Adam Resnick with Todd Gold. Bust: How I Gambled and Lost a Fortune, Brought Down a Bank–and Lived to Pay for It. New York: William Morrow, 2007. Another day, another review of what seems to be a burgeoning genre–the problem gambling memoir. Like Burt Dragin’s Six to Five Against, Bust is a story of a […]
For a long time, I’ve been a little surprised that the US/WTO online gaming case hasn’t gotten more mainstream press. Now the tide may be turning. This LA Times editorial is a case in point: ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA, former British colonies on the eastern edge of the Caribbean Sea, are smaller than Los Angeles and
WTO objections go mainstream Read More »
news about gamblingTo really appreciate that line, you got to read it with Marvin the Paranoid Android‘s voice in your head. This is my lead for an article in Scienfitic American about the fleeting nature of elevated happiness: An experimental psychologist investigating the possibility of lasting happiness, Lyubomirsky understands far better than most of us the folly
Don’t bother winning–you won’t enjoy it Read More »
haphazard worldIn publishing news, I got my copy of the Encyclopedia of Urban History today. If you’ve got $300 burning a hole in your pocket and don’t want to get 15 copies of Roll the Bones, you might want to pick it up. Or you could just see if your nearest university library has a copy.
Urban encyclopedia Read More »
writingOne of the most important keys to running a casino is the ability to monitor and account for your cash flow. In a business with no tangible products, the only way to tell if you are making or losing money–or have a leak somewhere–is to keep tabs on every cent that comes in. Some casinos
Maybe this is why they went bust Read More »
atlantic cityIt earns more in gaming revenue than the Strip, at least. It was either this or a post on Stanley Ho’s medical issues, and I honestly can’t think of anyway to properly blog on that one. From news.com.au: MACAU says it has overtaken the Las Vegas Strip as the world’s biggest casino draw, raking in
Macau confirms: it’s bigger than Vegas Read More »
news about gamblingThe WTO is fed up with good old-fashioned American intransigence, at least as far as online gambling goes. From Ars Technica: The tiny Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda has just won a World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling against the US regarding online gambling. The WTO has ruled that the US “has failed to comply
Another WTO rebuke Read More »
news about gamblingBurt Dragin. Six to Five Against: A Gambler’s Odyssey. Berkeley: RDR Books, 2005. Six to Five Against is a refreshing, sometimes wincingly honest look at one man’s gambling. Drawing chiefly on his own experiences but supported by Dragin’s investigations into the thrall that gambling holds for many, this is an open, honest, and readable story
Book Review: Six to Five Against Read More »
book reviewsManchester won’t be getting a Golden Nugget-sized “supercasino” anytime soon, thanks to the House of Lords (not the Sahara’s quondam steakhouse). From the Sun: PLANS to build Britain’s first supercasino in Manchester were THROWN OUT by the House of Lords yesterday. In a disaster for Prime Minister Tony Blair and Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell, peers
Manchester not so super Read More »
news about gamblingI’m not dull! At least that’s what blogger Stephanie Manley says in her review of Roll the Bones: This is a terrific book as it is an enjoyable read, sprinkled with much historical facts. This historical information isn’t given in a format that may be dull, or unexciting, but rather Schwartz does an excellent job
I guess I’ve got to change my take that it’s impossible to successfully rob a major casino and get away. From IHT: Four masked robbers stole at least €600,000 (US$800,000) from a Brussels casino early Sunday, Belgian television reported. The men, armed with a machine gun, forced staff at the Grand Casino Brussels to open
People often wonder what I do for a living. I usually tell them about my work in expanding UNLV’s gaming collections, doing outreach for the Center, and working on the Center website. But I also answer a ton of email. Today, I’m stuck for a story to post about, so I thought I’d give you,
Punched by a drunk and looking for help Read More »
what's newI caught this interesting bit about Pete Rose’s “evolving” admission of his betting on sports in the Times-Record: Pete Rose has a new spin on his gambling habit. The man who for a decade swore that he never bet on baseball, then admitted that he did so on occasion, now says he bet on every
Rose hustles the gambling record Read More »
gambling & cultureThis is pretty sad, from KLAS: A popular bakery that supplied bread and pastries to many Las Vegas hotels is a complete loss following a late night fire. The Great Buns Bakery on Tropicana near Pecos caught fire around 10 p.m. on Tuesday night. Nearly 50 firefighters responded to the fire call. The building’s sprinkler
Bad news for Great Buns Read More »
life in vegasCasinos are spreading to new places in the US, but they are also becoming bigger. Those who think that Las Vegas is the end-all and be-all of American gaming might be surprised to hear that the top 4 biggest casinos–at least as far as slot count goes–aren’t anywhere near “the Boulevard.” From the Boston Globe:
Rhode Island mega-slot casino Read More »
news about gamblingThis came up last week, but I’m just getting around to it today. It’s from the Sun-Herald: The three-member Mississippi Gaming Commission ruled unanimously Thursday that a gambler should be paid $1 million in a jackpot dispute, but a lawyer for the IP Casino said he expects the decision to be appealed. The slot machine
IP jackpot dispute Read More »
news about gamblingAs I promised on a Two Way Hard Three thread a week or so ago, here’s my photographic tribute to the Stardust’s last weeks: Die is Cast image gallery: Stardust
New image gallery: Stardust deconstructed Read More »
life in vegas, what's newHere’s a welcome story for those who like to gamble online–and those who just want to study it. From the LVRJ: Two Nevada lawmakers, hoping to repeal a crackdown on Internet gambling, are working on legislation that would require the National Academy of Sciences to conduct an 18-month study of online wagering. Reps. Shelley Berkley,
The Nevada Council on Problem Gambling is sponsoring the first annual state conference on problem gambling: it takes place April 19-20 at the Orleans Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. If you question the propriety of holding a problem gambling conference in a casino, I’m guessing you’ve never been to Nevada. In this state, that
Problem gambling conference Read More »
life in vegasNew Mexico has outlawed cockfighting–from the ABQ Tribune: Gov. Bill Richardson signed a measure today that outlaws cockfighting in New Mexico, leaving Louisiana as the only state where the centuries-old bloodsport remains legal. State Sen. Mary Jane Garcia, a Doña Ana Democrat who has introduced legislation to ban cockfighting over the past 18 years, thanked
NM bans cockfighting Read More »
gambling & culture