CAN YOU KEEP A SECRET? I answered in the negative.
           That didn’t stop the caller.
           He continued: “Steve Wynn ”” despite the denials ”” will sell up to 30% of his stake in the Macau casino venture.
           “He will use the money to fund his planned Le Rêve resort on the Strip where the Desert Inn once sat.”
           And, it says here, he won’t have any trouble finding partners.
          Â
FISHERMEN MAY BECOME FISH! A pipe insists that fishermen ”” Aristocrat and International Game Technology (IGT) ”” are fishing to buy WMS Industries (WMS).
“That story has been around.Â
But, I’ll give you another angle,” the pipe said.
He continued: “WMS may also be
acquired by Sumner Redstone who currently owns 30% of the company. So it
would appear that with these big time fishermen casting for WMS the company
would be all but sold.
“Not so fast. Remember the story
about the fisherman. He rises early in the morning with high hopes and fishing
gear in hand. He returns late in the evening with no fish.
“Don’t
be surprised if frustration forces one of the fishermen to buy out one of the
others.”
Â
STRIKE TWO! Las Vegas Mayor Oscar
Goodman will have to put off trying to sell the city’s logo and name to a
gambling-oriented web site. For the second time in 16 months, the city council
agreed to table the proposal, at least until the issue of regulation is cleared
up. For his part, Oscar mayor said he would only sell the city’s name and seal
if a “bricks and mortar” casino were part of the deal. The federal
government currently considers online gambling illegal, even though Nevada
passed enabling legislation that could allow licensees to tap the potentially
lucrative industry.
Â
KUDOS TO THE WINDSOR GANG:
“Let’s all tip our fedoras to Bobby Yee and his troops at Windsor
Casino,” suggested our Midwest pipe.
“Following
the September 11 attacks last year,” he went on, “business at the popular
property across the river from Detroit, fell off drastically. You know, the fear
of further terrorism forced the U.S. government to tighten up inspections at the
U.S.-Canadian border so it became very awkward for Yee’s many American
customers to cross over for the Windsor action.
“Throughout
it all, Yee and his gang hung in there with the knowledge that eventually the
border problem would ease and his customers would return. They have. Not to the
level that the property previously enjoyed but they’re getting there.
“Maybe Bobby’s advertising that
Canada does not tax gambling winnings has helped matters. Certainly it didn’t
hurt,” said our pipe.
Â
WHAT A COUP!!! The ink wasn’t
dry on the announcement that MGM MIRAGE had lured Phyllis James to
their corporate suite when complaints were emerging from some politicos.
Ms. James was corporation counsel and
law director for the City of Detroit before signing on with MGM MIRAGE. This
caused some Detroit politicians to yell foul, suggesting that she had
accumulated inside information that she would pass on to her new employers.
Those suggestions are demeaning to the
woman who now becomes the company’s highest ranking African-American members
of the senior management team. Ms. James has an excellent academic resume and
has been an outstanding member of her profession.
“She brings vast expertise and
experience to our company,” said CEO Terry Lanni, “and is a welcome
addition to our ÂÂÂsenior management.”
DEFRANCIS’ KNEES MAY BE BUCKLING:
“From what I’m hearing in the hallways at the current gathering of the National
Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA),” reported our racing rosebud, “Frank
Stronach is on the verge of buying Laurel and Pimlico from Joe
DeFrancis and his sister.”
Reports out of Maryland the past three
weeks indicated that DeFrancis was talking to
ÂÂÂseveral people about selling the properties. However, reportedly he balked at
giving up control of the two tracks.
“You know how it is with Stronach’s
Magna Entertainment, they’ll buy out a track, and
then keep the former operators on just long enough to get established. If
DeFrancis hopes to win that battle, he’d better ÂÂÂinsist on a long
contract.”
Â
ARE THOSE HORNS ON YOUR HEAD? A national study recently revealed that casino customers closely mirror the average American. That is, they own their homes, read a newspaper, attend church regularly and actually eat dinner with their family. This must have come as a shock to some people, who perhaps believed casino patrons had horns, walked on all fours, breathed fire and otherwise stood out in a crowd. Let’s send a copy of the survey to the NCAA, who might find it enlightening!