Reid wusses out; Sucker bets, Sheldon & strippers

UIGEA repeal? Forget about it. Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) has chickened out again. Pressed on the issue, he said he’d support the legalization of online poker but faintheartedly drew the line there. That still wasn’t good enough for some independent casino operators in the Reno area, who bitched and moaned about how this was The End of Life As We Know It.

However, since the fellas who write the big checks to Hapless Harry preside over companies like Harrah’s Entertainment and MGM Resorts International — both of which are dipping their toes into the Internet-poker millieu — the cavils of Baldini’s Sports Casino, in Sparks, won’t count for much. Would-be Internet punters shouldn’t look to Sharron Angle for help, either, as she falls in line behind UIGEA without exception. It’s hard to tell which of these two is more of tool. Some may disagree but I think “Majority Leader Chuck Schumer” has a nice ring to it, at least where UIGEA is concerned.

Thinking with their … If blackjack players would rather make 20% per payout so they can watch some hot honey shakin’ it atop the table, they deserve what they get — or rather, don’t get. Considering the revenue augmentation that the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino got from putting in the go-go girls, more power to them. (The casinos, that is.) Some fools and their money are being parted rather quickly. Of course, some forms of table dancing in Vegas casinos are more acceptable than others. I sure hope there were no players at the table when this doofus decided to disrespect the dealer and anybody else unlucky enough to be playing in proximity to him.

While we’re on the subject of fools and money, goodbye and good riddance to Dubai World, which is believed to be shopping its MGM shares and half-ownership of CityCenter. Dubai World, you will recall, are the sheiks who tried to shake down MGM by manufacturing a crisis that damn near brought CityCenter to a screeching halt. With their $4.8 billion CityCenter stake now worth approximately $1.3 billion and their MGM shares having lost 89% of their value, Dubai World is poised to take the biggest haircut since Yul Brynner. This works wonderfully well for principal owner Kirk Kerkorian, who now has a chance to reclaim a chunk of his company for cheap and simultaneously rid himself of a troublesome partner. So long, Dubai World and don’t let the doorknob hit you on the way out.

If you wish to dabble in casino stocks, you’re better off on the Hong Kong bourse. For instance, segragating Las Vegas Sands‘ lucrative Chinese assets from its less-robust American ones was a shrewd strategy on Sheldon Adelson‘s part. Ditto Steve Wynn, who followed Adelson’s lead but beat him to the punch. MGM hasn’t set the Macao market afire yet, so that Hong Kong IPO — if and when it happens — isn’t as promising as the other two.

Also looking good is former S&G punching bag Crown Ltd. After taking an oceanic bath on ill-timed U.S. investments, James Packer retrenched. A profitable couple of quarters have Crown cash flow stock on the rise.

A star is dissed. If you drive past Excalibur, you’ll still see Jumbotron footage of Fantasy hyping the presence of Angelica Bridges, who’s long since left the show (which plays at neighboring Luxor). I know that MGM is a big company and perhaps moves slowly as a result. But this is A) ridiculous, B) makes MGM look out of touch and/or inept, and C) unintentionally delivers an “up yours” to new protagonist Lorena Perilfor whom the show has been expanded — and producer Anita Mann. MGM could be lending a hand in the creation of a new Strip star but instead it’s just lumbering along, obliviously. “Keep moving, folks. Nothing to see here.”

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