Dave

Writer, historian, and teacher.

The American Gaming Association Takes a Smart New Direction | Vegas Seven

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In this week’s Green Felt Journal, I take a look at the resurgent American Gaming Association and what it means for Las Vegas: In the past few months, the American Gaming Association has almost completely regenerated itself. Even though the gaming industry’s chief lobbying group has the same name and offices, it has a renewed […]

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The Action, for Resorts, Is on the Street | Vegas Seven

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Here is my final Green Felt Journal of 2013. It’s perhaps appropriate that it looks ahead to 2014: While 2013 was mostly a year of building and transition, Las Vegas should definitively enter the post-recession era in 2014. That won’t mean a return to pre-recession prosperity, but rather a shift in how casinos approach visitors.

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Rockhouse, PBR Rock Bar Owner Just a Local Kid on the Strip | Vegas Seven

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In this week’s Green Felt Journal, I take a look at one of the entrepreneurs who is shaking things up on the Strip: Jonathan Fine is a case in point. Fine—who operates some of the Strip’s hottest midmarket nightspots—comes from one of the most illustrious families in Las Vegas: His grandfather, Hank Greenspun, founder of

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From the Emerald City to Pharaoh’s Tomb | Vegas Seven

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In this week’s Vegas Seven, I have a feature article considering the ways that the spirit of 1993 is still with us: In the fall of 1993, the wrapping came off three new resorts that promised to change the way people visited Las Vegas. The opening of The Mirage four years earlier is rightfully credited

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Real Estate Rebel: How the Late David Atwell Set the Standard for Megadeals on the Strip | Vegas Seven

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This week’s Green Felt Journal was a difficult one for me to write. A few months back, I struck up a friendship with a long-time Las Vegan, David Atwell, who I learned was involved with some of the biggest real estate deals in the city’s history. We had conversation after conversation about the development of

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UNLVs High Roller | UNLV News Center

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Thanks to the recent news that I’ve been named to the “40 under 40” list in Global Gaming Business, the UNLV News Center has posted an interview with me. Great questions: David Schwartz is the ultimate Vegas insider. On any given moment, he can talk about gaming trends locally and nationally, casino security, the history of

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what's new

Bible-Themed Slot Machines, Flood Not Included | Vegas Seven

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This week’s Green Felt Journal considers how mobile devices, slots, and the Bible converge: Yes, there really are Bible-themed virtual slots available on your mobile device. App-maker Top Free Games—whose library is split between gambling games like video poker and blackjack and public-domain works like Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, the Kama Sutra and the

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Keeping the Clubs Safe | Vegas Seven

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In this week’s Green Felt Journal, I talked to security experts about how to make Las Vegas casinos and nightclubs safer: The recent tragic shooting at Drai’s after-hours club in Bally’s casino hotel has raised questions about just how much security both casinos and nightclubs in Las Vegas should provide. Not surprisingly, there is no

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Forward to the Future at G2E | Vegas Seven

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In this week’s Green Felt Journal, I consider the real significance of this year’s Global Gaming Expo: The casino industry isn’t known for being introspective; the focus is usually strictly on the bottom line and the here and now. But the annual Global Gaming Expo, held late last month at the Sands Expo Center, is

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In Monte Carlo, Back to the Past | Vegas Seven

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If you have heard the most recent Vegas Gang podcast, you heard my thoughts on Monte Carlo. In this week’s Green Felt Journal, I elaborate: If you were born in a gambling city back when that meant you were a little different from everyone else, you grew up vaguely holding Monte Carlo as the platonic

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For Linq’s Future, Image Is Everything | Vegas Seven

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In this week’s Green Felt Journal, I take a closer look at how one of Linq’s new tenants fits in: That’s where Linq comes in. As with most Caesars decisions, each element of the development has been meticulously analyzed. The observation wheel, for example, was chosen over other attractions because, in survey and focus groups,

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The Book That Tried to End Las Vegas | Vegas Seven

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There is no Green Felt Journal in this week’s Vegas Seven. But I did write the cover story, a historical dissection of the notorious Green Felt Jungle: When Trident Press released The Green Felt Jungle on December 13, 1963, it promised to tell the real story of Las Vegas. Most residents winced; this could only be bad

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Crime and Perception | Vegas Seven

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In today’s Green Felt Journal, I take on a subject that some in the industry don’t like discussing–whether high-profile crimes mean the Strip is less safe than it should be: When tragedy strikes, police and tourism officials are usually quick to stress that these are random events in an otherwise safe city. They point to

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The Other Convention Business | Vegas Seven

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In today’s Green Felt Journal, I look at the growth of Las Vegas as a family reunion destination. It all really fits: Family-friendly Las Vegas never went away—it just doesn’t get the same press as nightclub Las Vegas or tech-startup Las Vegas. For proof, look no further than the burgeoning business the city does in

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Smokeless on the Strip? | Vegas Seven

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In this week’s Green Felt Journal, I tackle the issue of smoking in casinos on the Las Vegas Strip: The implicit question raised in those cheeky billboards is this: Smoking is banned in restaurants, movie theaters and indoor arenas. Why is it still permitted in Nevada casinos? The short answer: because casinos were exempted from

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