J.D. Morris

Story Archive

Elaine Wynn says she knew nothing about nephew’s land deal
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Elaine Wynn, maintaining her fight to stay on the board of Wynn Resorts, said today that the company’s latest accusations against her are a factually baseless ploy to instigate tension between her and stockholders. In an attempt to “set the record ...
Wynn Resorts goes after Elaine Wynn over land deal, stock sale
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Wynn Resorts made fresh accusations against Elaine Wynn’s track record today as part of the company’s ongoing effort to defeat her campaign to stay on its ...
Genting: Construction set to begin May 5 on Las Vegas megaresort
Monday, March 23, 2015
The north Strip site formerly home to the Stardust, then the scrapped Echelon project, is set to start coming to life again in less than two months when ...
Gaming group adds members, pushes for more security money in Las Vegas
Monday, March 23, 2015
The gaming industry’s Washington, D.C.-based lobbying group is continuing to grow while it pursues an aggressive agenda that includes pushing for more ...
Lottery proposal: Lifeline for Nevada education, or dead on arrival?
Friday, March 20, 2015
Amid all the discussion in Carson City about improving education, one piece of legislation is refloating an old, but likely ill-fated, idea to help fund Nevada’s bottom-tier school system: creating a state lottery. Assembly joint resolution No. 6 would ...
Elaine Wynn continues fight to stay on Wynn Resorts board
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Advancing her ongoing fight to remain on the board of Wynn Resorts, Elaine Wynn today further laid out her case for why stockholders should reject ...
Wynn Resorts battle to oust Elaine Wynn intensifies
Monday, March 16, 2015
Wynn Resorts today shed more light on its board’s decision to remove Elaine Wynn from its ranks, while she continued campaigning to keep her seat. In a proxy statement ...
Even when dealing free games, the house finds a way to win
Monday, March 16, 2015
It sounds paradoxical, but it’s true. Social casino games essentially are free versions of table games and slots that anyone can download on a mobile phone or computer. Typically, users are given free tokens to start, and win or lose tokens as they play. Developers make money when players buy additional tokens. Consider Caesars Interactive’s social poker game as an example: Players receive ...
Luxor, Excalibur president retiring; Luxor getting new GM
Friday, March 13, 2015
West became president of both resorts in 2010. She began her career with MGM in 2000 as vice president of human resources for the Primm Valley resorts, and subsequently became president. She was promoted to president and chief operating officer of the Excalibur in 2005, then named to the same position at Mandalay Bay in 2009.
‘Beyond our control’: Businesses in the Riviera are facing an uncertain future
Friday, March 13, 2015
For private businesses operating in the Riviera, news that the resort would be shut down came as a complete — and unpleasant — surprise. One owner said he was disillusioned because it felt like his long history with the hotel was never taken into consideration. Other owners ...
Group predicts March Madness wagers will hit $9 billion
Thursday, March 12, 2015
The American Gaming Association is again using a major athletic event to draw attention to sports betting, this time estimating that Americans will wager upwards of $2 billion through more than 70 million brackets on this year’s March Madness college basketball tournament. The Washington, D.C.-based trade group for the casino industry announced its predictions in ...
Betting on simulated horse races will soon be off and (virtually) running in Nevada
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Nevada race books will soon start offering wagers on events that never happen in real life. The Gaming Commission authorized betting on virtual events last month, and now ...
Sports betting turns a corner
Technology, popularity, economy combine to make compelling political case for legalization in other states
Monday, March 9, 2015
Prominent voices from professional sports and politics have indicated they’re willing to discuss expanding sports gambling, which is legal only in a handful of states. Meanwhile, Nevada has broadened the types of wagers it offers, and people appear to be betting on sports more than ever before ...
Bitcoin bust: Poker site prompts raid, investigation by Nevada gaming authorities
Friday, March 6, 2015
The promoter of an unlicensed online poker site where players gambled in Bitcoin says he was doing nothing wrong. But the Nevada gaming authorities ...
Elaine Wynn moves to renominate herself to Wynn Resorts board
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Elaine Wynn pushed back at a decision to remove her from the board of her ex-husband’s resort company today, filing preliminary ...
New president at Venetian, Palazzo starts this month
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
John Caparella, who’s been president of the Venetian and Palazzo since 2011, is departing next month. He will be replaced by George Markantonis, who was most recently ...
Caesars grows revenue, trims loss in fourth quarter of 2014
Monday, March 2, 2015
Caesars Entertainment, the debt-saddled casino giant whose Strip properties include Caesars Palace, Paris and the Flamingo, announced its fourth-quarter and full-year earnings today ...
