Foxwoods has made a few significant moves recently, and neither has anything to do with the excellent cole slaw to be found in the buffet. Instead, this has to do with the blurring of the line between Indian gaming and commercial casino gaming. First, from the Boston Globe: Two of the biggest names in the […]
Foxwoods in the news Read More »
gambling & cultureYesterday, I talked about an effort to keep Atlantic City on Monopoly – the Here and Now Edition. This morning, I installed Flash 8.0 and actually voted on the Hasbro site. To the extent that anyone should get worked up over a board game, here’s what I think: It’s no surprise that Las Vegas makes
Monopoly follow-up Read More »
atlantic cityI got this in my inbox and thought I would pass it on. Tomorrow, we are launching the online petition to support Atlantic City’s presence on Hasbro’s new version of Monopoly. The homepage of our website, www.atlanticcitynj.com will have a button that says: Keep AC On The Board. Click on that button and sign the
Keep Monopoly turned on Read More »
atlantic cityIllegal gambling is notoriously hard to stamp out, because it is usually socially acceptable. A Philippine anti-gambling group wants to change that. From INQ7: A man from a remote barangay in Central Luzon unwittingly placed a bet on “jueteng,†the underground lottery so despised by the clergy in his area. He didn’t win the pot,
In my historical research into gambling, I’ve yet to find the Grand Unification Theory of gambling–exactly why people like to gamble so much. It’s a little reassuring to know that psychologists aren’t that much closer. Still, they, like historians, have a pretty good idea that humans like to gamble, even when it isn’t in their
Gambling Psych 101 Read More »
gambling & cultureYesterday I jokingly predicted the cresting of the poker wave, but here’s some evidence that the gambling wave–at least the Las Vegas one–is still building. Read about it, minus the tortured metaphors, from the LVRJ: The “Big Six” gaming operators are starting 2006 with record-breaking profits, up nearly 45 percent from the first quarter 2005,
A big quarter for Big 6 Read More »
gambling & cultureI’m taking a second foray into celeb gossip because…I don’t know. I’ve got a real story I’ll post later. But take this wonderfully-inaccurate story with a grain of salt. From BANG via AZcentral: Paris Hilton has been banned from her own casino and ordered into gambling rehab. The socialite’s parents, Rick and Kathy, have barred
Maybe she doesn’t always win… Read More »
life in vegasNow might be the time to dump your WPTE stocks, because poker might have reached its saturation point. Here’s exhibit A, from Inside Entertainment: “I’m obsessed with poker,” confessed celebuntante Paris Hilton after learning the high stakes gambling game. “It’s my favourite game now.” Paris and her younger sister Nicky are apparently so obsessed with
Ripping off people, banks, and credit card companies by pretending to be someone that you’re not probably happens a lot, but I thought this story was apt because of the Las Vegas connection. From the Times Online: IT WAS almost as if Youssef Babbou had been watching the 2002 Steven Spielberg film Catch Me If
Plastic Conartistry Read More »
haphazard world, life in vegasThat’s Penn National Gaming, not the school, though the school is just fine, as well, and as an alum I officially encourage all high schoolers with a record of academic excellence to consider Penn. But this is a note of appreciation for the gaming company, which is much larger than most people think, and which
Penn is cool with me Read More »
gambling & cultureSomeone else wants to buy Aztar. From Reuters: Casino operator Aztar Corp., which has been the target of a bidding war, said on Monday that it had received a buyout offer worth more than $1.69 billion from Columbia Entertainment and would enter into talks with the company. Aztar said Columbia Entertainment, the gaming affiliate of
Everyone wants Aztar Read More »
atlantic city, life in vegasPuggy Pearson was one of the true greats of the early World Series of Poker, and it’s sad to learn that he’s passed away. From the LV Sun: As the quintessential road gambler, cigar-chomping Puggy Pearson would take on anyone, anywhere, anytime and at almost any game you could wager on – providing he liked
I often explain the evolution of the casino floor by taking about slot machines. Once, players had to “buy” change from employees, then put quarters or tokens into slot machines. Then bill validators let players put cash directly into slots. Now, Ticket In Ticket Out (TITO) interfaces let players put in bills and get tickets,
Cashless gambling, The Next Generation Read More »
gambling & cultureHopefully, the third time will be the charm for the New Frontier’s redevelopment. I seem to recall plans for a San Francisco-themed casino and a London-themed casino in years past. From the LV Sun: As other casino operators announce plans to redevelop their older properties, New Frontier owner Phil Ruffin hasn’t had a lot to
Jazzing up the Strip Read More »
life in vegasAt first, I thought that this news story might be a parody of get-rich-quick schemes. But unfortunately, it looks to be authentic. Judge for yourself, from Frost Illustrated: “How do you get someone to change their mind about robbing someone, stealing someone’s identity or selling drugs for money?” asks S. Silas Patterson, author of the
Gambling your way out of prison? Read More »
gambling & culture, haphazard worldI couldn’t find any really riveting news items to post about, except this shocker: the Riviera’s announced sale might not go through. Those of you who have been following the Riv story know what an absolute surprise that is. I get the feeling that this isn’t going to end soon. With a dearth of news,
I’ve been having trouble accessing this site yesterday and today, so I guess everyone else has as well. To compensate (and because I thought this was interesting when I found it in the stack) I’m going to offer some free advice. And it’s not even from me, but nationally-recognized casino expert Henry Tamburin. His book
I’m posting unexpectedly late today, because my servers apparently had some problems. I’m glad I waited because I got some more info on the story of the day. In recent years, online gambling companies have become increasingly integrated with the rest of the business world. Several have their stocks traded publicly. Some buy iconic grilled
Monkey bars on Paradise? Read More »
life in vegas, news about gamblingTime passes pretty quickly in Las Vegas. Well, I guess in the objective sense it passes just as quickly as everywhere else (though relativity theory might say otherwise). But in this city, things get old fast. Here’s a small case in point: Doing some research for an article I’m writing about the evolution of Las
More about changing times Read More »
life in vegasIt seems like everyone wants a piece of Vegas. Well, at least everyone who likes casinos and tourism. Today, for example, I got a phone call from a woman in the Domincan Republic who wanted me to sell her casino carpet. Yes, despite the myriad admonishments on my contact page and elsewhere that I don’t
What happens in Kapchagai Read More »
gambling & culture