J.D. Morris

Story Archive

Chasing the room tax: Percentage tacked onto tourists’ bills has made enduring impact on valley

Monday, Aug. 1, 2016

Guests who stay in Clark County hotel rooms pay for much more than a place to sleep. Their bills include a significant tax, generally 12 percent. “It is a remarkably productive ...

Fate of the Raiders: 5 big questions about Las Vegas stadium project

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

It is still far from clear whether Southern Nevada will become the home of a 65,000-seat stadium that could bring the Oakland Raiders to the area. Numerous questions remain about the stadium project, which ...

Earnings down 30.1 percent for Las Vegas Sands

Monday, July 25, 2016

Las Vegas Sands, the casino company that operates the Venetian and Palazzo on the Strip as well as resorts in Macau and elsewhere, reported its second-quarter earnings today ...

Palms workers petition to keep jobs; new owner says they will

Thursday, July 21, 2016

Hundreds of Palms employees have signed a petition to retain their jobs, seniority and benefits when Station Casinos takes over the resort, the Culinary Union ...

Trump’s Las Vegas hotel agrees to settle labor complaint

Thursday, July 21, 2016

Donald Trump’s Las Vegas hotel has agreed to pay two workers a total of $11,200 to avoid going to trial over a labor complaint, the Culinary Union ...

CES leader discusses convention center expansion, high room rates

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Gary Shapiro was glad to hear that tourism officials recently approved a recommendation to fund and oversee the planned $1.4 billion expansion and renovation of …

Station announces plans to build casino in Reno

Thursday, July 14, 2016

Las Vegas locals gaming giant Station Casinos today announced plans to build a casino in Reno on land it owns near the convention center there. The company said it has not determined when it will develop the $50 million to $70 million project. But Station filed an application Monday for a special-use permit to build on some 8 acres along South Virginia Street, across from the Reno-Sparks Convention Center. Station envisions ...

Regulators delay West Las Vegas gambling hall's revamp as Tokyo Casino

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

A small shuttered casino in Las Vegas’ historic West Las Vegas neighborhood could someday be transformed into a resort that would form the flagship development in ...

Mobile casino tournaments launch at 9 MGM resorts

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

MGM Resorts International announced today that it has launched a mobile platform through which customers at nine of its Las Vegas resorts will be able to gamble with ...

Recommendation approved for $1.4 billion Las Vegas Convention Center project

Monday, July 11, 2016

Plans to expand and renovate the Las Vegas Convention Center took a big step forward today when, after months of analysis and debate, tourism officials approved a recommendation for the $1.4 billion undertaking. In a unanimous vote ...

Nine sites discussed for NFL stadium; cost could hit $2.1 billion

Monday, July 11, 2016

One of nine sites in Southern Nevada may one day house a 65,000-seat stadium that could bring an NFL team to the area. As officials try to get a better sense of exactly where ...

Where would the Raiders touch down in Las Vegas? Stadium sites abound

Friday, July 8, 2016

Weeks before an influential state infrastructure panel is supposed to finish vetting plans for a 65,000-seat domed football stadium, stakeholders are still grappling with a fundamental aspect of the project. Where exactly would the stadium be ...

Coming soon: Take a peek inside the Lucky Dragon

Thursday, July 7, 2016

From the main gaming floor at the Lucky Dragon, gamblers will be able to see into a kitchen where cooks will make fresh Chinese food. Upstairs, next to a dim sum restaurant ...

Nevada gaming revenue down 4.53 percent in May

Thursday, June 30, 2016

Led by a steep drop on the Las Vegas Strip, Nevada gaming revenue fell more than 4 percent last month, the state reported today. The Gaming Control Board ...

Downtown Las Vegas transformation marches on as 3 throwback spots shut doors

Monday, June 27, 2016

When Mermaids, La Bayou and Girls of Glitter Gulch close today, it will mark the latest step in a transformation of downtown Las Vegas. Multiple downtown casinos have made major upgrades, while city officials have tried to make the the Fremont Street Experience cleaner and safer through restrictions on ...

Alternative stadium plan suggests $550 million in public money instead of $750 million

Thursday, June 23, 2016

The head of an influential state tourism panel today suggested slashing the amount of public money for a proposed domed football stadium by $200 million, triggering ...