Rep. Dina Titus renews push to repeal sports wagering tax
Friday, Feb. 27, 2015
Seeking to save as much as $11 million in taxes paid by some Nevada companies each year, U.S. Rep. Dina Titus today reintroduced legislation that would roll back a federal handle tax on sports wagers. In a letter to the leaders of ...
Gaming revenue up on Las Vegas Strip, statewide in January
Friday, Feb. 27, 2015
Nevada gaming revenue rose notably in January, thanks to a particularly good month on the Strip, the state reported today. The Gaming Control Board said Nevada casinos won ...
Slot company mergers: Why they happened, and how they’ll affect Las Vegas
Friday, Feb. 27, 2015
Recent mergers between major slot machine companies shouldn't dramatically alter what gamblers experience on the casino floor, but they're very significant for ...
Nevada Gaming Commission approves betting on Olympics
Thursday, Feb. 26, 2015
State gaming regulators approved a request from the South Point to alter regulatory language that prohibits wagers on amateur sports, which previously included ...
Gaming towns not exactly three of a kind
Sunday, Feb. 22, 2015
While gambling cities are affected by some of the same trends, their casino industries differ significantly. Las Vegas long has been the pre-eminent gambling city in terms of name recognition and historical identity. Over the past decade, however, Macau has sprinted far ahead of Las Vegas in gambling revenue ...
Tourism authority OKs $182.5 million purchase of Riviera
Friday, Feb. 20, 2015
Las Vegas tourism officials today agreed to pay $182.5 million to buy the Riviera, paving the way for the closure and demolition of the nearly 60-year-old resort. At a special meeting ...
Here’s what we know about the Cosmopolitan’s new leadership
Friday, Feb. 20, 2015
What changes are in store for the Cosmopolitan now that a new leadership team is in place? CEO William McBeath sat down with VEGAS INC to discuss what's coming, including ...
Did Vice Media’s Shane Smith spend $300K on dinner at Bellagio?
Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2015
Someone, or some people, recently paid a $300,000 check at a Bellagio restaurant. But MGM Resorts CEO Jim Murren didn’t say who when he mentioned the eye-popping meal in a conference call with ...
Station CFO optimistic about Las Vegas economy after strong 2014 performance
Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2015
Locals gaming giant Station Casinos, whose properties in the valley include Palace Station, Red Rock Resort and Green Valley Ranch, reported its fourth quarter and full-year earnings ...
MGM revenue and losses worse in 4th quarter, better for year
Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2015
MGM Resorts International, the casino company that operates such Strip properties as the Bellagio, MGM Grand and Aria, reported its fourth-quarter and full-year earnings today. As with other casino companies that operate in Macau, MGM felt the effects of ...
Tourism authority plans to buy, tear down the historic Riviera
Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2015
What began as a rumor this month is now official: the Las Vegas tourism authority is moving forward with plans to purchase the Riviera so it can be demolished to make room for more convention space. The LVCVA board of directors will meet ...
App under development at UCLA would offer 24/7 help for gambling addicts
Friday, Feb. 13, 2015
For gambling addicts, help may soon be available anytime, anywhere, at the touch of their smartphone screen. Researchers at UCLA are developing an app that would allow problem gamblers to ...
Locals casinos, Borgata shine for Boyd in the latest quarter
Thursday, Feb. 12, 2015
Boyd Gaming, the casino company that operates several Las Vegas properties including the California, the Orleans and Suncoast, announced its fourth quarter ...
Gaming industry aims to be heard in next presidential election
Thursday, Feb. 12, 2015
If a Washington, D.C.-based casino trade group has anything to say about it, 2016 presidential candidates campaigning in battleground states with casinos won’t be able to avoid ...
Lack of casino experience, stormy exit from previous job didn’t trip up new Caesars CEO
Friday, Feb. 6, 2015
Caesars Entertainment’s next chief executive left his last job after revelations of accounting problems at his company and calls for his resignation from some investors. Mark Frissora, the Caesars CEO-designate who ...
Caesars’ Gary Loveman stepping down as CEO, staying as chairman
Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015
Gary Loveman, the Harvard economist who led Caesars Entertainment’s explosive growth since 2003, will step down as CEO this summer. His departure comes as ...
Struggling Macau hurts Wynn Resorts’ fourth-quarter profits
Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2015
Gaming revenue in Macau, a special administrative region in China and the only place there where gambling is legal, just declined for the eighth month in a row ...
