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 »
book reviewsFor you short attention-span Gaming Abstract junkies out there, Christmas came a little early this year. I’ve completed and posted a convenient 1-pdf breakdown of the 2007 Nevada gaming win. If you don’t want to click through, here are some high points: Total money gambled: Slots: $138.7 billion Tables: $32.3 billion Total: $171 billion Casino
2007 NV gaming digest posted Read More »
news about gamblingGeoff Schumacher. Howard Hughes: Power, Paranoia, and Palace Intrigue. Las Vegas: Stephens Press, 2008. Hardcover, 292 pp. More than four dozens books about Howard Hughes have been published since the 1960s. It would seem that there’s little more we can learn about his life. Why, then, should you bother to read another book about Hughes?
Book review: Howard Hughes: Power, Paranoia, and Palace Intrigue Read More »
book reviewsYou might be familiar with Cost Plus World Market–they sell vaguely exotic home furnishings and foods. And you might have heard of the World Market Center–the big furniture “mart” in downtown Las Vegas that’s adding a new building every month. They’re not getting along. Now, the World Jewelry Center is jumping into the fray. From
…on those 3 signed copies of Roll the Bones that KNPR is auctioning. Better yet, buy it now for a mere $120. It’s rare that you get the chance to a) buy a comprehensive history of gambling and b) support public radio with one click of the mouse. In fact, this is the first time
I could write a book about the short-sighted/self-defeating things that have kept Atlantic City from becoming a truly great resort. Knowing me, I probably will some day. If I do, there will be a chapter about the NJ legislature’s baffling failure to approve sports betting before the feds closed the window in 1993. Back then,
Sports betting do-over in AC? Read More »
atlantic city