If you can make it, we’re hosting a provocative talk at UNLV in two weeks. Here’s the info: January 29, 2009 Gaming Research Colloquium Series: Leslie Nino Fidance William S. Boyd School of Law, UNLV “The Mob Never Ran Vegas” Thursday, January, 12:15 pm UNLV Special Collections Download flyer (pdf) Center for Gaming Research: Special […]
Talking about the Mob at UNLV Read More »
what's newAt last I’ve gotten a chance to photograph the carpet at Encore. I didn’t make it into the mysterious sky casino (which was not on our opening tour), but I managed to get some shots of the high limit room. Neat stuff. Check it out on the Strip carpet gallery. I’ve also tweaked my background
Because we can’t wait for the future, everyone wants to know what’s going to happen. Spectrum Gaming has a 21-point list of what to expect, but I’ll give you my own views, focusing mostly on Las Vegas. This is all with the caveat that, as I often say, “my work is not predictive.” That’s just
Room rates, 2009, and the future Read More »
news about gamblingI could do some official-sounding retrospective on the year in gaming, but that’s been done better elsewhere, by people with more time. Instead, I thought I’d take a moment to flip through my archives and pick out a few of my favorite posts from 2008. January Things you need to tell the GCB Best name
Looking back at 2008 Read More »
what's newWith 2008 almost history, I’ve got a new Atlantic City history article in Casino Connection to tell you about: Casino Connection Atlantic City | AC History | Curtain up. It’s all about the proliferation and disappearance of theaters along the Boardwalk.
Theater time in AC Read More »
atlantic cityMy Las Vegas Business Press piece on Encore is up. It’s an expansion of my original post on this site. Here’s my grand conclusion: Encore, in its essence, is hopeful. Even the name is a reminder that something came before, and something will come after. It’s both a great new resort and a call to
This Christian Science Monitor editorial argues with some logic that gambling isn’t the best thing for the economy. But I think the last line is a bit utopian: One bright spot in this deep recession is that gamblers might be saying "Enough" to the lure of easy money and calling it quits. States, too, should
A recent case of kickbacks opens up an interesting public policy question that will probably not be answered. From the LV Sun: A vice president of Fry’s Electronics who is accused of swindling the company out of more than $65 million has long been on the radar of Clark County prosecutors. The Internal Revenue Service
Casino debt hall of fame Read More »
news about gamblingIf you’re familiar with your gambling history (some of which you can find, in a single volume and at an outrageously affordable price, in Roll the Bones) you already know that, going back to the Romans, gambling was permitted, even encouraged, during the Saturnalia festival at the end of the year. Saturnalia evolved into Christmas,
Merry Christmas, start gambling! Read More »
gambling & cultureCan you guess the year that an article appeared in Forbes magazine with these quotes? — “Las Vegas is showing signs that it is becoming overbuilt.” –“With traffic growing more slowly than capacity, older casinos have been hurting. Atlantic City casinos fared much worse last year.” — “Steve Wynn put it this way: ‘The old
There’s been quite the buzz for Encore over the Internet. This quote from Oskar Garcia’s AP piece explains, I think, why Wynn gets it more than anyone except Jack Binion and a few others: Wynn expected thousands to jam the entrances to the casinos on Monday night, as some of his best customers ceremoniously pull
Dave’s thoughts on the opening of Encore at Wynn Las Vegas.
And now for an Encore Read More »
life in vegas, news about gamblingYou might have noticed that I do a great deal of writing. Whether it’s the daily blogging, the articles for the Las Vegas Business Press, Casino Connection, and elsewhere, or the books, writing is something that is very important to me, both professionally and because I like to do it. Since it means so much
I didn’t write this…not exactly Read More »
atlantic city, writingA review of Bill Zender’s Casino-ology: The Art of Managing Casino Games.
Book Review: Casino-ology Read More »
book reviewsReading David McKee’s post on the TI sale to Phil Ruffin, something clicked that made me realize the transaction made perfect sense. For a while now, MGM Mirage has been positioning itself as a casino builder and hospitality brand manager. The international moves are ample evidence of that, as are the City Center partnership with
Big news from the LVRJ this morning. Treasure Island is about to be sold: Former New Frontier owner Phil Ruffin is buying the Treasure Island from MGM Mirage for $775 million, sources confirmed Sunday night. The deal is expected to be announced today. Ruffin, a Wichita, Kan., businessman, sold the New Frontier in May 2007
Seth Davis. When March Went Mad: The Game That Transformed Basketball. New York: Times Books, 2009. 307 pages. Today, college basketball is big business, with massive TV contracts and incredible hype. During the annual NCAA tournament, college basketball mania reaches its apex with “March Madness.” Every red-blooded American fills out a bracket or ten and
Book Review: When March Went Mad Read More »
book reviewsThanks to a legislative loophole, Delaware is one of only four states allowed to license legal sports betting. In a few months, you may be able to get action down legally in the Diamond State–with a few caveats. From the Philly Inquirer: Atlantic City’s hopes of a gaming-industry rebound in 2009 might be about to
Delaware to bet on sports? Read More »
atlantic city, news about gambling