life in vegas

Living in Las Vegas, Dave’s home since 2001.

The Long, Hot Summer of ’55 | Vegas Seven

  In this week’s Vegas Seven, I have a cover story on the frustrating summer of 1955–a year that has plenty to teach Las Vegas 2015: Lanza’s no-show aside, opening night at the New Frontier was regarded as a success. One of the Strip’s first resorts had reinvented itself for the Atomic Age, bigger and

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Join Me and Oscar at Inspire to Talk Casino

I’m really excited to be a part of this. Tomorrow night I get to present a live commentary track for the movie Casino along with Oscar Goodman: This Wednesday, September 10, at Inspire, DTLV.com and Vegas Seven are bringing some of your favorite Las Vegas films together with some of those deep thinkers. The Seven Essential Vegas

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life in vegas

Grandissimo on Peter Greenberg Worldwide

I was one of many guests interviewed on Peter Greenberg Worldwide’s radio show. You can listen to the episode here:

Peter Greenberg Worldwide – Nobu Hotel Caesars Palace – January 18, 2014

 It was a nice chance to talk about Grandissimo for a national audience, and I’ve got to say that Peter is one of the best interviewers I’ve encountered. Totally conversational, but always moving the show ahead, talking with him on air is just great. I also talk candidly about my past career as Mr. Peanut, among other things. 

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life in vegas

Talking about Grandisismo on Talk about Las Vegas

For the latest stop on the Grandissimo global media tour, I had a wonderful conversation with Ira David Sternberg for his show Talk about Las Vegas with Ira, which is broadcast on KUNV and is available for online listening as well.

Although this has just been released, it’s one of the first interviews I did for the book, and it was a great chance to discuss the book with someone who knows and ins and outs of Las Vegas past and present. 

You can listen to the show here, or visit the episode page

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Grandissimo Reviewed in the Review-Journal

In this morning’s Las Vegas Review-Journal, columnist Jane Ann Morrison shared her thoughts on Grandissimo:

My view is that it’s a great read and a warts-and-all portrayal of Sarno, a dreamer (and a scoundrel) who was the visionary behind Caesars Palace, which reached out to high rollers, and Circus Circus, which went for the mass market, the yin and yang of Las Vegas gaming.

Sarno book reveals good, bad

There’s much more than that, and I encourage you to read the entire column

And you now have one more data point about Grandissimo—it is a good book to read on a flight to China. 

Seriously, it’s gratifying that the book has had such a positive critical reception. I worked very hard to write a book that did three things: accurately reflected Sarno’s life and career; recreated the feel of Las Vegas in the 1960s to 1980s; and was written in such a way that people actually enjoyed reading it. I love that several of the Amazon reviews have variations on the theme of “I couldn’t put it down.” I’m really glad that I was able to relate Sarno’s story in a way that is accessible and engaging.

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life in vegas, reviews

If you don’t see a video, it’s…

If you don’t see a video, it’s here: http://youtu.be/EqZ82UwJuBQ

Author David G. Schwartz summarizes chapter 15, “A Clockwork Volcano: Las Vegas Strikes Back,” of Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling (Casino Edition).

This chapter starts by discussing some of the technological changes that made possible the rise of slot machines, like the introduction of video poker and wide area progressive games like Megabucks. It then talks about The Mirage, which opened in 1989 and kicked off the 1990s boom for Las Vegas. Although it completely changed the Las Vegas Strip, before it opened, many were skeptical that it would succeed.

We then learn about other important companies like MGM Mirage and the Mandalay Resort Group, which, through a series of mergers (including one with Mirage Resorts) became MGM Resorts. Las Vegas Sands, which owns the Venetian and Palazzo, is also profiled.

For more information about the book, visit http://www.rollthebonesbook.com

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Author David G. Schwartz summarizes chapter 13, “The…

Author David G. Schwartz summarizes chapter 13, “The Burger King Revolution: Las Vegas bounces back for the first time,” of Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling (Casino Edition).

If you don’t see a video above, go here: http://youtu.be/SlyHlAfgxqM

This chapter covers the changes that tranformed Las Vegas in the 1980s. First, it deals with the forces that led to the mob’s decline and eventual exit from the ownership of casinos in Las Vegas. Then, it discusses the trends that led to a crisis for Las Vegas in the early 1980s, and how Las Vegas rebounded by remaking itself to appeal to mass-market and family vacationers.

Some casinos discussed include the Stardust, Riviera, Circus Circus, and Tropicana.

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Author David G. Schwartz summarizes chapter 11, “The…

Author David G. Schwartz summarizes chapter 11, “The Sky’s the Limit: Las Vegas reaches for the stars,” of Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling (Casino Edition).

This chapter starts with the arrival of Jay Sarno, a true casino visionary who built Caesars Palace and Circus Circus. It then covers the impact on Las Vegas of an even more eccentric figure, Howard Hughes. From there, it discuses the corporate gaming acts, Kirk Kerkorian, the origins of the World Series of Poker, and several personalities who came to prominence in Downtown Las Vegas, including Steve Wynn, Jackie Gaughan, and Sam Boyd.

