Charles Elton. Mr Toppit. New York: Other Books, 2010. 400 pages. With MR TOPPIT, Charles Elton gives the reader a look into the life, not of an author, but of his family. The Hayseed Chronicles are a mashup of A.A. Milne’s Pooh books and J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, with Luke Hayward, the book’s chief […]
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book reviewsIn my latest Las Vegas Business Press column, I talk about how the Cosmopolitan marks the beginning of an era on the Strip: With the opening of The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, some observers believe we’;re seeing the end of an era. Unless the economy improves remarkably, it’;s likely the last new hotel-casino that will
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news about gambling, Vegas Seven, writingThe latest Casino Connection Atlantic City is out, and my AC History piece is about a real Atlantic City institution, White House Subs: Mention the White House to longtime Atlantic City residents, and their first thought isn’t the building with the Oval Office, but the local landmark at Arctic and Mississippi avenues. Now part of
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atlantic city, writingGraham Moore. The Sherlockian. New York: TWELVE, 2010. 350 pages. Book Review Friday is back with a bang. After a little bit of a layoff, I’ve recharged myself with some excellent fiction. I really, really liked this book. There’s only so many places a mystery can go. Someone has to get murdered, and someone has
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book reviewsI’m thrilled that two-thirds of my Cosmopolitan pre-opening trifecta are out. In today’s Vegas Seven, I’ve got two pieces about the soon-to-open casino. The first is a profile of John Unwin, the Cosmopolitan’s CEO: John Unwin’s not quite moved into his new office—the artwork’s still waiting to be hung and the shelves are mostly bare—but
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news about gambling, Vegas Seven, writingA while back, some folks asked me what I thought the near-future held for Las Vegas gaming and tourism. After mulling over some of the LVCVA data for the past 40 years, I gave them six different scenarios. This might be nice for a wider audience, I thought. But, since I had a lot on
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life in vegas, news about gamblingWent looking for my Green Felt Journal column in the Local section of Vegas Seven’s newsroom this morning. I didn’t find it. “Well that’s not a good sign,” I thought. Then I took another look at the mouseover menu for News and saw that the Green Felt Journal now has its own dedicated section. Cool.
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news about gambling, Vegas Seven, writingFiring open the digital Las Vegas Sun today, I saw a breaking new story: New Years Eve packages for Cosmopolitan will be available for $5,600. Except that I first saw that story on vegastripping.com back on Sunday. It’s another sign to me of how the nature of news is changing: you’re just as likely to
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life in vegas, news about gamblingWell, three, actually, if you want to count the group nomination for the Vegas Gang Podcast. Since I’m one-quarter of the panel, I’ll give myself .25 of a nomination. And it’s not really me who’s nominated, but my work. This very website, www.dieiscast.com, is up for the always-competitive “Best Blog” award. The podcast I host
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what's newIn this week’s Las Vegas Business Press, I offer a long view of the Global Gaming Expo: The conference panels are finished though they have been recorded for posterity, and the last of the exhibit booths have been disassembled at the Las Vegas Convention Center. It is an appropriate time to consider how the industry
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Las Vegas Business Press, news about gambling, writingIt may be Thanksgiving, but it’s still Thursday, so a new Vegas Seven has hit the streets with its usual Green Felt Journal adorning the local news section. This week, I look at the mayhem that was the Global Gaming Expo, with a focus on a smaller exhibitor: The exhibitors are a diverse lot, as
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news about gambling, writingEven though I’m having a phenomenally busy week, I can still post a link to my latest piece for Green Felt Journal in Vegas Seven. It’s about the reaction at the M Resort to Penn National’s recent debt acquisition: On a recent Saturday afternoon, there was no sign that any change was imminent on the
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news about gambling, Vegas Seven, writingThis week in the Las Vegas Business Press, I take a deeper look at the recent employment study I did over at UNLV: By the same token, examining the numbers isn’t just a dry exercise in statistics. It helps us understand what’s going on when people gain and lose jobs in the casino industry. And
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news about gambling, writingAvi Steinberg. Running the Books: The Adventures of an Accidental Prison Librarian. New York: Nan Talese/Doubleday, 2010. 416 pages. Memoirs by youngish literary types who’ve yet to find their calling are a growth industry. I recently read Beth Raymer’s Lay the Favorite, about her pre-MFA stint as a sports bettor’s assistant, and Avi Steinberg’s tale
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book reviewsAnother Thursday, another Green Felt Journal in Vegas Seven. This week, I tackle casino debt with the help of Eugene Christiansen: It’s no secret that casino companies are more debt-encumbered now than they’ve ever been. In 1990, the average big Las Vegas Strip casino (those earning more than $72 million a year in gaming revenue),
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news about gambling, writingThe September gaming numbers are out, courtesy of the Nevada Gaming Control Board, and I’ve got my analysis of the historical trends up over at gaming.unlv.edu. Here’s the low down: For the second straight month, Nevada gaming revenues posted a year?over?year increase, but there are still several continuing weaknesses in the overall revenue picture, and
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news about gamblingAs a former casino employee, smoking used to be one of my major occupational hazards, so smoking in casinos in an issue that I’ve always been interested in. On one hand, governments telling people what they can do with their time and money seems like a manifestation of the nanny state. On the other, I’d
As you might have heard, unemployment’s been on the rise in Nevada. I figured it might be a good idea to take a look at the big trends behind the numbers. So I consulted the Nevada Gaming Abstract, a great source for data. With the help of my student employee, Tracy Liao, I was able
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news about gambling, what's newSusan Casey. The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks, and Giants of the Ocean. New York: Doubleday, 2010. 336 pages. In THE WAVE, Susan Casey looks at the science behind giant waves (towering over 100 ft), which were once thought impossible. Turns out, they’re crashing around the middle of the ocean all the time.
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book reviewsIn this week’s Green Felt Journal I look at how technology is changing the convention biz in Vegas: Getting conventions to come back isn’t going to be easy, though both the Las Vegas Visitors and Convention Authority and several casinos are reporting more robust bookings next year. The challenge will be keeping these guests happy
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life in vegas, news about gambling, writing