Mandalay Bay, which hosts Los Angeles Clippers pre-season play, and which advertises during Clippers games is out of the picture … for now. Although the NBA has banned unspeakably vile Clippers owner Donald Sterling from the league, Mandalay Bay is joining the lengthening list of companies that have suspended their relationship with the team (but not terminated it). This holds out the possibility for a redeemed Clippers organization to someday brandish the MBay logo again, although one has to ask what took the casino so long to act. Its move would be more impressive if it were one of the first companies to distance itself, not a late arrival.
This is also a good place to mention Kareem Abdul-Jabeer‘s powerful stemwinder on the hypocrisy taking place in l’affaire Sterling, both in terms of sponsors’ willful blindness to previous Sterling depravities and to the unethical means that were used to bring him down, among other salient points. It’s a must-read.
On a more positive note, MGM Resorts International has busted out a set of renderings (plus video) of what to expect when THEhotel becomes Delano-branded. It’s been a big week for revelations at MGM and … is that monkeypod-wood furniture I see in one of the rooms? Whatever the case, it’s difficult to overlook the stark severity of the public areas, what might be called New Austerity. It turns a Vegas vacation into quite a solemn experience. The white-on-white bedroom room designs and inviting-looking living rooms at least have more of the sybaritic softness we associate with the Las Vegas Strip. I wish I could afford to stay there but if you can, reservations are being taken for September 1 and onward.
Before we leave the subject of quandaries, Delaware lawmakers face a doozy. Racinos delivered $180 million in tax revenue last year, but they’re in financial difficulty. Dover Downs has a $47 million note coming due June 17 and lost $1 million in 1Q14. In that same quarter, slot winnings statewide were 10% lower and table game ones were 25% down. Lawmakers are being asked to make the tradeoff of racino tax cuts and subsidies (including helping to purchase slot machines) in order to preserve a dwindling — but still substantial — revenue pool. It’s not helping that Delaware is going through a budget crisis and Gov. Jack Markell (D, pictured) is calling for tax increases. One thing’s for sure: Internet gambling’s not going to dig them out of this hole.
