Everything about casinos, lotteries, racetracks, and other gambling businesses: news, design, and corporate intrigue.
Here’s more evidence that Las Vegas never was recession-proof. This is taken from Parry Thomas’ biography, Quiet Kingmaker. As the most important banker to the gaming industry from 1955 to the 1980s, he knows what he’s talking about: In my first twelve years here in Nevada [1955-1967] we went through at least three depressions locally […]
Never. Recession. Proof. Read More »
news about gamblingI saw this back on Sunday in the LVRJ and thought I’d share it: The Vegas Club has introduced a new low-limit “Fetish Pit” beginning at 7 p.m. every Thursday through Saturday. Dealers are dressed as “naughty nurses,” “sexy school girls,” “risqué female cops” or “leather-clad biker chicks” while pole dancers perform on a raised
Interesting story on the M resort a few days ago in the LV Sun. My eyes lit up when I saw this bit, because it answered a crucial question: what’s been going on with the Boulder Strip’s roulette hold percentage since March? Marnell says he doesn’t shy away from volatility because he knows the casino
Volatility in practice Read More »
news about gamblingInspired by Gerald Davis’ Managed by the Markets, I wrote an LVBP column about similarities between gaming companies and other ones. My bold suggestion is that the gaming industry is more like than unalike others: As big as the companies that run Las Vegas casinos seem in this town, they're really on the small side
Along with word that business in Las Vegas is “bouncing along the bottom,” the big news today is the latest in celebrity bad marker cases, former NBA star Antoine Walker. From the LVRJ: Walker faces three felony counts related to writing bad checks at Las Vegas casinos between July 2008 and January 2009. According to
Another day, another bad marker case Read More »
news about gamblingHarrah’s had announced–in very unspecific terms–what it plans to do with its fantastic assortment of Strip acreage. From the LV Sun: They didn’t announce their intentions at the time. The economy was still humming, and with tourism booming and new resort construction expected by consumers and demanded by investors, the decision was something of a
Hey! What passes for good news on the casino revenue front: the decrease in revenue isn’t as bad as it’s been. Who would have thought we’d be saying that back in 2007? From the LV Sun: Casinos along the Las Vegas Strip won $480.8 million in May, making it the 17th straight month of a
Nevada revenue decline declining Read More »
news about gamblingThe casino industry has lost one of its major innovators with the passing of Bernie Goldstein this weekend. From the Quad City Times: Bernard “Bernie” Goldstein, 80, who got his start in business as a scrap metal dealer and became a major player in Americas gambling empire, died Sunday in Trinity Pathway Hospice, Bettendorf. “Im
Bernie Goldstein, 1929-2009 Read More »
news about gamblingCasinos in most of Russia are about the close. From BBC News: Gamblers in Moscow and other major Russian cities are placing their last bets ahead of a government ban on casinos and gaming halls. A new law comes into effect at midnight, confining gambling to four regions far from the capital. It bans gambling
Russian casinos closing Read More »
news about gamblingColorado casinos are getting ready to start play with more games and higher betting limits. From the Colorado Springs Gazette: At the Colorado Grande Casino in Cripple Creek, the last security cameras are being placed over the roulette table. At Bronco Billys Casino, gamblers are laying wagers on blackjack table in the new table games
Gambling history in Colorado Read More »
news about gamblingIf you don’t get your slot jones on in the airport and can’t wait to get to a casino, you will soon be in luck: the county commission has approved a proposal for slots at the unified car rental center, even though the bid seems a bit high. From the LVRJ: Anxious to get revenue
Connected to this WSJ article about the NFL not liking sports betting, there’s a pretty neat, though somewhat vague, interactive map of American gambling: The NFL Doesnt Want Your Bets – WSJ.com.
Interactive gambling map Read More »
news about gamblingYes the Tropicana Atlantic City, which was “repossessed” by the Casino Control Commission over a year and a half ago, has finally been sold…to Carl Icahn. From the AC Press: Tropicana Casino and Resort, once expected to fetch $1 billion or more, was sold today for $200 million to a group of lenders headed by
Our long national nightmare is over Read More »
atlantic city, news about gamblingI think this story from KLAS really demonstrates what a global business gambling has become: Federal prosecutors have charged two men with conspiring to sell counterfeit video slot machines bearing the name of the Reno-based International Game Technology. The two men include a 43-year-old Cuban national accused of selling the slots in Latvia. Rodolfo Rodriguez
Global slot scheme Read More »
news about gamblingTaking a minute from the grind of analyzing the April Nevada gaming revenues, I figured I’d post this story, which surprisingly hasn’t really been picked up by the Vegas blogosphere. From KLAS: The Raelian Movement is announcing plans to build a UFOland in Las Vegas where visitors can attend a Happiness Academy and see a
If a red flag is flying, brazen bold against the blue… Read More »
haphazard world, life in vegas, news about gamblingThis morning I joined KNPR’s State of Nevada host Dave Berns and poker legend Howard Lederer in studio to talk about the Frank bill and the proposed legalization of online betting in the US: Americans are expected to lose $22 billion next year via Internet betting, although the practice is technically illegal in this country.
Talking online gambling on KNPR Read More »
news about gamblingYou can probably order a margarita at the Shell, but Trump Marina isn’t turning into Margaritaville anytime soon. From the
Marina not wasting away Read More »
atlantic city, news about gamblingAlmost 20 years to the day that Stanley Fujitake made gambling history at the California in downtown Las Vegas, a woman in Atlantic City has taken his crown as the longest craps roller ever. From the AC Press: A Morris County woman gave a whole new meaning to the expression “being on a roll,” as
Woman with the golden arm Read More »
atlantic city, news about gamblingLawmakers in the state of Illinois are seriously considering legalizing video poker and other electronic gambling devices throughout the state. With a maximum of 5 devices per location, this would be similar to–but smaller than–Nevada’s restricted licenses, which permit bars to have up to 15 machines. From the Chicago Tribune: Video poker has long been
Video slots comes to Illinois? Read More »
news about gamblingA high-roller who lost an incredible amount of money gambling in Las Vegas casinos is seeking to avoid paying some of his markers, claiming that he was too drunk to know what he was doing. From the LV Sun: High-rolling Nebraska philanthropist Terrance K. Watanabe is mounting an unusual defense to charges he failed to
The intoxication defense Read More »
news about gambling