The World
A while ago I talked about how the idea of a 10,000 room moon-themed casino hotel on an artificial island was pretty dumb. I think I’ve found something even more grandiose: a 300-island resort off the coast of Dubai.
Quick notes, 4/4/05
There is a plethora of news today. For example, plans to dramatically expand the UK’s casino industry might have hit an impasse, but that’s no reason for Britons to stop betting on their upcoming elections. West Virginians, coming down from the amazing run of their men’s basketball team in the NCAA tournament, now have to
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gambling & culture, life in vegasLucky 13th conference
This morning I got an email informing me that the 13th International Conference on Gambling and Risk-Taking is set. It’s going to be held from May 22-26 at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe. This is the leading academic conference on gambling in the world, and I’m looking forward to being involved.
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gambling & cultureApril Fool’s for fools
If you’re like me, you’ve got no patience for people who send out emails with fantastically untrue stories on April Fool’s Day, thinking that this is some kind of great joke. Even worse are the alternative newspapers and webloggers who do this crap. I don’t know why, but it’s really stupid. Then, of course, no
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gambling & cultureRolling along
As my regular readers know, writing Roll the Bones has been taking up most of my time for the past few months. I’ve shared a few of the insights I’ve learned, but for the most part I’ve kept the project under wraps. Today I reached a significant milestone, so I’m making an announcement: I’m two-thirds
Gambling for change
I know that they say politics makes strange bedfellows, but this is still pretty unusual. A liberal Canadian political website whose domain name has expired has become an online casino, so to speak.
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gambling & culture, haphazard worldVIP rooms
One of the things that struck me in Macau casinos was the prevalence of private VIP salons. Leased by junket operators, they give a share of profits to the casino but seem to be independently run. At last, there’s something in print that explains the phenomenon.
Inside Wynn Las Vegas
Wynn Las Vegas is in a media blackout–no one is talking about its details in anticipation of its opening in less than a month. But anyone with a web browser can see thisWynn Las Vegas property map, which might pique your interest.
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gambling & culture, life in vegasNo disgrace
I just couldn’t pass up this quote. Is xenophobia alive and well in Macau, or is A casino magnate just trying to articulate his vision for his company’s continued dominance? “We are Chinese and we will not be disgraced. We will not lose to the intruders.” –Stanley Ho This was in an interesting story (with
Macau nightlife
This week, I was talking to a reporter about the comparative nightlife of Macau and Singapore (I actually was taken to this place in Singapore). I struggled for words to tactfully explain what appeared to be the rampant prostitution in both cities. Singapore did a much better job of containing aggressively solicitous prostitutes to the
Too involved in research
Poring through an old history of Monaco in my research for Roll the Bones, I learned that Carnegie’s Diplodocus was discovered during the excavations for a rail line. I found this mildly interesting. What a 19th century industrialist has to do with a prehistoric dinosaur, and why the long-necked creature was messing around near Monaco,
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what's newTwo great headlines
I’m not about to make light of problem or illegal gambling, but each of these headlines stuck me as oddly humorous: Gambling Addicts Prepare For Casino Tough war against gambling virus I thought the first story might be an exercise in cynicism, and was surprised that what the editor meant to say was that gambling
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gambling & cultureAn impressive beast
A longtime reader sent this one to me, and, since I seem to have a special weakness for strange animal stories (e.g., the police nemesis turkey, Philadelphia fried chicken restaurant deer, and the unforgettable mystery mammal), I’m going to share what I’ve learned about the pride of Alapaha, Georgia: Hogzilla.
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haphazard worldBirthday wishes!
While browsing Harrah’s website, I decided to sign up to get email updates about properties. I already get them from most casino companies, and I figured that it might be a good idea to do the same for the soon-to-be world’s largest. I gave my email, the name of “UNLV Special Collections, and a birthdate
Paris Hilton vs. Dogs
Thanks to ESPN’s Page 2, we get this great matchup in an NCAA-inspired tournament whose exact nature is, for me, rather vague: Poker Playing Dogs vs. Paris Hilton.
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gambling & cultureMacau Mania
You’ve got to love the subhead for this Guardian look at Macau: “With mobsters jailed and foreign investors pouring money into its gaming industry, Macau is enjoying a spectacular boom .”
“I’ll take Sin City for $200, Alex”
Today I got this email from the Las Vegas Centennial Celebration Committee: Answer: This is the date that a Las Vegas Category will be featured on Jeopardy! Question: WHAT IS: MONDAY, APRIL 4TH, 2005? That’s going to be fun, but what about an entire round based on Las Vegas and gambling topics?
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life in vegasMob mix-up
When casinos opened in Atlantic City in 1978, New Jersey governor Brendan Byrne famously warned organized crime to keep their stinking paws off of his state. Well, those weren’t his exact words, but they would have been in Charlton Heston had been playing him. Come to think of it, Byrne wasn’t going around half-naked either,
Legalizing online gaming?
As I’ve said before, the fiscal pressures in state legislatures will eventually outweigh anti-gambling rhetoric, and Internet gaming will be legalized in the US. USA Today now apparently feels the same way.
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news about gamblingCovering the gambling business
Have you just been assigned the “casino beat” and aren’t sure where to look for information? Well, you’re not the only one. Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Suzette Parmley tells all.
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news about gambling