MGM Resorts to add mobile sports wagering this year
Monday, Feb. 2, 2015
MGM Resorts International announced plans today to introduce mobile sports betting technology at 12 of its Nevada properties. The gambling technology company Gtech will add live in-play betting to ...
Super Bowl wagers in Nevada were the second-biggest ever
Monday, Feb. 2, 2015
Nevada sports books reported an impressive amount of wagering on last weekend’s Super Bowl, but they didn’t profit as much as in recent years. Sports bettors wagered nearly ...
Nevada casinos win $11 billion in 2014, a slight drop from 2013
Friday, Jan. 30, 2015
Nevada’s gaming revenue declined slightly in 2014 after several years of consistent increases. The Gaming Control Board said casinos won a little more than $11 billion in 2014 ...
Q+A: Nevada’s top gaming regulator on his perspective as physician, why pot is no-no
Friday, Jan. 30, 2015
Nevada’s top gaming regulator hasn’t made his professional career in the casino industry or in the law, but he’s plenty experienced with both of those fields anyway. A doctor by trade, Tony Alamo is the first non-attorney to serve as ...
Another name added to Nevada’s casino ‘black book’
Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015
Gaming regulators have added another name to Nevada’s famous “black book,” a list of people barred from entering any of the state’s casinos. The Nevada Gaming Commission unanimously approved ...
Las Vegas Sands has tough 4th quarter in China, but profits still up
Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2015
Las Vegas Sands, the casino company that controls the Venetian and Palazzo on the Strip, reported its fourth-quarter and full-year earnings ...
Scientific Games moving headquarters to Las Vegas after Bally merger
Monday, Jan. 26, 2015
Gambling technology company Scientific Games said today that it’s moving its corporate headquarters from New York to Las Vegas. Nevada gaming regulators approved ...
Golden Gaming to take over Maryland casino in merger with Minnesota company
Monday, Jan. 26, 2015
Golden Gaming is growing again — this time beyond state lines. The Nevada tavern and slot route operator announced ...
Las Vegas mystery: What will become of Fontainebleau?
Friday, Jan. 23, 2015
When viewed from afar in the light of day, the second-tallest structure in the Las Vegas area looks like many of the other resorts on the Strip. But at night, the Fontainebleau reveals itself for what it really is: a monolithic, largely abandoned black hole on the otherwise brilliantly lit skyline. It’s been a ghost of a building for years now, and no one seems to know when ...
Gaming group: Illegal bets on Super Bowl will total $3.8 billion
Thursday, Jan. 22, 2015
Americans will illegally wager 38 times more money on this year’s Super Bowl than they will legally in Nevada, the only state with full-fledged sports betting, according to ...
Wynn redesign of Massachusetts casino has a familiar look
Thursday, Jan. 22, 2015
Wynn Resorts unveiled a new tower design for its planned Massachusetts casino today, and it should look familiar to anyone who’s seen the Wynn or Encore in Las Vegas. Massachusetts gaming regulators awarded the Boston-area casino license to Wynn’s $1.6 billion project last year, but they requested ...
Steve Wynn’s base salary reduced from $4M to $2.5M
Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015
Casino mogul Steve Wynn is taking a salary cut from the company that bears his name. Wynn Resorts disclosed in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that ...
New restaurant at the Cal reflects broader nongaming trend
Saturday, Jan. 17, 2015
Boyd Gaming celebrated the debut of a new restaurant at its flagship downtown Las Vegas casino on Friday, one that company officials say is part of a larger strategic focus on nongambling amenities. “What we’re trying to do is update our restaurants and bars, because there’s so much more nongaming that is important in ...
Caesars bankruptcy: What does it mean for company, consumers and employees?
Friday, Jan. 16, 2015
When the largest operating division of casino giant Caesars Entertainment filed for bankruptcy protection on Thursday, it was just the most ...
Cash-strapped Caesars division files for bankruptcy protection
Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2015
The main operating division of debt-ridden casino company Caesars Entertainment filed for bankruptcy early Thursday morning in Chicago, taking a long-planned step toward ...
What does terrorism insurance program mean for Las Vegas? Quite a lot
Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2015
In its first week back, there was one thing virtually all of Congress could agree on: Las Vegas casinos and other large commercial businesses should be protected financially from a major terrorist attack. A bill to restart a federal program helping to do just that passed the new Republican Congress last week and was signed into law by President Barack Obama on Tuesday. The legislation renews a 2002 federal program that ...