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Inside Gaming Column: Is MGM Primed to Sell in Primm?22 December 2003Street talk has MGM Mirage's Primm Valley resorts up for sale. Insiders say the company is taking serious offers for Buffalo Bill's, Whiskey Pete's and Primm Valley. Wall Streeters say selling Primm properties, along with the company's temporary casino in Detroit, would let MGM Mirage focus on its core Strip assets. They say likely buyers are millionaire investors looking for independent casino operations. Doubting Thomases say competition from tribal casinos and the cloud over gaming in California pose questions for any deal. ¥ ¥ ¥ Rumors swirl that Mandalay Resort Group is the leading contender for the Primm Valley properties. Mandalay seems more logical than major competitors because of possible synergies with its Nevada Landing Hotel & Casino in Jean. The company, however, denies it'll be the buyer. Wall Streeters also say a management reorganization is in the works at Mandalay, with Chairman Mike Ensign and Vice Chairman Richardson likely to resign within six months. Maybe the uncertainty prevents more motion on Primm. ¥ ¥ ¥ Fitzgeralds' latest marketing ploy is billboard ads claiming the "loosest slots." Of course, that's not allowed unless it includes an asterisk footnoting a survey proving the claim. Fortunately for the Fremont Street casino operated by Majestic Star Casino of Gary, Ind., the company included the footnote. Unfortunately for prospective customers, they have to read it while driving by the highway billboard at 65 miles an hour. Somehow, it doesn't seem like what regulators had in mind. ¥ ¥ ¥ Coast Casinos Chief Executive Officer Michael Gaughan is extremely perturbed by the amount of time it is taking to create a uniform slot club card for his company's casinos. The privately held company, 31 percent owned by Gaughan, operates The Orleans, Barbary Coast, Suncoast and Gold Coast. He sees the single club card as a strong marketing tool for his locals properties, but months of efforts have been invested so far and there's still no card in sight. ¥ ¥ ¥ Believe it or not. BusinessWeek reports that Harrah's Entertainment is depending on its Total Rewards cards to fill 70 percent of its rooms. Harrah's uses the player cards to learn more about customers and create seemingly personalized communications. Harrah's gets kudos for the campaign. The national business magazine calls it "decision science," gathering and analyzing data about its customers' habits to shape their behavior. Critics say the program sounds like Pavlov's dog. The Inside Gaming column is compiled by Gaming Wire Editor Rod Smith. You can contact him by phone at (702) 477-3893, fax (702) 387-5243 or e-mail at rsmith@reviewjournal.com. Copyright GamingWire. All rights reserved. |