For more information about the book, visit http://www.rollthebonesbook.com

If you don’t see a video, please go here: http://youtu.be/Uxo63Wrx6Ns 

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What a Guy!

One of the most important figures in 1940s Las Vegas gambling got his start on the right side of the law, crossed over to the wrong side, and then came back. Guy McAfee was a vice squad commander in the Los Angeles Police Department, who, it was discovered, had ownership interests in several illegal casinos. Resigning rather than facing corruption charges, he moved to Las Vegas, where he was involved with several legal casinos. He’s best known as the founder of the Golden Nugget.

There’s lots more about the early figures of Las Vegas gambling in Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling

Go here to read an excerpt from the book, or learn where to buy your copy.

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fromthebook, life in vegas

A Place in the Sun

When it opened in 1952, the Sands casino was known as “A Place in the Sun,” and once it signed Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and Dean Martin as entertainers, it became the most popular casino on the Las Vegas Strip.

Today, the Sands name lives on in Las Vegas Sands, Inc., the company that owns the Venetian, Palazzo, and Sands Expo Center on the Strip as well as casinos in Pennsylvania, Macau, and Singapore.

As a result, the Sands name is found in the world’s top three gambling markets—a fitting tribute to the place where Vegas got much of its magic back in the 1950s and 1960s.

You can read more about the Sands and other Las Vegas hotels  in Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling

Go here to read an excerpt from the book, or learn where to buy your copy.

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fromthebook, life in vegas

Circus Circus Success

In the late 1980s, as other Las Vegas Strip casinos faltered, Circus Circus was prospering. Building its business on the “grind,” thousands of small players instead of a few big high rollers, Circus boasted a compound annual growth rate of more than 29 percent for the latter half of the decade. In doing so, it laid the groundwork for the 1990s Las Vegas casino boom.

You can read more about Circus Circus and other Las Vegas casinos in Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling

Go here to read an excerpt from the book, or learn where to buy your copy.

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fromthebook, life in vegas

Three excerpts from Roll the Bones


Today I’ve added three excerpts from Roll the Bones to the site to give you a little flavor of the book if you haven’t picked up a copy already. Enjoy!

1. Author’s Note/Prologue

This is the introductory overview to the book, giving an idea of its scope—and the changes in the Casino Edition.

2. Why the Mob won Vegas

This excerpt, from chapter 10, “A Place in the Sun,” explains how the Mob carved out influence on the Las Vegas Strip in the 1950s and 1960s, and why it was so dominant.


3. The Rise of Atlantic City

The opening pages of chapter 12, “America’s Playground…Again” discuss the rebirth and rise to (brief) dominance of Atlantic City’s casinos in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

To learn where you can buy Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling, please visit here

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Signs of the (Disappearing) Times in Vegas Seven

In this week’s Vegas Seven, I have a Latest Thought about a Downtown preservation effort that, I think, says a lot about what the city is becoming: Which is why it’s interesting to see what new arrivals to Las Vegas notice the most. Slots in convenience stores? Franchise pawnshops? Tap water that’s somewhere north of

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The Experience of Fremont in Vegas Seven

In this week’s Green Felt Journal, I take a look at the origin of the Fremont Street Experience: Fremont Street and the downtown casinos might be on the verge of a renaissance. Several casinos have reinvented themselves with renovations and expansions that try to blend nostalgia, modern comforts and value. But this isn’t the first

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life in vegas, Vegas Seven, writing

Run the Strip with me

If you’ve been thinking about running in the Zappo’s.com Rock and Roll Las Vegas Marathon and Half-Marathon on December 4 but haven’t been sure, this might tip the scales. You can–guaranteed–run the half marathon with me. I’ll be leading the 1:52 half-marathon pace group, so if you don’t mind a somewhat leisurely pace, I’d love

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life in vegas

Dreamer’s paradise reality check in the LVBP

My column in this week’s Las Vegas Business Press is out. It’s a meditation on what less ambitious Strip developments really mean for Las Vegas. With just about everyone in the industry mistaking the 2005-2007 boom for a new normal, it made tons of sense to trade in your sun-faded casino for a newer, bigger

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Las Vegas Business Press, life in vegas

Linq’s stirring up the Strip in Vegas Seven

When I was at the Linq-announcing press conference, I had many questions about how building this project would impact the casinos it will linq together. So I asked them. The result is this week’s Green Felt Journal in Vegas Seven: With all due respect to artists’ renderings, the recent unveiling of plans for Caesars Entertainment’s

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life in vegas, Vegas Seven

Trekkie Nightlife in Vegas Seven

At long last, an article that I wrote during the recent Creation Entertainment Star Trek convention is out as this week’s Green Felt Journal in Vegas Seven: The first thing you see walking into McFadden’s at the Rio is William Shatner in his full late-1960s Technicolor glory on one of the wide-screens that’s usually devoted

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Cut costs or invest? in the LVBP

My Las Vegas Business Press column on the dubious benefits of cost-cutting in a hospitality company is out today: It goes without saying that there are several ways to cut costs. Shaving off some perks — first-class travel for jet-setting execs or caviar in the employee dining room — makes eminently good sense when revenues

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Las Vegas Business Press, life in vegas