Will a Horseshoe by any other name earn as much? We’re going to find out because Rock Gaming owner Dan Gilbert is going to rebrand his casinos under the Jack Entertainment banner, presumably a tip of the hat to Horseshoe Gaming founder Jack Binion. In Gilbert’s defense, it can’t be easy to build brand equity from scratch and we’re certainly not privy to the marketing discussions that led to the decision that “Jack” was the way to go. “Jack is an attitude. It’s a way of thinking. It’s our company’s progressive spirit. Jack is the inner voice that gives you the courage and permission to have fun every time you visit Jack,” explained CMO Darlene Monzo. That didn’t resonate with Ohio University‘s Alan Silver, a former casino exec who said, “Frankly, ‘Jack’ sounds more like a truck-stop casino or diner.”
It probably won’t matter greatly in the long run, particularly since the Horseshoe brand had — after a strong start — performed disappointingly in Ohio, unlike Penn National‘s Hollywood Casino brand, which struggled early, then came on like gangbusters. Total Rewards will give way to ClubJack, which Gilbert’s company promises will have faster point accruals than its predecessor.
* Isle of Capri Casinos missed Wall Street‘s earnings targets last quarter and Mother Nature was partly to blame. Isle of Capri Lula, in 
Mississippi, was hampered by Mississippi River flooding and foul weather was blamed for subpar results at Isle’s Black Hawk, Colorado, casino. As for Isle Casino Pompano Park and Isle of Capri Lake Charles, intense competition was the culprit for a less-than-stellar F3Q16. Wrote Deutsche Bank analyst Carlo Santarelli, “all missed our revenue forecast by >$1 mm in the period … Management was able to mitigate some of the net revenue softness with a 10% (~$5.5 mm) reduction in promotional allowances,” he added.
* New Jersey is the latest state in the nation to adopt rules for skill-based gaming devices. The new regimen contains AML protections for casinos but also prohibits them from making the games more difficult to win if a player’s mad slot skillz are taking the house to the cleaners.
* Caesars Entertainment — the solvent parts of it, anyway — ended 2015 with a 15% increase in revenue and a $76 million loss. The latter 
isn’t so bad when you consider that the company finished 2014 some $282 million in the red. CEO Mark Frissora‘s reputation as a cost-cutter is having its influence on Caesars, which credited him with shaving $350 million from the corporate budget. Had the bankrupt Caesars Entertainment Operating Co.’s results been folded into the 2015 total, the revenue increase would be a less-impressive 6%. Full-year returns from The Cromwell and Horseshoe Casino Baltimore were credited with helping Caesars end the year with a flourish.
