The Borgata has become the face of the new Atlantic City. Today, in a GALA bash, the casino opened the first phase of its expansion project. Straight from the press release: Boyd Gaming Corporation (NYSE: BYD) and MGM MIRAGE (NYSE: MGM) today announced the opening of its public space expansion at the Borgata Hotel Casino […]
Borgata expansion opens Read More »
atlantic cityIt’s the end of an era on Las Vegas Blvd South, as the storied Klondike is closing. From the LVRJ: Gaming operations at the Klondike were scheduled to cease this morning at 6. The restaurant and 153-room hotel will remain open through Friday, when the entire property permanently closes its doors. The Klondike’s history stretches
Goodbye to the Klondike Read More »
life in vegasThe 2006 World Series of Poker has begun. You can follow the whole thing at PokerPages if you like. I went down to the Rio today and got the grand tour. If you haven’t been there, the tournament takes place in a wing of Rio ballrooms. There are 208 tables, with tournament, satellite, and live
Not exactly. But there might be a chance that a casino resort could incorporate land from my alma mater, Atlantic City High School. From, of course, the AC Press: The city’s white-hot gambling market is attracting another player. A casino investment group headed by one of the country’s former top gaming executives is buying 11
Parties bidding on the casino license for Sentosa Island, Singapore, might want to follow Las Vegas Sands’ winning strategy for the Marina Bay casino: an innovative design, multi-faceted marketing approach, and proven experience in the region and industry. Or, they might just want to read their star charts and consult with feng shui experts. From
Casino geomancers and astrologers Read More »
news about gamblingHarrah’s Entertainment just released its big survey of casino entertainment. Once, this was just a neat thing that a smallish company into progressive marketing did. Now, it’s the voice of the world’s largest casino operator. From biz.yahoo: A new national survey demonstrates Americans’ enthusiasm for casino gambling and their desire to experience a broad array
Harrah’s survey: no surprises Read More »
gambling & cultureAccording to a new study, casino revenues are expected to rise over the next few years. From the AP via Washington Post: Global revenue from gambling is expected to climb 8.8 percent annually from $82.2 billion last year to $125 billion by 2010, according to a new estimate by consultant PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. Fueled by new
Casino revenues up Read More »
gambling & cultureRemember Lewis the aggro cat? Well, he’s had his day in court, and he now has a new lease on life. From ABC News: A state judge spared the life of alleged neighbor-assaulter Lewis the cat on Tuesday, but ordered that he remain inside his owner’s Fairfield home at all times. “There are no exceptions.
Animal rights activists are probably reposting this story to draw attention to the inhumane treatment of animals. I just think that the name of the restaurant deserves some notice. From Reuters: Banner-wielding animal rights protesters swarmed into a restaurant serving cat meat in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen and forced it to shut, Xinhua
Not-such-a-mystery meat Read More »
haphazard worldI’ve posited before that humans may be genetically predisposed to gamble because, as hunter-gatherers, those who didn’t take risks starved to death and didn’t pass on their genes–or behaviors–to their offspring. Neuroscience is coming one step closer to proving this theory. From the Financial Times: In an uncertain world, we are often pulled between sticking
Gamble to live, live to gamble Read More »
gambling & cultureWell, it’s a few days old, but you can still read it in the Las Vegas Business Press. Here’s a tease: It’s often said that college athletes get the star treatment because they are, well, stars. When 100,000 people pack a stadium to hear a talk on Joyce’s use of light and dark imagery in
New LVBP article is elementary Read More »
gambling & culture, what's newEveryone, it seems, wants to know the future. Unfortunately, history isn’t a predictive science, so most people have to make do with vague Nostradmus-type predictions or simple guesswork. But you don’t need a crystal ball to see that, in a few years, the Las Vegas Strip will be a much different place. From the LVRJ:
The (near) future of the Strip Read More »
life in vegasHere in the US, we are relatively insulated from World Cup fever. But in most of the world, passions run high, and the tournament is a holiday of sorts. Even religious devotion takes a backseat to “football,” to a point. From the Chicago Tribune: The chief of Cambodia’s Buddhist monks is cutting his charges some
You can watch, but you can’t bet Read More »
gambling & cultureMelvin Dummar, who you might remember as the guy who reportedly picked up Howard Hughes in the middle of the desert and, in return, was named in the “Mormon will,” has filed a lawsuit seeking his rightful share of the Hughes estate. From the WSJ: Melvin Dummar had long since given up on getting a
Hughes estate contested again Read More »
life in vegasSteve Wynn spent millions of dollars creating the Bellagio fountains, an impressive spectable by any yardstick. Every day, thousands of onlookers thrill to the incongruity of dancing waters in the heart of the desert. It suggests that humans are capable of overcoming even the largest environmental hurdles. The next casino to open on the Strip
Diet Coke, Mentos, and the Bellagio fountain Read More »
haphazard worldThe The New York Times Magazine, on 6/11 at least, is all about money. You know, the folding green stuff. Jackson Lears has a piece about The American Way of Debt. Being the excellent historian he is, Lears dissects the anti-debt jeremiads and discovers that Americans have always been quick to going into hock: But
All-in debt and holdem hold ups Read More »
gambling & cultureWhen we look back at it, data mining might be the biggest transformation of gambling to take place in the 1990s. On one level, it’s about reducing the human factor–interaction between casino managers and players to determine the players’ comping levels–to a software program. On the other, it’s about the growing sophistication–and power–of computers. So
From Total Rewards to MySpace Read More »
gambling & cultureThink that a major hurricane will rain down death and destruction on the United States this year? Well, thanks to the Internet, you can now put some money on the proposition. This Knight Ridder story is all over the place, but I think the Sun Herald nailed the headline: While ever-diligent South Floridians stockpile hurricane
Betting on hurricanes Read More »
gambling & cultureProving that things that happen in other parts of the country also happen in Vegas, there’s talk of banning smoking indoors in Nevada. But in hotel rooms? From the LVRJ: Nevada voters could be asked in November whether they want to ban smoking in hotel and motel rooms, restaurants, supermarkets, convenience stores and bars. A
No smoking in NV hotel rooms? Read More »
life in vegasI’m late in posting today because I spent much of the morning doing a stint on KNPR’s State of Nevada–check the link for the details–and recording a few commentaries that will air at a later date. One of them is an elaboration (no, it’s definitely not a rehash) of my thoughts on spelling bee betting,
From 06/06/06 to 10/05/06 Read More »
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