Baccarat play on the Las Vegas Strip improved by double-digit numbers for the second month in a row, up 14% in April, contributing to 
an 8% upward surge on the Strip. Baccarat revenues rose 5%, while all other table games improved 4% despite a smaller increase in action, and slot revenue shot up 11% although coin-in only grew very modestly. “Overall, we continue to think that LV Strip can generate low to mid-single [room revenue] and visitation growth, though the market will/should continue to experience volatility in baccarat play given a likely slowdown in Chinese players,” wrote J.P. Morgan analyst Joseph Greff.
Downtown Vegas enjoyed an especially good month, up 13%, while Laughlin and North Las Vegas were flat. Fortune didn’t smile on Boyd Gaming or Station Casinos on the Boulder Strip, where gambling revenue was down 8%. Reno experienced a 3% decline while the bipolar Lake Tahoe casinos were up 60%. (Yes, sixty.) Rural markets performed well.
Casinos in Macao are all taking up the “diversification” mantra. However, with 90% of revenue coming from gambling (despite a heavy 
infusion of retail) that’s much easier said than done. In the time that it will take to do achieve the goal of a more-balanced revenue stream, Macanese casinos can expect emaciated cash flow, with gambling revenue expected to fall as much as 30%. Some — notably Sheldon Adelson — argue that supply can manufacture the demand. But Deutsche Bank analyst Karen Tang reports that junket operators are steering their clientele to Australia, the Philippines and Vietnam. “Industry executives say differences in Chinese cultural behavior mean Macau is never likely to match Las Vegas for nongaming revenue growth,” Reuters reports gloomily, adding that hotels have been having to discount to (successfully but incrementally) improve visitation.
* Perhaps the only thing of value Donald Trump has left is his 
coiffure. According to an appraiser for Treasure Quest Group, a lock of Trumpian hair might fetch a thousand dollars. “His best-selling books at auction recently went unsold. I would think his hair would do a little better,” said appraiser Tim Luke. That’s money that desperately could be used at Trump Entertainment Resorts these days.
* Sandra Manno wanted her life made into a movie, as she pushed forward the development of Scarlet Pearl Casino, which opens later this year in D’Ibreville, Mississippi. Manno, an ex-nun, teamed up with felonious “Frankie the Fish” Barbera on the project — which she now has to reimburse to the tune of $970,123 for personal expenses taken out of the casino budget. Wrote Judge Travis Laster, “No rational person would hire a convicted felon from New Jersey, who needed permission from his parole officer to travel out of state, to work in Mississippi in the highly regulated casino industry.” Yes, there’s definitely a movie in that, but it would have to be a farce.
* Has Sheldon Adelson tipped his presidential preference? According to Jon Ralston, frequent Adelson courtier Robert Uithoven has signed on with Ted Cruz‘s Nevada campaign staff. Or is Cruz trying to curry favor with Sheldon?
