Big change for Tropicana; MGM wins in Springfield

Tri-State News, Weather

Indiana will have a second land-based casino (three, if Majestic Star gets its way) after the Indiana Gaming Commission looked with favor on the pleas of Tropicana Entertainment and the Evansville city fathers. “That money allows us to buy firetrucks, police cars, and other needs for the city,” said Mayor Lloyd Winnecke of the largesse of Tropicana Evansville.

* Taking an unusually laissez-faire attitude toward unionization, Boyd Gaming permitted card-check unionization of three departments and 585 employees by Unite-Here at IP Casino, in Biloxi. Normally, casino companies insist on a secret ballot. In fact, the potential unionization of Station Casinos employees has been stymied by the Culinary Union‘s insistence on going the card-check route rather than accepting management’s offer of secret-ballot voting.

* Wynn Resorts‘ controversial tip-confiscation policy has been ashcanned by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The reasoning behind the verdict is somewhat arcane but it’s long-sought vindication for the Wynn dealers who have been fighting this in the courts since 2011. However, it may be a moot point at Wynncore, since the Transport Workers Union bargained away its opposition to tip pooling as part of the price of getting a contract with Wynn.

* While the Massachusetts Gaming Commission has yet to be heard from, the Springfield City Council has bowed to the inevitable and accepted all of MGM Resorts International‘s design changes MGM Springfield 3(including the elimination of a hotel tower) to MGM Springfield. Only one of the 13 council members voted against the emendations to MGM’s original plans, which were so striking they helped carry the day against Penn National Gaming. Among the concessions the city made was allowing MGM to move approximately 54 apartments off-site. The “approximately 54” was a change from the previous 54-or-more promise but Springfield city fathers obviously weren’t in a move to kick up much of a fuss, not when MGM is investing close to a billion dollars in their city.

* Just when it seems like Wynn Everett has heard the last of nuisance lawsuits, another one crops up. The latest one could mean a six-month delay and $55 million in extra costs for Steve Wynn, who’s having a bad week.

* Atlantic City‘s Marina District clobbers the Boardwalk. C’mon, Stockton University, this hasn’t been news for years — certainly not since Tilman Fertitta turned dumpy Trump Marina into the Golden Nugget. Time to wake up and smell the money.

This entry was posted in Architecture, Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Culinary Union, Don Barden, Economy, Indiana, Majestic Star, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Regulation, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Tropicana Entertainment, Unite-Here. Bookmark the permalink.