We live in an era of “alternative facts” and “false flag” narratives and, boy, are we the worse for it. It was only a matter of time before the gaming industry was on the receiving end of “false facts” and it’s happening, quite unfairly, to Bally’s Casino in Chicago. No, not the permanent megaresort that’s to go up on the city’s west side. We’re talking about Medinah Temple (above), best known as the former hangout of the Shrine Circus and venue for many of the best-sounding Chicago Symphony Orchestra recordings. What it isn’t—and never has been—is a mosque. But don’t let the truth stop a bun ..read more

At first blush, Pennsylvania‘s gambling economy looks all right, up 1% from August of 2019 and 2% from last year. But factor in the plethora of new casinos that have entered the fray and the Keystone State is down 14% from 2019. Clearly, more casinos does not equal more money. At least not if you’re casino owner. For a tax collector it’s a different story. Not even a 5% uptick in table game winnings (or losses, if you happen to be a player) could paint a smiley face on the portrait, despite $286 million in casino win. Despite being absolutely flat in revenue, Parx Casino held onto its top spo ..read more

Flinging Resorts World Las Vegas CEO Scott Sibella to the wolves might not have saved Genting Group‘s bacon—and may have inflicted collateral damage on MGM Resorts International. According to the New York Post, the Sibella revelations have upset the once-universal assumption that Resorts World New York and MGM Empire City were juiced into casino licenses when ones for the New York City area are (eventually) awarded. Contacted by the Post, Genting elaborated on its previous comments in re Sibella by saying that he was given the chop for  “failing to disclose certain information required u ..read more

Dueling pianos amuse the oldsters at Ocean Casino Resort Casinos in Atlantic City were up 2% in August, reaching $280 million. Slot winnings were 3% higher, on a commensurate increase in coin-in. The gambling halls weren’t so lucky at the tables, where 5% higher wagering translated into flat win. There were a few have-nots, with Bally’s Atlantic City ($15 million), Tropicana Atlantic City ($25 million) and Resorts Atlantic City ($17.5 million) all slipping 4.5%, while Harrah’s Resort ($24.5 million) ceded 2%. Both Hard Rock Atlantic City ($51 million, +11%) and Ocean Casino Resort ($39.5 milli ..read more

Another KNPR-FM listener Hobbling back onto the Web today, MGM Resorts International offered a limited version of its normal Internet service. You can do research for your next MGM stay but you can’t book it directly or access MGM Rewards, as of 10 a.m. Our man in Atlantic City confirms that, at noon, he found Borgata‘s reservation system to still be defunct. Borgata was able to contact customers to inform them that four promotional events were being postponed. During yesterday’s edition of State of Nevada, someone identifying themselves as an MGM employee called into say that direct deposits ..read more

During this morning’s stint on KNPR-FM‘s State of Nevada, we were only able to cover a fraction of the scheduled questions. So we had the idea of answering here what was not asked there. Let’s take it away … Why do you think hackers targeted a major casino company over, say, any other multibillion-dollar company? Because, as Willie Sutton famously said, “That’s where the money is.” What MGM Rewards member data might the hackers be so interested in? What aren’t they interested in? Every bit of personal data that they can get their grubby mitts onto. If we were an MGM Rewards member, we’d be ch ..read more

Different day, same story for MGM Resorts International, brought to its knees by a cbyer-assault of still-unknown provenance. The FBI has been brought in although, per standard operating procedure, the G-Men aren’t commenting on what went down. MGM is daintily referring to the attack as a “cyber issue,” but its 28 casinos nationwide may face a long road back to recovery. UNLV‘s Yoowhan Kim is of the firm opinion that it was a ransomware raid that MGM was asked for “several million dollars” to resolve the ‘issue,’ one that may have been years in the making. Kim delicately implies that a cost/b ..read more

In a new kind of September 11 attack, MGM Resorts International was felled by a massive cybersecurity breach. From disabling digital room keys to kneecapping credit card systems (forcing transactions to be made in cash), it sent MGM back to the mid-20th century. The company Web site had to be taken offline, internal communications were disrupted and—worst of all for some—slot machines were silenced by the thousands. The higher the tech, the worse the vulnerability. For once, nostalgia for Olde Vegas was justified. The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas was spared because it hasn’t been fully integrate ..read more

Chicago‘s first casino opened to “dozens of people” Saturday. Only dozens? That’s not a good sign for Bally’s Corp. It’ll need to stir up a lot more excitement than that if it’s to make back its nut on $1.7 billion Bally’s Chicago. If Chicagoans couldn’t be bothered to get out of bed for the 8 a.m. debut of a casino conveniently located at Medinah Temple, what does that bode for the megaresort, three years hence? Then again, nobody ever went broke with customers like the gullible group of gamblers who exclaimed, “We’re seniors … We’re in there to get this money.” Still, the images of the earl ..read more

New York City will be stuck with failed casino owner Donald Trump‘s name on an overpriced public golf course until 2035 … unless Bally’s Corp. can swing a deal to buy the obstreperous mogul out of his lease with the city. This means Bally’s is pivoting back to its first, controversial site choice: Trump Golf Links Ferry Point. Comptroller Brad Lander has already given his thumbs-up to the deal, effective Sept. 21, which gets it over a significant hurdle. After all, the Bill DeBlasio administration had wanted Trump out of their sooner rather than later and the current regime doesn’t seem any l ..read more