My first post at Two Way Hard Three is up–it’s a few thoughts where Nevada gaming’s headed right now (as opposed to six months ago): Last week, one of the local dailies ran a story reporting on the latest trend: baccarat and penny slots are big revenue producers for casinos, particularly on the Las Vegas
Bacc and penny thoughts on TWHT Read More »
Two Way Hard Three, writingAs you might have read over on Two Way Hard Three, I’m going to be blogging over there from now on. I’m really excited to be joining the TWHT team–I’ve admired Hunter’s work for years, and I really like the depth and analysis that Jeff Simpson brings to his pieces over there. I think that
The new Vegas Seven is available online now, and I’ve got an interesting piece about some happenings Downtown: The folks running downtown’s Las Vegas Club hotel-casino think the slot players are right. PlayLV, which operates the club for the multinational investment group Tamares, has embarked on an ambitious course of slot-loosening—and a pull-no-punches campaign to
Loosening Up Downtown in Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenIt’s pretty rare for a Strip casino to get knocked out. Sure, more than a few have taken the standing eight count of bankruptcy, but usually, no matter how far in debt a casino gets, it produces enough cash flow that the lenders would rather see it open than closed. The Sahara’s scheduled May closure,
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writingTim Wu. The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires. New York, Alfred A. Knopf, 2010. 336 pages. This is a hard book to review because it’s really two book ideas melded into one: a history of the empire-building and empire-busting that characterized the first century of information industries, and a policy piece
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book reviewsA profile piece that was a lot of fun to write is out today in Vegas Seven‘s Green Felt Journal. It’s the result of a long talk with Skylofts concierge Sherman James, who has quite a story: Sherman James might not be onstage when he arrives for work at 6 each morning at MGM Grand’s
Sherman James in Vegas Seven Read More »
life in vegasIn my analysis of the January Nevada gaming numbers, I made reference to slot win from December being rolled over into January, something I dubbed the “Friday Effect” because I couldn’t think of a better description. I got a few emails asking for more details about it, so here’s the explanation that GCB Senior Research
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news about gamblingThe January numbers are out, and while they appear to be merely ho-hum (a 0.67% Statewide revenue decrease), they are actually quite troubling. Here’s the executive summary of the report: January 2011 continued what has been a trend: a persistent, moderate decline in the state’s gaming revenues. This is the third consecutive month in which
Nevada January gaming revenues: not encouraging Read More »
news about gamblingLike I admitted on Twitter, I take lousy photos, so I promised that I’d share some of the PR stills of the Cosmopolitan’s new sports book. I’m also throwing in the press release–if you read any media accounts that sounds suspiciously like this, it just means someone’s taking it easy on the word-smithing front: Las
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news about gamblingIn this week’s Las Vegas Business Press, I look a little more closely at what the two-incident “epidemic” of strong-arm casino chip robberies means” Strong-arm robberies aren’t exactly rare in the United States. According to Federal Bureau of Investigation statistics, there were almost 409,000 robberies in 2009, the last year for which data is available.
Casino crime in the LVBP Read More »
news about gamblingI while ago, I thought it would be neat to see how some of the biggest casino gaming markets in the world have fared over the last decade. Of course we all know that Macau’s gotten huge while everyone else has looked on enviously, but I figured that pulling as much data as I could
Latest report–comparing and contrasting Read More »
news about gamblingI can finally announce the specifics about this month’s Gaming Research Colloquium talk. Here’s the official announcement: Please join us on Thursday, March 24, at 12:15 PM, as March Gaming Research Fellow Benjamin Min Han delivers a Gaming Research Colloquium talk entitled “We’re Right Next Door’: Televisual Las Vegas in Cold War America.” Han, currently
March Gaming Colloquium announced Read More »
life in vegas, what's newYesterday I checked out the Las Vegas Mob Experience, the new attraction at the Tropicana. I had profoundly mixed feelings about it. We start out in a line, waiting to get in for about 20 minutes. There’s a big fake ship, with what is apparently bootlegged booze being off-loaded. As I tweeted, it reminded me
What I made of the LV Mob Experience Read More »
life in vegasDavid Orr. Beautiful and Pointless: A Guide to Modern Poetry. New York, Harper Collins, 2011. 256 pages. Poetry is in a curious place. There’s undoubtedly many poets writing great poetry out there, but the art form seems to be in crisis–even accomplished poets have a sneaking suspicion poetry isn’t getting the respect it deserves. For
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book reviewsThis is in today’s Vegas Seven. Again, since it’s a short piece, there’s no online link, but here’s the text: Last spring, Harrah’s Entertainment (now Caesars Entertainment) rolled out an offer that, for those who like to stretch their waistband without stretching their dollars, sounded almost too good to be true: the Buffet of Buffets,
Buffet of Buffets price hike Read More »
Vegas Seven, writingAbout 2 weeks ago, I interviewed Marilyn Spiegel for a profile piece in Vegas Seven. There are always space constraints, so I thought it would be a good idea to record the interview and post at at UNLV Gaming Podcasts, mostly so she can share her story in her own words. I”m having some issues
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news about gambling, writingPage 18 of Vegas Seven has a brief profile of our last Gaming Research Fellow, Dr. Darryl A. Smith. Don’t tell Darryl A. Smith that Las Vegas isn’t a thought-provoking town. The Bonanza High School graduate has long been fascinated by the tensions just underneath the city’s surface. He channeled his wanderlust into academics, pursuing
Short piece about Darryl A. Smith in Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas Seven, writingNeve Maslakovic. Regarding Ducks and Universes. Las Vegas: Amazon Encore, 2011. 340 pages. I’m back with a fiction review. REGARDING DUCKS AND UNIVERSES is a clever novel that mashes together science fiction and mystery. Some backstory: in 1986, a scientist duplicated the universe, with Earth A and Earth B gradually diverging because of random chance:
Book review:Regarding Ducks and Universes Read More »
book reviewsIt’s two podcasts in two days at the Center for Gaming Research–when it rains it pours, in a good way. Today, I posted the Gaming Research Colloquium talk given this afternoon by Darryl A. Smith: Darryl A. Smith, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, Pomona College “’Dark with Excessive Bright’”: Gambling Tells and the Naming Taboo”
Darryl A. Smith podcast is up Read More »
what's newFinally, another Green Felt Journal in Vegas Seven. And this is a good one, too: It’s not often that a CEO becomes a hero by jumping off a building, but most CEOs aren’t like Frank Riolo. And most companies don’t operate observation towers attached to a Las Vegas casino. Since May 2008—just about the start
Frank Riolo’s leap of faith in Vegas 7 Read More »
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