How games of chance reflect and influence the world around us.
Interest in gambling is booming, even as many Americans are shunning more artistic endeavors, like the ballet and theater. So why not roll the dice on gambling-themed operas? Sounds like a winner, as the San Francisco Opera has found out.
Gambling on Love in San Francisco Read More »
gambling & cultureWhen I first started putting up carpet pictures, I thought that people might find it amusing. Little did I suspect that my galleries could serve up some series creative inspiration. Go to a sneaker design contest that you can see here:KicksGuide Artist Series. Scroll down to the entry for Ryan Holler and click on the
Casino carpet sneakers? Read More »
gambling & cultureEastern Tennessee cockfighters received a shock when a recent cocking main was raided by over 100 state and federal police. Cockfighting might not be as popular as it was back in the 18th century, but it is definitely going strong in Eastern Tennessee.
Bad days for cockfighters Read More »
gambling & cultureThe great thing about people is that they can justify virtually anything to themselves. To hype a show called “Casino Takedown,” a con artist and casino cheat rationalizes his career by saying it’s not really stealing. Really?
The dark side of con artistry Read More »
gambling & culture, life in vegasJust because you shuffle off your mortal coil doesn’t mean you have to stop gambling. For that matter, it’s got a distinct advantage: you don’t have to pay off your markers. Of course, you can’t really collect your winnings, either, but the thrill of getting action down is really the important thing, isn’t it?
Betting from beyond the grave Read More »
gambling & culture, haphazard worldAs a historian of gambling, I always take issue with the assumption that casinos are somehow antitechtical to history or historic places. They are, of course, part of the flow of history. But the “Gambling vs. History” banner is being unfurled for an epic fight to prevent the slots from spinning near the hallowed ground
Gambling and history collide! Read More »
gambling & culture…if you bet the house on Germany’s Joseph Ratzinger becoming the next pope. Paddy Power had Ratzinger at 5 to 1 yesterday. I’m sure there are some lucky winners out there who would like to buy the new Benedict XVI a drink, so to speak.
Your ship just came in… Read More »
gambling & cultureHere’s my teaser: “At home I can multitask,” the manager said. “I cleaned out my entire fish tank one day and never missed a hand.” What”s this guy talking about? Playing online poker at home, something that is, unfortunately, a misdemeanor in Nevada.
Betting at home…illegally Read More »
gambling & cultureIt’s official: the barbarians are at the gate. There is now a species of monkey named for an online casino. This is another one of those stories that might turn out to be a spoof, but has been picked up by several major news organizations, so I guess it is legitimate. Even if it isn’t,
The gambling monkey Read More »
gambling & cultureLast night there was a Law and Order episode on TV that was clearly based on the Whitey Bulger-Boston FBI scandal. It got me thinking about that case, so imagine my surprise when, this morning, I read a story tangentially involved in it. Turns out that the brother-in-law of the convicted agent, John Connolly, is
Boston OC bust and the Internet Read More »
gambling & cultureThe WTO’s appellate body has upheld an earlier decision that seems to give Antigua-based remote wagering sites–online sportsbooks–the right to market and sell cross-border betting services to American citizens. Though the body found that the US federal government did have the right to restrict gambling as a morals issue, because the Interstate Horseracing Act allows
Antigua/US WTO ruling Read More »
gambling & cultureGamblers can take any event, no matter how solemn or tragic, and turn it to betting purposes. So it’s really no surprise to learn that some bookies are taking action on who the next pope will be, or that Italians are betting lottery numbers associated with John Paul II.
Betting on the Pope Read More »
gambling & cultureThere is a plethora of news today. For example, plans to dramatically expand the UK’s casino industry might have hit an impasse, but that’s no reason for Britons to stop betting on their upcoming elections. West Virginians, coming down from the amazing run of their men’s basketball team in the NCAA tournament, now have to
Quick notes, 4/4/05 Read More »
gambling & culture, life in vegasThis morning I got an email informing me that the 13th International Conference on Gambling and Risk-Taking is set. It’s going to be held from May 22-26 at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe. This is the leading academic conference on gambling in the world, and I’m looking forward to being involved.
Lucky 13th conference Read More »
gambling & cultureIf you’re like me, you’ve got no patience for people who send out emails with fantastically untrue stories on April Fool’s Day, thinking that this is some kind of great joke. Even worse are the alternative newspapers and webloggers who do this crap. I don’t know why, but it’s really stupid. Then, of course, no
April Fool’s for fools Read More »
gambling & cultureI know that they say politics makes strange bedfellows, but this is still pretty unusual. A liberal Canadian political website whose domain name has expired has become an online casino, so to speak.
Gambling for change Read More »
gambling & culture, haphazard worldWynn Las Vegas is in a media blackout–no one is talking about its details in anticipation of its opening in less than a month. But anyone with a web browser can see thisWynn Las Vegas property map, which might pique your interest.
Inside Wynn Las Vegas Read More »
gambling & culture, life in vegasI’m not about to make light of problem or illegal gambling, but each of these headlines stuck me as oddly humorous: Gambling Addicts Prepare For Casino Tough war against gambling virus I thought the first story might be an exercise in cynicism, and was surprised that what the editor meant to say was that gambling
Two great headlines Read More »
gambling & cultureThanks to ESPN’s Page 2, we get this great matchup in an NCAA-inspired tournament whose exact nature is, for me, rather vague: Poker Playing Dogs vs. Paris Hilton.
Paris Hilton vs. Dogs Read More »
gambling & cultureIn case you missed ESPN’s hyperbolic exposition of “bracketology” this weekend, the berths for the NCAA men’s college basketball tournament have been announced, beginning one of bookies’ favorite times of the year, March Madness. And the NCAA is shocked, yes, shocked that people gamble on the tournament, and suggests that the best way to end
NCAA troubled by betting Read More »
gambling & culture