MGM China would probably prefer that its co-chairwoman, Pansy Ho, stay out of the headlines, considering the negative publicity she’s generated over the years. But she opened 
up to the media this week, specifically the newspaper of which she is a director, The Standard, as well as to the magazine East Week. Her main talking point was that the government of Macao should give several additional years to the existing casino operators, whose licenses could be nationalized or re-bid (or renewed, of course) during the 2020-2022 period. Said Ms. Ho, “The fundamental principle should not be altered. Otherwise, how can Macao attract long-term investments? If the payback period is too short, no one will be interested.”
As heiress to Macao’s first family of gambling, Ms. Ho speaks with some authority in these matters. Still, she put a little pressure on City Hall, saying, “the government knows very well that Macao’s economic growth is largely driven by the gaming business.” Let she be seen as too pushy, she also tried to allay fears of overdependence on gambling monies by stressing that 85% of MGM Cotai will be devoted to non-casino amenities. A media offensive by Pansy Ho may cause some grief in the MGM boardroom but it’s more likely to get noticed in the corridors of power in Macao than what Jim Murren says.
* As you know, Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Resort Casino are talking about 
collaborating on a third casino, in northern Connecticut. It would basically rob Peter to pay Paul, but that’s the price of keeping gamblers out of Massachusetts. The big question: Using what for money? “You’ve got to wonder,” says Moody’s Investor Service analyst Keith Foley. “Where are they going to get it?” Foxwoods is in default and Mohegan Sun is carrying a heavy debt load. Remarkably, Foxwoods CEO Felix Rappaport (left) says it can get the dough, based on its “great relationship with lending sources,” while Mohegan Sun says it’s too early to talk dollars and cents. Matters are further complicated by Foxwoods’ effort to get into Massachusetts’ southeastern region as part of a New Bedford project. Bay State regulators are likely to take a dim view of Rappaport’s effort to simultaneously annex some Massachusetts revenue directly and sap MGM Springfield at the same time. Meanwhile, some Connecticut lawmakers want to barter to casino expansion in return for adding keno to the state lottery.
* I-gaming fever is rampant in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. There are not one but two i-poker bills in the hopper plus one that would authorize wide-open casino gambling. With this much smoke, there’s got to be some fire there too.
* You’d think that a Hooters-themed hotel and casino (a financially struggling one, too) would suggest that the bosom-fixated food chain is too tame for Sin City. Not so: The Palms is planning to sport the biggest Hooters on the planet. They’ll be poolside, which seems like just the right place.
* Yahoo Travel polled 2,000 of its readers and they opined that Las Vegas is the world’s most overrated city. I can sympathize: The Las Vegas Strip is a hassle on a good day and Downtown is still evolving into something more than Glitter Gulch. As for the off-Strip parts of town, we’re basically Phoenix with more casinos and no major league sports. The disillusionment we’re seeing here may also be a reflection of the exportation of the Vegas experience to so many satellite markets. If you can have a Vegas-quality casino experience in Baltimore, Sin City must seem that much less impressive …
* … but we’ve got the Neon Museum. Take that, flyover country! And check out the dwindling list of locations from Casino afterward. Huntington Press author Frank Cullotta came up with this list, so you can be sure it’s the real deal.
