, Pennsylvania, PointsBet, Rush Street Gaming, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, Sports, Sports betting, Station Casinos, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation, Tribal, WInd Creek, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Atlantic City blues

Atlantic City‘s first casino, Resorts Atlantic City, celebrated the 45th anniversary of legalized gambling on the Boardwalk in rather limp fashion. Highlights included a beachball drop and an appearance by Mayor Marty Small (D). Well, we suppose he’s got to … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Bally, Caesars Entertainment, China, Dining, Entertainment, Golden Nugget, Hard Rock International, Law enforcement, Macau, Marijuana, Marketing, MGM Resorts International, Penn National, The Strip, West Virginia | Comments Off on Atlantic City blues

Storm in Atlantic City; Big trouble for sports betting

All was not sunny at Borgata last weekend. Our Atlantic City correspondent writes, “When we were driving back to Borgata, heavy rain started. As we pulled into MGM valet intake the wind was getting stronger. The luggage carts were starting … Continue reading

Posted in AGA, Atlantic City, Bally, Caesars Entertainment, California, Colorado, Cretins, Diversity, DraftKings, Entertainment, Golden Nugget, Hard Rock International, IGT, Illinois, International, Las Vegas Sands, Marijuana, Marketing, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Michigan, New Jersey, Penn National, Politics, Problem gambling, Regulation, Reno, Singapore, Sports betting, Tribal, Virginia | 2 Comments

Caesars meets The Street; NYC shuffle; Shreveport switcheroo

Caesars Entertainment CEO Tom Reeg and Senior Vice President of Corporate Finance Brian Agnew just sat down with Deutsche Bank analyst Carlo Santarelli, who came away sufficiently impressed with the Roman Empire to maintain a “Buy” rating on CZR. Santarelli … Continue reading

Posted in Bally, Barstool Sports, Caesars Entertainment, Cantor Gaming, Churchill Downs, Conventions, Cordish Co., Donald Trump, Failsinos, Genting, Golden Gaming, Hard Rock International, International, Las Vegas Sands, Louisiana, Marketing, Maryland, MGM Resorts International, Nevada, New York, Penn National, Regulation, Sports, Sports betting, The Strip, TV, Wall Street, West Virginia, Wynn Resorts | 5 Comments

Under Southern skies; Presidential casino players

Truist Securities analyst Barry Jonas took a swing through Dixie casinos last month and had quite a bit to report. He hit the New Orleans, Lake Charles, Baton Rouge and Biloxi markets, his primary takeaway being that operators are consistent … Continue reading

Posted in Apollo Management, Architecture, Aristocrat, Bally, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Chicago, Economy, Election, Golden Nugget, Louisiana, Marketing, MGM Resorts International, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, Penn National, Slot routes, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Taxes, Technology, The Strip, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Atlantic City dispatches; Sports betting meltdown?

Our East Coast correspondent had a good experience at Ocean Casino Resort last weekend. It started with no line at the “Prime” players-club check-in … although it was a quite a different (and worse) story if you fell into a … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Bally, Caesars Entertainment, Detroit, Dining, Entertainment, Law enforcement, Marketing, Missouri, Ocean Resort, Reno, Sports betting | 3 Comments

Big month for Strip; Miller’s rapid response; Titus time

Gambling grosses were ultra-boffo on the Las Vegas Strip last month, up 19% over the year previous and leaving 2019 in the dust, +25%. Locals casinos didn’t fare too badly, either if not as spectacularly as their Strip brethren: up … Continue reading

Posted in AGA, Bally, Baseball, Boulder Strip, Caesars Entertainment, California, Charity, Downtown, Election, Jack Binion, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Lotteries, Marketing, Mesquite, Nevada, North Las Vegas, Politics, Problem gambling, Regulation, Reno, San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, Sports betting, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation, Tribal, United Kingdom, William Hill | Comments Off on Big month for Strip; Miller’s rapid response; Titus time

East Coast report; “Best growth story in gaming” is who?

As we rummage through our mailbag, we find a number of dispatches from our East Coast correspondent, who recently helped prop up the Golden Nugget in Atlantic City with a three-night stay. He was drawn by a giveaway at Ocean … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Bally, Charity, Churchill Downs, Cordish Co., Golden Nugget, Horseracing, Illitch Family, Kentucky, Marketing, Nevada, Ocean Resort, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Slot routes, Technology, Tilman Fertitta | 2 Comments

Massachusetts soars; The Strip meets The Street

Gambling win in Massachusetts shot up 14.5% in February, reaching $98 million. Market leader, of course, was Encore Boston Harbor with $63 million (+14.5%). MGM Springfield leapt 17% to $23 million and Plainridge Park climbed 10% to $12 million. Wynn … Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Century Casinos, Downtown, DraftKings, Entertainment, FanDuel, Golden Gaming, Golden Nugget, Hawaii, Internet gambling, Las Vegas Raiders, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, Marketing, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Politics, Singapore, Slot routes, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Taxes, The Rio, The Strip, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Gambling revenues still looking up; Mega-Jottings

Maryland aside, gambling revenues continue to trend upward. Even in Iowa, where they nudged only 1% higher from last year (undoubtedly due to new competition from Nebraska) but were high heavens (+38%) over 2019, aka the good old days. Indiana’s … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Atlantic City, Bally, Barstool Sports, Baseball, BetMGM, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Century Casinos, Cretins, DFS, DraftKings, FanDuel, Full House Resorts, Genting, Georgia, Golden Nugget, Hard Rock International, Indiana, Iowa, Marketing, Massachusetts, Missouri, Movies, New York, Penn National, Politics, Reno, Sports betting, Tribal, United Kingdom, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Gambling revenues still looking up; Mega-Jottings

