I read an interesting article about the rise of Hamas to power and the dim prospects for the once-booming Jericho casino, and thought about writing an extended piece for the LVBP considering the idea that casinos need liberal democracy to survive (that’s a small “l” and small “d”–I don’t want this to degenerate into partisan […]
Hedonism, liberalism, and casinos Read More »
gambling & cultureIf you’re not intimately familiar with the Las Vegas Strip, it can be a confusing place. You might hear somewhere that the Venetian’s got a great buffet and spend your whole time in Vegas looking forward to eating there, only to be disappointed. Luckily for you, Jeff Simpson of the LV Sun has posted a
There are several things ironic and perplexing about the story I’m going to relate. Read it for yourself, from the Windsor Star: One Ontario government agency is giving a researcher $500,000 to study how casino design affects gambling. But another arm of the government — the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation — has forbidden her
Ironic and perplexing? You bet. Read More »
gambling & cultureGreat news for British proponents of gaming education yesterday, as the United Kingdom’s first school dedicated to teaching casino operations opened. From the BBC: The UK’s first gaming academy, to teach trainee croupiers the tricks of the trade, was officially opened in Lancashire on Wednesday. Blackpool and The Fylde College has built its own training
The education of a super croupier Read More »
gambling & cultureOne question I get a lot is, “When did the mob leave Las Vegas?” I usually answer that organized crime is present in every major American city (and probably every major city in the world), so it is still here. As I’ve said before, the idea of the mob “controlling” Las Vegas was and is
Gambling and the mob Read More »
news about gamblingIf you are curious, I’ve got a new article in today’s Las Vegas Business Press. The gist of it is that Sports leagues can no longer stick their heads in the sand. Here’s a sneak peek: Illegal sports betting is the dirty big secret of modern college and professional sports. League representatives talk tough —
New article in the LVBP Read More »
gambling & cultureThanks to the fact that I get the Vegas Resource newsletter, I got a very helpful email this weekend. It’s more than a source for coupons and 2-for-1 offers, with information on show openings and closings, and all other cool things. This week’s newsletter reminded me that players can get annual win/loss statements from casinos
Winning and losing Read More »
gambling & cultureAccording to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Al Qaeda has better PR than the US. According to CNN’s American Morning, they’ve also got a decent policy on paid vacations for operatives. From CNN transcripts: O’BRIEN: It’s not your run-of-the-mill job offer. The salary is decent, the benefits surprisingly good. The only trouble is, from our perspective,
But how’s the pension plan? Read More »
haphazard worldThe nation of Antigua looks askance at American prohibitions on Internet gaming. Actually that’s a bit of an understatement, as they have taken the US to WTO dispute resolution over the issue. As you can imagine, the country is not happy about a pending prohibition bill before Congress. Here’s a press release I got in
Letter from Antigua Read More »
gambling & cultureMarketing gambling is a fascinating profession: how do you convince people to spend time coming to a casino, real or virtual, when in all likelihood they will lose? I can’t tell you that, because I’m not a casino marketer. But I guess they are doing something right, as casino revenues continue to soar. Valentines Day,
Love and Pocket Aces Read More »
gambling & culture, haphazard worldThere was an interesting piece in today’s Denver Post about the confused legal status of gambling in Colorado: Robert Brown, agent-in-charge of Gaming/Complex Crimes at the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, wants to make sure Denverites do not develop an irrational fear regarding the “complex” laws governing gambling. In fact, Brown goes out of his way
Bob Goodlatte is at it again–he’s proposing an Internet gaming prohibition. And now he’s claiming that the only reason his bill didn’t pass in 2000 was opposition from disgraced lobbyist du jour Jack Abramoff. From Reuters: Virginia Rep. Bob Goodlatte will reintroduce a bill this week that would prohibit Internet gambling, a fast-growing industry valued
Blame Abramoff for Net ban failure? Read More »
gambling & cultureIn a story from last week, MGM Mirage CEO Terry Lanni discussed his company’s City Center project in Las Vegas and the potential for a similar one in Atlantic City. From Reuters: “We would give consideration to a CityCenter East,” CEO Terry Lanni told Reuters in an interview. He said such an announcement could come
City Center East? More locals casinos West? Read More »
atlantic city, life in vegasI know they say that “what happens here, stays here,’ but there’s been a disturbing tendency for “insiders” to leak information about the gambling habits of high-profile guests in Las Vegas over the past few years. The Rick Tocchet sports betting scandal hasn’t directly ensnared Wayne Gretzky, but reports of the hockey great’s gambling are
The Great Gambler? Read More »
gambling & culture, life in vegasLooking for numbers on Superbowl betting volume, I found this story from Australia about people betting on the State of the Union address. From the Daily Telegraph: ENGLISH speaking people use the word “bet” very often, even if they aren’t betting. Yesterday, I heard someone on the train say “you bet” when asked whether they
Betting on everything! Read More »
gambling & cultureIn Australia, I’ve been told, collections of gamblers are called schools–a “two-up school,” for example, is a bunch of people playing the classic Oz game. (If you’re from Australia, let me know if this is true). In America, there are dealer schools, and even degrees in casino management, but Donald Trump wants to take it
Yesterday, a piece I wrote on a “modest proposal” for legalizing sports betting ran in the LV Business Press. But today, sports betting is, of course, still illegal in most states. Former Flyers forward (and current Coyotes assistant coach) Rick Tocchet learned that the hard way: he’s been accused of promoting gambling, money laundering and
Penalty box looming for Tocchet? Read More »
gambling & cultureThe Super Bowl has come and gone, bringing jubilationt to the city of Pittsburgh, disappointment to the Pacific Northwest, and uneaten guacamole in refrigerators around the country. I suspect, but can’t confirm, that there is some sadness at sports books todays, as the favorite beat the spread. Prop bets are always an interesting part of
Gambling is Russia is growing, but that doesn’t mean that Orthodox churches should be turned into casinos. At least that’s what I think this Interfax story is about: Russian President Putin criticized the gambling industry representatives who seek to use facilities belonging to the Russian Orthodox Church for their own purposes. ‘There is nothing good
As I promised on Friday, the Las Vegas Business Press ran an article today about the immiment demise of a Strip mainstray. Check out Strip Tease to learn more. Don’t expect too many posts from me this week–I’m heading to the East Coast to do some research and meet with my editor at Gotham Books.