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 […]
It’s kind of meta that, in the big holiday rush last week, I didn’t share my latest in Vegas Seven, a look at the maybe fantasy called Wonderland: In Las Vegas, you’re never quite sure what’s real, what’s fantasy and what’s just wishful speculation. And it’s never possible to tell which is which, until it’s
Fantasy Land | Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenThanks 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
UNLVs High Roller | UNLV News Center Read More »
what's newThis 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
Bible-Themed Slot Machines, Flood Not Included | Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenIt’s a wonderful honor to be recognized by one’s peers, and I am energized and awed by being part of G2E’s “Emerging Leaders” group. As part of that honor, I am part of Global Gaming Business magazine’s “40 under 40” feature this month, with a brief profile: Unlike most academics, Schwartz’s experience in gaming brings
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what's newIn 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
Keeping the Clubs Safe | Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenDanielle Gomes and Jay Bonansinga. Hit Me: Fighting the Las Vegas Mob by the Numbers. Guilford, Connecticut: Globe Pequot Press, 2013. 301 pages. One of the most-asked questions for people who study Las Vegas history is “How did the mob get kicked out of the casino industry?” This book tells you a major part of
Book Review: Hit Me Read More »
book reviewsIn 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
Forward to the Future at G2E | Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenIf 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
In Monte Carlo, Back to the Past | Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenIn 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,
For Linq’s Future, Image Is Everything | Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenThere 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
The Book That Tried to End Las Vegas | Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenIn 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
Crime and Perception | Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenIn 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
The Other Convention Business | Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenIn today’s Green Felt Journal, I look at a few of the personalities behind Ultimate Poker: Online poker seems so … unearthly. Hands are dealt on a glowing screen. Cards are made out of pixels, not pasteboard. And yet it’s here, and it’s very real. For now, there’s one company that offers online poker in
Poker Pioneers | Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenIn 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
Smokeless on the Strip? | Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenWith Roll the Bones out now, I’ve dove back into GRANDISSIMO. In the past few weeks I’ve given the manuscript its hopefully final major edit and have started to flesh out GrandissimoBook.com. You can now read Who is Jay Sarno to get a sense of the man GRANDISSIMO is about, and see the Cast of Characters. My next step is
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writingIn this week’s Vegas Seven, I’ve got the cover story: a look back on John F. Kennedy’s visits to Las Vegas: It was a meeting for the ages: the midcentury King of Cool getting together with one of the nation’s fastest-rising political stars. The star of From Here to Eternity and the hero of PT
JFK in Las Vegas | Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenIn this week’s Green Felt Journal, I take up bowling, which seems to be heading towards a renaissance in Las Vegas. Las Vegas’ first casino bowling alley opened in 1959 when the off-Strip Showboat added lanes as part of its successful effort to refocus on locals, driving growth at the property for the next 20
Pin Interest | Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenFor this week’s Green Felt Journal, I offer you an 800-word version of the 10,000-word paper I presented at the International Conference on Gambling and Risk-Taking. It’s my attempt to assess whether the mid-decade spate of mergers was good for anyone…and from what I’ve discovered, it looks like the answer is “not really.” From Vegas
Casino Concentration and the Logic of Empire | Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenBusy week, so I’m just posting this week’s Green Felt Journal about the EB-5 program, which is changing Las Vegas: “Invest In Your American Dream,” reads the text next to a photo of the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign. The words are quickly replaced by “LAS VEGAS EB5 IMMIGRATION CENTER IS YOUR BEST CHOICE,”
Investing in America | Vegas Seven Read More »
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