Full House flopping; The bull case for gaming and Vegas

We tweeted after the opening of The Temporary at American Place (yes, that’s its cumbersome nomeclature) that it was “a hit.” We were wrong. According to Full House Resorts CEO Dan Lee and CFO Lewis Fanger, The Temporary eked out … Continue reading

Posted in Bally, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Chicago, Churchill Downs, Colorado, Conventions, Cretins, Culinary Union, Dan Lee, Dining, Diversity, DraftKings, Economy, Full House Resorts, Hard Rock International, Health, Illinois, Lotteries, Marketing, Massachusetts, Nevada, Penn National, Regulation, Sports, Sports betting, Station Casinos, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street | 3 Comments

Wynn, Golden report; Excalibur kitty caper; PointsBet busted

Citing “very encouraging” trends in Macao, analyst Joseph Greff of J.P. Morgan gave Wynn Resorts a favorable notice today. Without getting too much into the minutiae, Wynn execs cited rapidly improving VIP business, 96% hotel occupancy and a 34% uptick … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, Colorado, Golden Gaming, Laughlin, Macau, Marketing, Maryland, MGM Resorts International, Nevada, PointsBet, Security, Slot routes, Sports, Sports betting, The Strip, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Wynn, Golden report; Excalibur kitty caper; PointsBet busted

Atlantic City in winter; Ohio rebounds; Lightfoot booted

Given a slow news day, let’s finally catch up with our East Coast bureau and see what’s been happening on the Boardwalk. First off, demerits to Ocean Casino Resort for contributing in its own small way to climate change by … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Bally, Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Chicago, Churchill Downs, DraftKings, Entertainment, FanDuel, Golden Nugget, Hard Rock International, Jack Entertainment, Marketing, MGM Resorts International, Ocean Resort, Ohio, Penn National, Politics, Sports betting, Taxes | 1 Comment

Atlantic City leaps; DraftKings beats The Street

Gambling revenues in Atlantic City defied the cold last month, surging 15% to $212 million. Borgata, naturally, led the market with $58.5 million, a 20.5% vault. Next up was Hard Rock Atlantic City with $36 million, a 3.5% nudge, followed … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Bally, Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Canada, Churchill Downs, CQ Holdings, DraftKings, FanDuel, Golden Nugget, Hard Rock International, Louisiana, Marketing, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, Ocean Resort, Ohio, Penn National, Wall Street | Comments Off on Atlantic City leaps; DraftKings beats The Street

Sports betting backlash; Indiana, Missouri rebound

When we were penning the editor’s note for the February issue of Casino Life, we predicted that overkill in sports betting marketing was ripe to bring a backlash. But it happened sooner than we ever expected. Now we don’t know … Continue reading

Posted in AGA, Bally, Barstool Sports, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Century Casinos, DraftKings, FanDuel, Full House Resorts, Hard Rock International, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Marketing, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, Penn National, PointsBet, Politics, Problem gambling, Regulation, Resorts World LV, Rush Street Gaming, Sports betting, The Strip | Comments Off on Sports betting backlash; Indiana, Missouri rebound

And the Oscar goes to …

Top Gun: Maverick. OK, we’re kidding. But not entirely. Due to the Motion Picture Academy‘s byzantine, ranked-choice voting for Best Picture, the $1.5 billion-grossing Tom Cruise spectacle (+1000 on DraftKings) could rack up enough second- and third-place votes to nab … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, Bally, Boyd Gaming, Diversity, DraftKings, Indiana, Las Vegas Raiders, Law enforcement, Marketing, Massachusetts, Mohegan Sun, Movies, New York, Politics, Regulation, Sports, Tribal, Wall Street | 1 Comment

A peek at Penn; DraftKings retreats, Aruze tumbles

Wall Street analysts got an early look at Penn Entertainment‘s 4Q22 earnings, which were mildly adverse and poorer than The Street expected, and which point to a flat trajectory going forward through the early summer. Deutsche Bank analyst Carlo Santarelli … Continue reading

Posted in Bally, Baseball, Chicago, DraftKings, FanDuel, Hawaii, Illinois, International, Kazuo Okada, Marketing, Mattress Mack, New York, Penn National, Politics, Sports betting, Taxes, Wall Street | Comments Off on A peek at Penn; DraftKings retreats, Aruze tumbles

Sands impresses; Trump’s new Mob pal; Boardwalk blotter; Mega-Jottings

Wall Street was in a sunny mood this week after Las Vegas Sands‘ 4Q22 earnings presentation. As Credit Suisse analyst Ben Chaiken summarized, “two large takeaways in our view were strength in Singapore and what we felt was a positive … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, Atlantic City, Bally, Baseball, BetMGM, Caesars Entertainment, Charity, China, Colorado, Cretins, Derek Stevens, Dining, Donald Trump, Entertainment, FanDuel, Florida, history, IGT, Indiana, Iowa, Japan, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, Marijuana, Marketing, Massachusetts, Movies, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Politics, Singapore, South Korea, Sports, Sports betting, Taxes, Technology, Texas, The Mob, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Tourism, Transportation, Tribal, TV, Vici Properties, Wall Street | 4 Comments