How games of chance reflect and influence the world around us.
There are things that I’d like to have for the Gaming Collection at UNLV but cannot buy. Still, if they were donated, it would be great. This wheel of fortune is one example: eBay: ANTIQUE-OLD-STYLE-GAMBLING-WHEEL OF FORTUNE (item 6222792485 end time Nov-07-05 14:41:27 PST) I’d like to get one of those and, if I teach […]
Fortune’s old wheel Read More »
gambling & cultureCasino advertising has come a long way, or maybe people are less susceptible to reverse psychology. This matchbook was once used to promote Harolds Club, a leading Reno casino: This image comes from the Nevada Casino Matchvcovers site. I’m amazed at the proliferation of casino collectibles out there. So, in the space of a matchbook,
Well, that was little more than a fancy way to lead into this story from the LV Sun about a woman who used a stolen credit card to buy a lottery ticket–and is paying the price: A Southern Oregon woman used a stolen credit card to buy a state lottery scratch-it ticket that was worth
The lottery millionaire and the purloined plastic Read More »
gambling & culture, haphazard worldI get a lot of email from people I don’t know. Most of it is asking me for information, while some of it is just plain strange. I deem an elect number of emails worthy of along to you. You might remeber Absecon Al’s rants against Red Square at Tropicana AC (also here, with photos)
The Million Pixel March (to the roulette table) Read More »
gambling & cultureAt any given moment, an uncountable number of new games are being proposed, developed, tested, and usually forgotten at casinos across the world. Since the disappearance of faro from Nevada gambling halls in the 1940s, many have come to challenge the Big Three–craps, blackjack, and roulette. By the 1980s, baccarat had emerged as a major
Hot betting at the Hilton Read More »
gambling & culture, life in vegasDo you know a slender guy or gal who A) likes gambling B) is devilishly inclined C) likes lounge pants? Well, this auction is just for you: super comfortable Lounge Pants. 100 % cotton jersey knit fabric. Made in the USA. MSRP $24.99. Brand new, never worn, never washed. They have an elastic waist band
Pants for the lounging gambling devil Read More »
gambling & cultureBetting on sports can be far more remunerative for the player than most casino games. A simple look at the numbers proves it. Nevada casinos hold about 5% of sports bets, while they keep over 12% on virtually every casino game. I’m going from memory here, so the math might be a little off, but
I saw this headline and immediately thought of Being There: al.com: Casino Night in garden will do local hearts good The story is about a charity casino night in Alabama that seems all inclusive: from Al.com: Be a little bit bad for a good cause next Friday. Casino Night in the Garden of Good and
Chauncey Gardner’s night out? Read More »
gambling & cultureWhat do you get a millionaire US Senator who’s already got everything? How about a Powerball ticket? As the jackpot climbed to nearly $350 million, New Hampshire’s Judd Gregg was intriuged and bought a ticket. Proving that fortune favors the curious, he won a cool $853, 492. From CBS4 Boston: On a whim, U.S. Sen.
Senator Powerball! Read More »
gambling & cultureAccording to one Malaysian parliamentarian, gambling leads to superstition. From The Star: -In the kampung, when people want to win numbers games, they go to see the bomoh and even make offerings to trees so that their numbers will come up winners. -All this shows that gambling can make people carry out deviationist practices,†said
Gambling can lead to deviationism? Read More »
gambling & cultureCheck out this review of the new Al Pacino movie Two for the Money from the aptly-named Couch Slouch: There’s a new sports-betting movie out called “Two for the Money.” Larry King calls it “the best movie about gambling ever made! … This film has everything.” Couch Slouch calls it “the worst movie about gambling
Two for the Money reviewed Read More »
gambling & cultureThis isn’t really a gambling auction, but this movie poster is cool anyway: I don’t believe no one has bid on this. Right now, $17 could make this yours. Check the auction here.
Gambling with souls Read More »
gambling & cultureThis is hardly one of the day’s dominant issues, but there is a fascinating story in the Columbus (Georgia) Ledger-Enquirer about how Fats Domino may have gotten his inspiration for his 1960 hit “Walking to New Orleans.” Guess what? It involves gambling.
“Walking to New Orleans” origin? Read More »
gambling & cultureAs the debate over moving casinos on shore heats up in Mississippi, I think that Bob Lizarraga’s print “The Rat Pack vs. the Devil for Control of the Strip” is somehow appropriate. If I ever redo my office with a them, I’d deck it out in Lizarraga prints. I just thought of something. When something
Rat Pack vs. Devil Read More »
gambling & cultureAnother day, another clash between religion and gambling, it seems. First of all, a Mississippi state representative from Pass Christian has called would-be moralists out over their insistence that Katrina was doing God’s bidding: Rep. Jim Simpson of Pass Christian couldn’t believe the e-mails he received from some self-proclaimed Christians this week attempting to lobby
Gambling at the Last Supper? Read More »
gambling & cultureI’ve been waiting to hear this: the hurricanes that have recently struck the Gulf Coast are, apparently, God’s way of punishing us. Unfortunately, no one can agree just what we’ve done that’s so bad. There’s the usual suspects–gambling, drinking, etc–but nearly every religious zealot with a beef is stepping up to the plate on this
The full question is, how many legal slot machines are there in the United States? Thanks to an article in the always-accurate Gaming Today, I have a quick answer for you. Plus, you’ll get a wild guess for how much money they earn in a day and throughout the year.
How many slots are there? Read More »
gambling & cultureDealing with gambling, history, and popular culture for a living, I like to keep abreast of new developments. This means a whole bunch of things: following financial results for casino companies, checking out casinos for the latest games and promotions, and seeing how gambling is depicted in art. Today I decided to spend five minutes
For those of you who are curious, my session this morning at G2E on the Wire Act was, I think, a real success. Bob Blumenfeld gave a great summary of the US/Antigua WTO case and Bill White from Global Cyber discussed the possibilities of intra-state legal Internet gaming. All in all, an interesting session. I
As the Las Vegas Review Journal will tell you, the Global Gaming Expo has arrived. I was down there yesterday–working on a Sunday again–to drop off some materials for the big centennial of Las Vegas gaming exhibit, and the place was already buzzing. I’m expecting to be down there most of this week, so chances