My old stomping ground the Trump Taj Mahal has gotten a makeover and is getting a new hotel tower. From the AC Press: They are de-Tajing the Taj. First they ripped out the gaudy pink and purple hues that dominated the Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resorts over-the-top decor since the 1990s. Then they converted the
Things are slow in Vegas, maybe, but they’re even slower in Mesquite. From the LVRJ: If you think the slowing economy has hit casino operators in Las Vegas hard, travel 80 miles northeast to Mesquite. Black Gaming, operator of three hotel-casinos in the town, reported an operational loss of $15 million for the quarter ended
Mesquite losing streak Read More »
news about gamblingI can’t take credit for discovering these–they were forwarded to me by my Reno correspondent. They are a series of commercials for Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City. If you’ve got two minutes to spend, it’s worth it:
I don’t think you’ll see officials in Nevada, or anywhere else in the US, adopting this approach any time soon. From Bloomberg: South Korea’s National Gaming Control Commission yesterday said it intended to limit total annual revenue of the gambling industry, including horse racing, lottery tickets and casinos, to about 14 trillion won $13.4 billion.
Limiting gambling in South Korea Read More »
news about gamblingThis was a really funny piece from the LV Sun: At least on the surface, this is a fight about a number: 7. That digit is the only difference between the phone number of Michael Kolar’s income tax filing business, 866-MR-REFUN (866-677-3386), and the number people dial when they have questions about any of the
I caught this wide-eyed Vegas puff piece on an Australian news website, and I had to laugh. I’ll spare you the article, but here are the tips. I’ll let my readers deconstruct them at will. From NEWS.com.au: # Stay on The Strip. All the action is there and everywhere else is a bust. Try to
Vegas tips from Oz Read More »
life in vegas, news about gamblingHistorian James Karmel has let me know about a great oral history project that’s in progress in Atlantic City. From the AC Free Public Library: The interviews will take place throughout the summer, with the final product scheduled to be made available to the public this winter. Once the project has been completed, the interviews
AC Oral History Program Read More »
atlantic cityA psychological study unveiled at the convention of the American Psychological Association makes a bold claim: that 2 percent of all gamblers account for nearly 25 percent of all casino wins and losses. From Science Daily: In another study, psychologist Arch G. Woodside, PhD, of Boston College, and Ralph Perfetto, PhD, of the University of
Gambling study makes provocative claim Read More »
news about gamblingThe Center for Gaming Research has just been named an Associate Sponsor of the 14th International Conference on Gambling and Risk-Taking. This is a good thing, and a very big deal. What’s the ICGRT? Only the most prestigious gambling-related academic conference in the world. Learn more here: The primary objectives of the conference are to
14th ICGRT on the way! Read More »
gambling & cultureA reporter for that well-known bastion of literary tradition, the LV Sun, has weighed in on the reading habits of Las Vegas library-goers: Las Vegas, the old truism and sometime political talking point says, is at the bottom of every good list and at the top of every bad one. But what about the lists
Popular Vegas books Read More »
life in vegasThere’s a good piece on the far, far south M Resort in the LV Sun. Here’s some of the most interesting bit, but you should read the whole piece: The M Resort, at the southwest corner of St. Rose Parkway and Las Vegas Boulevard, more than 10 miles south of Mandalay Bay, will be the
I’ve managed to squeeze in some time to update the carpet gallery. I’ve got new shots of the Excalibur, Luxor, Monte Carlo, Palazzo, and tons more in the Strip gallery. I’ve also streamlined the downtown gallery and placed all non-Strip, non-downtown carpets in the Clark County gallery. Plus I’ve added a Hall of Fame with
Someone had to do it, so why not me? I’ve eaten at each of them. Here goes, in bottom-to-top order: 4. Burger Bar, Mandalay Place If you’re in that part of town and in need of a gourmet burger, you can’t do much better. There’s nothing at all wrong with the place–in fact I recommend
Strip burger joints ranked Read More »
life in vegasComing back to this, it’s all Atlantic City, all the time. I’ve got a few Vegas things I’ve been kicking around, including my personal ranking of the high-end burger places on the Strip and a book review or two. But then the AC Press goes ahead and runs a HUGE Pinnacle spoiler: Giving a sneak
Beach casino 50/50 Read More »
atlantic citySo how’s the Tropicana in Atlantic City doing these days? I got curious enough today to check out the vox populi of tripadvisor.com. There are reviews for July up, so this reflects the property well after the Columbia Sussex retreat. And most of the people are happy, though the ones who aren’t have some horror
While I might actually be, I hope that’s not true. I wanted to examine and deconstruct this Chronicle of Higher Education piece on stupidity in American culture (particularly among the youth), but I’m way too busy. And next week is looking even worse, so don’t expect much here. Hopefully by the end of the week
Too stupid to post Read More »
haphazard worldI grabbed this yesterday and saved it to post this morning. In the meantime, I got scooped by Chuckmonster and KLAS. But here’s the original story, from the AP: Yes, Michael Wax stunk. Hes the first to admit it. The 440-pound Brooklyn man said he was playing poker in an Atlantic City casino for 17
86ed for smelling bad Read More »
atlantic cityI’ve been meaning to sit down and do a comparative analysis of casino and lotteries revenues over the past year, to see whether the economic downturn (ED) is causing people to gamble less, or just forcing them to curtail trips to Las Vegas and other gaming destinations (and even local venues). Lo and behold, someone’s
Lottery records falling Read More »
news about gamblingAn earthquake moderately shook up LA and, supposedly Las Vegas this morning: A strong earthquake shook Southern California on Tuesday, causing buildings to sway and triggering some precautionary evacuations. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The jolt was felt from Los Angeles to San Diego, and slightly in Las Vegas. The 11:42
I thought this was an interesting story. Monkeys don’t have much use for money, but since they like marshmallows, they are up for experiments like this one. From Psychology Today: Keith Chen and Marc Hauser at Yale University taught monkeys about resources that bear a strong resemblance to money. Monkeys dont care about money, per