Gaming pioneer Salerno seeking OK for daily fantasy sports operation

Thursday, June 23, 2016

Daily fantasy giants FanDuel and DraftKings remain out of the state, and it’s not clear if or when they will ever return. However, Nevada gambling regulators may allow sports betting pioneer Vic Salerno to bring daily fantasy sports back in a manner that ...

UNLV academic named to another gaming studies role at UNR

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

A top UNLV gambling academic has been named to a chair position at UNR in a move aimed at fostering greater collaboration between the historic collegiate rivals ...

MGM Resorts raises profit growth goal by $100 million

Thursday, June 16, 2016

MGM Resorts International said today that its initiative to cut costs and grow revenue should generate an additional $100 million annually before certain costs. The company had previously ...

Gaming association: Concerns about pro sports, casinos ‘widely overblown’

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

The casino industry’s chief lobbying voice in Washington, D.C., sees an opportunity in reports this week that the NHL is ready to grant an expansion team ...

Want to be a superhero? Now you can ‘train’ to be one at Treasure Island

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Treasure Island is now home to an interactive attraction that takes visitors on a journey through the Avengers superhero franchise ...

Au revoir, Riviera: Here’s a spectator’s guide to Tuesday’s implosion

Monday, June 13, 2016

In the early hours of Tuesday morning, the Las Vegas Strip will repeat an act it has staged many times before: an implosion at an old resort to make way for something new. This time it’s the Riviera, and Tuesday’s implosion of the Monaco Tower is the first ...

Celebrating the Las Vegas showgirl: An icon lives on in one group’s evolving passion project

Monday, June 13, 2016

In the Rat Pack-era neighborhood of Paradise Palms, one house is an entertainment sanctuary. Among thousands of artifacts are many treasures pulled from the historic showgirl extravaganzas of the Strip. But the collectors learned that it’s not all glamorous when a home becomes a museum.

Former L.V. mayor spotlights glaring lack of women in top gaming jobs

Thursday, June 9, 2016

Jan Jones Blackhurst stood in a large ballroom at the Mirage on Wednesday and showed an image that she said illustrated a critical issue for the casino industry ...

Mirage ‘changed everything’: How integrated resorts can remain dynamic

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

The casino industry has evolved a lot since the Mirage’s transformational debut in 1989, but resorts still have room to grow to keep up with today’s customers. That was one of the key messages delivered during a series of public discussions held Tuesday at the Mirage as part of a major weeklong academic conference on ...

Wynn says he doesn’t understand nightclubs, loves nongaming revenue

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Steve Wynn said today that he thinks young people probably waste too much time on social media and that he’s not a huge supporter of “the nightclub crowd.” The casino mogul ...

First of 2 Riviera hotel towers set to come down June 14

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

he first of two hotel tower implosions at the Riviera will take place June 14, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority said today. The authority announced that the shuttered hotel-casino’s Monaco Tower will ...

Boyd Gaming selling its stake in the Borgata to MGM

Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Boyd Gaming Corp. is selling its 50 percent interest in the Borgata casino in Atlantic City to MGM Resorts International, the companies announced today. The $900 million deal will put the New Jersey casino entirely in the control of MGM Resorts, which already owns the other half. But the corporate maneuvers ...

IGT reports higher revenue but greater loss in 1st quarter

Friday, May 27, 2016

Slot machine and lottery company International Game Technology reported its first-quarter earnings this week. IGT said its revenue growth, using the more comparable 4 percent figure, was mainly reflective of “strong lottery performance, particularly in ...

Las Vegas Sands unveils plan to build 17,500-seat concert venue

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Las Vegas Sands Corp. today announced plans for a new 17,500-seat live music venue behind its Strip resorts, a move that will add yet another dimension to ...

Nevada regulators approve $2 million fine against Las Vegas Sands

Thursday, May 19, 2016

State regulators today approved a $2 million fine against Las Vegas Sands Corp. that stemmed from past allegations of accounting problems with the casino operator’s business in ...

$4 billion Resorts World project gets key approval

Thursday, May 19, 2016

Resorts World Las Vegas took a big step forward today when Nevada gaming officials gave a key regulatory approval to the $4 billion project. The Nevada Gaming Commission ...

Stratosphere operator among 8 new members of casino trade group

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

The casino industry’s Washington, D.C.-based trade group announced today it has added eight new members, including multiple companies from Las Vegas. The American Gaming Association said ...

3 takeaways from casino industry’s latest huddle on anti-money laundering

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Tuesday’s conference provided another window the important realm of what casinos do to fight money laundering, and what can happen when things go wrong. Here's a glimpse into ...

