How games of chance reflect and influence the world around us.
This week, there are not one, but two gaming-related articles in The Onion online: The Onion | New Social Security Plan Allows Workers To Put Portion Of Earnings On Favorite Team INFOGRAPH: Trump Casinos Bankrupt Check it out if you get the chance.
Funny news from The Onion Read More »
gambling & cultureThere were a bunch of stories in the British press about a guy being the country’s “unluckiest punter” because he barely missed a 6-way horse bet that would have made him a millionaire. Then, when the winner was about to give him a consolation prize, the poor guy died.
Now that’s unlucky Read More »
gambling & culture, haphazard worldEstonia, the small Baltic republic and recent addition to the European Union, apparently has had some problems with problem gamblers.
Estonian problem gambling Read More »
gambling & cultureAlthough there are many books about gambling published each year, including mine, I really didn’t have a handle on how lucrative the market could be until I read this story about the stupid hype around a forthcoming “winner tells all” book:
Gambling book gimmick Read More »
gambling & cultureOne of the questions I often get is, “What are the effects of the popularity of poker on teenagers?” I think that if you think about it for a second, that’s a really stupid question. First of all, it assumes that someone could measure exposure of teenagers to poker like it was a caustic substance
Banning cards in high school Read More »
gambling & cultureIntuitively, casinos seem like unhealthy places, what with all of the drinking, smoking, and all-you-can-eat buffets. According to one British professor, problem gamblers have a host of health problems to worry about. From Medical News Today: Gambling is bad for your health and the truly addicted can suffer depression, insomnia, intestinal disorders, migraine and other
Gambling: Bad for you? Read More »
gambling & cultureA few weeks ago, I posted a story about how a Hong Kong election was settled by picking ping-pong balls. Well, the tradition of settling tied elections by lot-casting is alive and well much closer to home, in White Pine County, Nevada. From the LVRJ: Ray Urrizaga turned over the queen of clubs. Bob Swetich
Democracy by lot in Nevada Read More »
gambling & cultureI gave my paper this morning here in Mississippi. I think it went well. I’m hurrying back to a session in a minute, so I can’t speak in great detail, but globalization is really an interesting issue that I think has been anticipated by the gaming industry in many ways. According to our lunchtime speaker,
Globalization on the gulf coast Read More »
gambling & cultureThe conventional wisdom has been that Nordic countries, with their long, dark winters, mean plenty of time for two things: drinking and sex. But the conventional wisdom may be wrong. According to a recent study, Swedes might be turning to online gaming as a substitute for sex. From the Local: Despite the international reputation for
Swedes getting less, gaming more Read More »
gambling & cultureAs if eating the food there wasn’t bad enough for kids, the folks at McDonalds are now apparently encouraging kids to gamble online…sort of. From Austrailian seven.com.au: A McDonalds toy giveaway linked to a website that features gambling games has outraged parents, an anti-pokie campaigner and a psychologist. For decades McDonalds has sold soft drinks,
McDonald’s and child gambling Read More »
gambling & cultureFor the past two days, most of the cable news networks have been playing up President Bush’s retorts to Senator Kerry’s remarks about terrorism. Here is the original quote from CNN: ”We have to get back to the place we were, where terrorists are not the focus of our lives, but they’re a nuisance,” the
After a year of preparation, the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) is back in town. Let’s see what the LVRJ has to say: Pennies and celebrities promise to be two persistent themes weaving together what for the third year in a row will be the biggest show on earth for the gaming industry. Running through Thursday,
Global gaming in Vegas Read More »
gambling & culture, life in vegasThe Grand Victoria casino is marking its first ten years in Elgin, Illinois, and the Chicago Daily Herald is running a series of articles this week, starting with this one which talks about the transformation the casino has brought to Elgin:
A Grand Decade in Elgin Read More »
gambling & cultureThe world’s economy is slowing down, but gaming has expanded. If you’ve got $3000–yes, that’s $3000 American–to spend, you can read all the details, or you can see what I cut and pasted from the press release on yahoo: The 3rd Global Gambling Review: Double or Quits? is now available from Casino City Press, the
This might be the coolest story I’ve discussed yet. Mooncake gambling exists, and it is a thriving recreation in a Chinese city. From China Daily: in Xiamen, a coastal city of East China’s Fujian Province, you find a pack of six dice inside after opening every gaudily-decorated box of mooncakes. Gambling? Right, but it is
Like many people who read my blog, you may be a college student who is interested in gambling. Well, if you are, the 2nd Annual College Poker Championship might be for you! Or not. It’s free to enter, which I guess means that it’s not technically gambling (and therefore presumably not a violation of the
Stop studying, start playing poker Read More »
gambling & cultureWatching that ESPN series on sports and gambling, something struck me as odd, but I wasn’t sure exactly what it was, until I read this, from John Schwarb of the St. Pete Times: Not to pile on too much against ESPN (in this space last week we questioned its anchors being advertising pitchmen), but we
Ranting about ESPN Read More »
gambling & cultureCheck this out from ABC News: Is your child gambling more often after watching poker games on television? Do you approve of it as an innocent pastime, or are you concerned it’s becoming a dangerous habit? For an upcoming story, ABCNEWS.com is looking for families to talk about the growing trend of poker-playing among teens
You can arrest participants and bust trainers, but apparently you can’t stop Hong Kong cricket-fighting, or betting on it. For the second time, police in Hong Kong have smashed a bug-fighting ring. From ChannelAsia.com: Hong Kong police smashed the second illegal insect-fighting gambling ring in a month when they arrested 43 people for betting on
More Hong Kong cricket-fighting! Read More »
gambling & culture, haphazard worldHere are three newsworthy items that, on a slow news day, would merit a post of their own. But, since there’s no crying in online discussion of gaming, I’ve combined them into one. Item: Mississippi Gulf Coast casinos were spared the worst from Hurricane Ivan, and will reopen today: Coast casinos to reopen today following
News from Mississippi, Virginia, Atlantic City Read More »
atlantic city, gambling & culture