Obviously, the headline from today will be approval by the Nevada Gaming Commission of a partnership between Caesars Entertainment and Israeli-owned, Gibraltar-based 888 Holdings. Since it is simultaneously getting permission to shack up with Internet casino operator 888 and opposing ‘Net-betting locally, Caesars was able to dazzle Nevada regulators with the pretzel logic that what’s good for its business is bad for the Silver State.
Meanwhile, Hawaii legislators are seriously considering making the Aloha State a haven for online gambling sites. Throw in pending bills in Iowa, Florida and Nevada (with California looming in the wings) and you’ve got a tidal wave. The likes of Jim Murren and Gary Loveman are going to have about as much chance of imposing their will as King Canute did, lo, those many years ago.
Buried in the din surrounding the Caesars/888 nuptials was the final approval of Barry Sternlicht‘s takeover of the Riviera. Property CEO Andy Choy said some promising-sounding things about bringing back laid-off staffers and marketing the Riv’s nostalgia value. However, the new general manager is Bobby Ray Harris. Oh no! Harris’ was Tamares Group‘s casino manager for several thoroughly undistinguished years that culminated in the closing of the Plaza. If he does for the Riv what he did for the Vegas Club, be afraid … be very afraid.
The Venetian’s Falcon. The Kasper Gutman and Joel Cairo of Las Vegas politics, Sheldon Adelson and sidekick Victor Chaltiel really must have it in for Mayor Oscar Goodman. Perhaps it’s because Chaltiel and fellow candidate Carolyn Goodman (Mrs. Oscar) ran rival private schools. Who knows? But Chaltiel’s campaign — whose polarizing rhetoric has a familiar Adelsonian ring to it — has taken to placing nasty mini-ads on Facebook accusing Hizzoner of leaving the city “bankrupt” and wasting taxpayer dollars in lieu of job creation. While hardly faultless, Oscar did persuade Zappos.com to relocate to Downtown, landed the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health (above) shut down the reckless Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada — while Adelson’s man, Gov. Jim Gibbons was paralyzed with indecision — and helped get the Lady Luck restarted.
Chaltiel? He’d make Vegas the soccer capitol of America. Mmmmkay. As for the Chaltiel campaign’s tendency to minimize Mr. V’s upbringing in Tunisia (does Righthaven know about this?), it sounds like a sorry concession to the anti-Arabic sentiment that Adelson himself has helped stoke in recent years. I don’t know that I’d vote for Mrs. Goodman if I lived in Las Vegas proper (I don’t) but there are at least four other good choices in the running. So, yes, there will be Life After Oscar.
More trouble in Adelsonia. As Sites 5 & 6 creep toward completion in Macao (through no fault of Las Vegas Sands, it should be noted), one of Adelson’s joint-venture partners has pulled out. According to J.P. Morgan analyst Joseph Greff, hotelier Shangri-La was concerned about the planned year-end soft opening of its Cotai Strip™ luxury pad — and the effect it would have on Shangri-La’s “brand perception” to have its guests checking into a construction site. Sands’ other partner, Starwood Hotels, is standing fast, however.
Greff recommends simply putting a Sands-owned brand (perhaps the “Venetian Oriental” nomenclature he saw during a Macao fact-finding mission) on the hotel. He reports that Sands is in talks with Intercontinental Hotels about extending its relationship with LVS to Site 5. Of course, now that Caesars Entertainment has declared itself ready, willing, and able to franchise its name and managerial expertise to pure-hotel plays worldwide, think of the brand names it could put at Adelson’s disposal. Who could resist Bill’s Gamblin’ Pagoda, Bally’s Wild Wild Macao, Horseshoe Cotai, Harveys China, O’Shea’s Casino Cotai, Paris-Macao, Showboat Cotai and of course Imperial Palace? Unfortunately, it’s too late for Margaritaville Macao, for those who truly relish a (parrot)head-on clash of cultures.