At wedding chapel, seeds of love find fertile new ground

Monday, May 16, 2016

Riviera’s wedding chapel has been successful downtown after relocating in the Plaza. One year after the Riviera closed its doors on the north end of the Strip, a small part of it is living a strong second life downtown. Greg and Marina Welch, who for years owned the Riviera’s wedding chapel, are at the helm of the Plaza’s chapel now. They …

L.V. leaders hot on getting NFL team, aren’t sold on public funding for stadium

Friday, May 13, 2016

Backers of a proposed 65,000-seat football stadium have presented local tourism leaders with a tricky question: How badly do they want to bring an NFL team to Las Vegas?

Station Casinos official calls Palms a ‘compelling strategic addition’ to casino empire

Thursday, May 12, 2016

Station’s first-quarter results come on the heels of significant huge transactions ...

MGM Resorts parking to stay free for locals through Dec. 29

Thursday, May 12, 2016

MGM Resorts International will start introducing paid parking across its Las Vegas hotels June 6, but the casino operator said today that Nevada residents won’t be charged to self-park for more than …

Las Vegas Sands agrees to $2 million fine from Nevada gaming regulators

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Las Vegas Sands has agreed to pay a $2 million state fine due to previous federal-level allegations of accounting violations in China and anti-money-laundering failures in Las Vegas. The Gaming Control Board said ...

Station Casinos picks up Palms, near Strip, for $312.5 million

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Station Casinos said Tuesday that it is buying the off-Strip Palms resort for $312.5 million, yet another recent example of locals-oriented casino operator expanding in the valley. Red Rock Resorts Inc., Station’s new corporate name following its recent initial public offering, announced that ...

Agreement transfers ownership of Cashman Center back to city

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Local tourism officials today signed off on an agreement that paves the way for ownership of the Cashman Center to eventually transfer back to ...

Optimistic economic outlook brings locals back into the game

Monday, May 9, 2016

Las Vegas-based Boyd Gaming Corp. is buying three more casinos, and Station Casinos raised more than $531 million in its long-awaited initial public offering. Boyd's moves placed a heavy bet on locals, and Station's success speaks highly of where Southern Nevada ...

Golden Entertainment grows revenue, eyes Pennsylvania expansion

Friday, May 6, 2016

Golden Entertainment, the Las Vegas-based company that operates casinos and slot machine routes in Nevada and elsewhere, in addition to a major tavern chain, reported its first-quarter earnings this week.

Scientific Games revenue and loss grow in 1st quarter

Friday, May 6, 2016

Scientific Games, a major slot machine and lottery company, reported its first-quarter earnings this week. The company said its revenue increase was driven by strong growth in its interactive business segment. But the company said it also faced a $7 million unfavorable currency translation impact, a drop in gaming systems revenue and ...

Caesars Entertainment reports revenue increase, $308 million loss in first quarter

Thursday, May 5, 2016

Caesars Entertainment, the casino giant behind many resorts on the Las Vegas Strip and elsewhere, reported its first quarter earnings today ...

Steve Wynn now says planned lake will include 10-story island

First-quarter revenue drops at Wynn Resorts

Thursday, May 5, 2016

CEO Steve Wynn recently revealed that he wants to develop a huge lake attraction, along with an additional hotel tower, meeting space and more, on land that currently houses ...

Lucky Dragon casino fully financed, will be finished this year, backers say

Thursday, May 5, 2016

Backers of the Lucky Dragon resort under construction just off the north end of the Strip say the project is fully financed and on track to open later this year. The boutique project hit ...

Macau struggles, tax provision hurt MGM’s 1st-quarter results

Thursday, May 5, 2016

MGM Resorts, the casino company behind such Las Vegas Strip properties as the MGM Grand, Bellagio and Aria, reported its first-quarter earnings today. Revenue at the company’s United States resorts grew 3 percent compared to 2015, excluding its jointly owned properties. But revenue from ...

Resorts World construction to ramp up this year, finish in 2019

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Resorts World Las Vegas will begin full-scale construction sometime in the last three months of this year. Appearing before the Nevada Gaming Control Board ...

County commission pushes back on criticism of proposed Strip-airport expressway

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Plans to build an elevated expressway between McCarran International Airport and the Las Vegas Strip were again received favorably by county officials Tuesday as they discussed some $427 million in financing for ...