According to a new report, a big earthquake is just as likely to hit Las Vegas in the next 50 years as you are to seven out at craps. From KLAS: UNLV and UNR scientists estimate a magnitude 6.6 quake would cause $18 billion in damage to buildings. It would kill 900 people. About 300,000
Betting against earthquakes in Vegas Read More »
life in vegasLooking for something completely different, I found this gem, courtesy of MSNBC: Near-misses often turn into hits, especially in a place where trouble is likely to find you. For example, you shouldn’t be surprised when you travel to a third-world country with an atrocious air safety record, and your plane overshoots the runway, bursting into
I thought this was an odd headline, but when I clicked over, I found that it wasn’t at all about what I thought it was: State says ‘wait’ on solar system rentals – Las Vegas Sun The article makes more sense than my original impression, but is a lot less exciting.
Something different Read More »
life in vegasChristina Binkley. Winner Takes All: Steve Wynn, Kirk Kerkorian, Gary Loveman, and the Race to Own Las Vegas. New York: Hyperion, 2008. 304 pages, hardcover. Over the last decade, the Las Vegas Strip has become increasingly consolidated. Once, there were a host of casino owners: Aztar, Bally Gaming, Boyd Gaming, Circus Circus Enterprises, Grand Casinos
Book Review: Winner Takes All Read More »
book reviews, life in vegasThe Tropicana’s woes might be the Luxor’s gain. The pyramid on the Strip is picking up two exhibits that as Columbia Sussex’s flagship is taking on water (allegedly). From the LVRJ: Luxor is picking up two nongaming attractions from the Tropicana. Atlanta-based Premier Exhibitions announced Tuesday it signed a 10-year agreement with the Luxor to
Luxor getting darker? Read More »
news about gamblingPart of Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick’s proposed casino bill makes betting online a crime. Some thing that’s hypocritical, others that it’s just a blatant attempt to stifle potential competition. In any event, now that we’ve got some Harvard Law students on the case, it’s getting interesting. From the Boston Herald: A card-playing Harvard Law professor
The International Gaming Institute and Center for Gaming Research are co-sponsoring yet another author event at UNLV. This one will be held at the Stan Fulton Building, and stars Tom Breitling, the former co-owner of the Golden Nugget. For more info, check here: News – Tom Breitling – Double or Nothing I’m looking forward to
Tom Breitling at UNLV Read More »
what's newI’ve settled into a routine as of late on this blog: a book review every week or so, thoughts on unusual or incredibly significant gaming news, and the occasional thought piece. These are the most fun to write, and they usually start when I see an article on something that’s not directly related to gambling
The original viral marketing Read More »
gambling & cultureNightclubs in casinos make tons of money, but they’ve flown under the radar until recently. An LV Sun editorial begs the casino industry, in the name of all that is Vegas, to rein in the doormen and bartenders of these nightspots, lest the city get a bad rep: The river of money flowing into the
Cooking the goose? Read More »
life in vegasEveryone knows that in Las Vegas, time doesn’t exist: there are no clocks at all in casinos, and the sun stands still in the sky if a well-connected pit boss says so. I don’t think anyone takes it to that extreme, but the clock thing is pretty tired. But I’m not tired of talking about
Is Vegas lost in time? Read More »
life in vegasThe Center for Gaming Research is sponsoring a new series of Gaming Research Colloquia that feature lunchtime talks by gambling researchers at UNLV Special Collections. Check it out: March 21 Transforming Gambling Research into “Big History” Larry Gragg, Ph.D. Curators’ Teaching Professor History and Political Science Missouri University of Science and Technology Rolla, Missouri March
Gaming Research Colloquium comes to town Read More »
what's newI’ve just updated this site’s writing page, with links to all sorts of cool stuff that I’ve written, including these recent pieces: Atlantic City History Pachyderm Promoter — March 2008 Flight Path — February 2008 The Name Game — January 2008 Las Vegas Business Press Data prove that gambling industry is resilient, but hardly bulletproof
Writing page updated! Read More »
what's newIf you still haven’t made it down to Hooters Las Vegas, you’d better go soon, because the property is slated for a complete re-branding. From the LVRJ: Say goodbye to those orange short-shorts. Hooters Hotel will be rebranded into a yet-to-be named boutique hotel following a $130 million redevelopment of the property that could begin
Hooters going away Read More »
news about gamblingYour kids (if you’ve got small ones) are going to ask you the big question someday. “Hey there, parent/guardian…I’ve been wondering–what’s gambling?” Once, you might have hemmed and hawed, then explained that gambling is something that mommies and daddies do when they feel like boosting state tax revenues. Now, however, you can just direct them
Teach your kids about gambling Read More »
gambling & culture, writingThat’s a twist on my favorite bit of folk wisdom that Judge Milian dispenses daily on The People’s Court, which is, after The Wire and Lost, probably my favorite hour of TV…at least until Doctor Who returns. Oh yeah, I had a story to tell you about, didn’t I? According to a Boston.com story about
The expensive comes out cheap? Read More »
gambling & cultureI don’t usually like to quote myself, but it’s been a while since I’ve done this interview, so I actually forgot what I said, and was amused to see that it actually made it in print. It’s in an article about a potential Chicago casino that’s pretty good. From
Less corrupt? Not likely Read More »
news about gamblingThere’s an interesting piece in Wired about how “free is the future of business.” It got me thinking about how the gaming industry, at least in Las Vegas, has flopped its revenue model: once free rooms and food lured visitors to the casino, but now lodging and dining rivals the casino as a profit center.
Could casinos become free? Read More »
gambling & cultureThat must be the sentiment in Columbia Sussex’s executive offices today, if they read the Houston Chronicle: A wealthy casino operator is defending an eye-catching $1 million contribution to a political group that worked to elect a pro-gambling governor in Kentucky. William Yung III, who heads Crestview Hills-based Columbia Sussex Corp., has essentially placed a
Positive press at last! Read More »
atlantic city, news about gamblingYou might have heard about Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee’s wife staying at Hooters Las Vegas the night of the Taylor/Pavlik fight. Browsing the comments at SF Gate, I thought one of them really put the whole story in perspective: I think I’d be more worried that the Huckabees’ want to get in the White
Comments that don’t stay in Vegas Read More »
life in vegasBruce Begout. Translated by Liz Heron. Zeropolis: The Experience of Las Vegas. London: Reaktion Books, 2003. Softcover, 126 pp, lots of pictures. They used to say that Las Vegas is where show business careers go to die. Reading this book, I think that we can now say that it’s where philosophers go to make no
Book review: Zeropolis Read More »
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