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Back to Bellagio?

The hottest rumor on the Strip this week is that Steve Wynn is negotiating with MGM Mirage to bring the Bellagio back under the Wynn banner. With the current problems with MGM Mirage and the company’s need to raise cash to complete CityCenter and refinance debt, the rumor makes a lot of sense.
It’s no secret […]

No Stone Unturned

The other shoe dropped today at Las Vegas Sands. Brad Stone, the second-in-command to former COO Bill Weidner, resigned, making it two of the three execs to leave who joined Sheldon Adelson 13 years ago at the company’s beginnings.
Weidner was ejected by Adelson two weeks ago in the culmination of a long-time feud between the […]

Fanfare (and Hotel Fare) for the Common Man

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke announced this week that the recession of 2008-2009 will likely not continue into 2010.
There were many ifs, ands and buts built into the Fed chairman’s statement, but hopefully his prognostication will be followed by a surge in the public confidence, a reciprocal swell of confidence in business and banking, […]

Canary in a Coal Mine

The departure of William Weidner (above) from Las Vegas Sands after 13 years wasn’t a surprise to anyone who was paying attention to the turmoil within the company over the past year.
While company Chairman Sheldon Adelson is clearly the “visionary” of the company, Weidner and his team were the engine that built and operated Adelson’s […]

Technology… Ain’t It Wonderful?

The World Gaming Protection Conference, held last week at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, is one of the most unique small conferences in the gaming industry. It focuses on the security and surveillance discipline in casinos, and brings together the most recognizable of the “in the background” group of executives in the business.

Produced by Willy […]

PA Keeps Chugging Along

Hey, gaming is recession-proof, remember?
That’s what everyone used to say, of course. And it still would be, if not for the perfect storm of widespread unemployment, no credit to build, and general lack of consumer confidence that we currently find ourselves in. I still think a great contributor to gaming losing its recession-proof status has […]

Location, Location, Location

Tribal gaming has endured many challenges. From the original Cabazon decision, where the Supreme Court affirmed the rights of tribes as it pertains to gaming, to last week’s Carcieri decision, there has always been legal hurdles for tribes to overcome.
The Carcieri decision concerns the “land into trust” principle that allows tribes to open casinos on […]