Wednesday brought with it sinking fortunes for Red Rock Resorts, as the NASDAQ-listed casino magnate wrestled with a disappointing first-quarter revenue report that failed to meet analysts’ projections. These shortcomings were duly noted and piled on shareholder anxiety fueled by the burgeoning success of the firm’s new Durango Casino & Resort in Southwest Las Vegas, a performance observed to be siphoning business away from Red Rock’s other establishments.
A jarring fall of 7.5% saw the stock trading on shaky ground in the course of Wednesday, a tremor felt across the gaming industry. This, unfortunately, is an ongoing slide, with Red Rock’s shares recording a precipitous 18.8% shed over the course of the previous month. The Durango Casino & Resort, forged into reality last December, thus provided a rather disheartening first full quarter of results for the new hotel-casino.
Stephen Cootey, Red Rock’s ever watchful Chief Financial Officer, offered an insightful glance into the inner workings of the stock tumble during a late Tuesday conference call with analysts. According to Cootey, Durango was enjoying a formidable initial salvo – both financial and operational – onto the Sin City casino scene. This success anticipated the pressure that was to mount on Red Rock’s stable of venues, significantly impacting their performance.
Cootey took care to emulate transparency when he reflected, “In the aftermath of Durango’s inauguration, we predict and indeed, have witnessed some cannibalization, particularly at our Red Rock property. However, it’s important to note that this has been majorly within our projected parameters.”
Being nestled within the heart of Southwest Las Vegas adds a distinctive edge to the Durango. Naturally, it poses stiff competition to Red Rock’s homesake property in Summerlin. However, Cootey remained optimistic as he envisioned Red Rock’s ability to “backfill” the revenue deficit thanks to the burgeoning Vegas population. Durango’s position within one of the city’s rapidly expanding quadrants would certainly attack a significant chunk of new residents, possibly even more than Las Vegas’ aggregate growth.
Despite the initial turbulence, Red Rock remains bullish on Durango. While it can potentially hamper the performance of other Red Rock venues in the short term, its bright, sunny forecast predicts a seemingly insurmountable hurdle.
Earlier, Cootey had revealed ambitious plans for Durango. “We anticipated Durango to outshine our portfolio, potentially our highest margin properties, in the medium to long-term period. This new addition is projected to yield returns consistent with or potentially exceed our preceding greenfield enterprises. As we close our first full quarter, we grow increasingly confident that Durango will attain both its original margin and return objectives much faster than we had originally projected.”
On pleasant notes of expansion on the horizon, Red Rock’s Vice Chairman, Lorenzo Fertitta, divulged plans for the future growth of Durango. The company is open to exploring expansion opportunities by the end of the year or early 2025. Details regarding further additions to the casino hotel are currently withheld, but speculations hint at the inclusion of non-gaming attractions, like a bowling alley and movie theater.
Adding to the dynamics of the local casino landscape, there’s an increased promotional spending by competitors like Boyd Gaming, the stalwart Nevada operator who disclosed such tactics during its first-quarter earnings call. While acknowledging this spending surge among local operators, Red Rock President Scott Kreeger attributed most of the increase to small independent companies.
Sharing his observations, Kreeger said, “Despite the competitive promotions by single operator properties, we do not see any unusual market changes that could trigger an alteration in our strategic approach.”
