life in vegas

No big news today, besides the big fire on Tropicana that seems to be under control (my office window has an unobstructed view), so here’s another marathon story from the LV Sun: It was 6:15 a.m. Sunday, and by then the New Las Vegas Marathon, which is actually the semi-new Las Vegas Marathon, considering this […]

The New Las Vegas Marathon went off yesterday, and it was quite an experience. From the LVRJ: The gang of a couple dozen Elvises hit mile five, and a few of them decided to hydrate — with cold cans of beer that they had gamely pushed along in a stroller. “It’s light beer,” said 57-year-old

It’s November sweeps, so you might have noticed your local TV news ratcheting things up a little. Los Angeles’s CBS2 made the drive up I-15 and gave viewers a very slickly-produced glimpse inside the Las Vegas Hilton’s Sky Villas. These three suites–the Verona, Tusancy, and Conrad–were Hilton’s 1994 reaction to the high-roller wars. I don’t

Since I’m two-thirds of the way through the Global Gaming Expo, I’ve reached capacity on gambling-related news and notes. So, instead of talking about EBITDA or racinos, I’m taking a moment to talk about something decidedly non-gambling. For an all-too-brief weekend, Las Vegas (or at least a very, very small part of it) will be

I’m off to get interviewed on “Face to Face with Jon Ralston” so I’ve got about thirty seconds to get this down. First, I was down at G2E yesterday and it is looking immense as always. Remember, I’m doing the signing in room N110 tomorrow at 1:30, so if you are at the show, stop

As of today, the legendary Stardust is closed. After forty-eight years, the Las Vegas Strip is without one of its most storied names. But how do you close down a casino? The LV Sun tells us: Tony Taeubel, until recently the general manager of the Stardust, can reel off the names of many of the

MGM Mirage and UNLV have had a good relationship for years, so I wasn’t surprised by this news, from Yahoo! Finance: The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and the Invent the Future campaign leadership today announced the largest corporate scholarship donation ever received in the institution’s 49-year history. With a $1 million gift from

Remember when I said, in my analysis, that the Internet Gaming “ban” actually legalized Internet and wireless gaming inside Nevada? Well, take a look at the next big thing to hit poker, from Pokernews: A new wave of interactive gaming devices allowing casino patrons to play poker anywhere on a casino’s licensed property is on

For those of you who live outside the Silver State, yes, today is a holiday. It’s Nevada Day. And yes, this is a real holiday. Seriously. Almost no one is working at UNLV today, and most state offices, schools, and even some businesses are closed. The parking lots, which are usually overstuffed (a sore point

I’m happier posting my reviews of other people’s books here (see the previous entry) than linking to reviews of my own work, but Tim Peters’ review of Roll the Bones at Card Player was so on-target that I can’t resist. Here’s a sample: To what seems to be the majority of today’s poker players –

I just got an email press release from MGM Mirage with some new details about Project CityCenter’s residential component. First, there is a “residential gallery” open at Bellagio, which I think has been open for a while now (it was there about a month ago, at least). Second, there are details–and names–for all of the

As of today, the South Coast has become the South Point. From the LVRJ: The corporate gaming world didn’t suit Michael Gaughan’s tastes. But this morning, he gets to be his own boss again. Gaughan, who built Coast Resorts into a locals’ casino giant before selling the business to Boyd Gaming Corp. for $1.3 billion

Another piece of the Strip’s past is gone forever…but was it a valuable piece of history, or just some landscaping that had outlived its usefulness? You be the judge, since this LVRJ article presents both views: Four of the five original statues that once stood in front of Circus Circus, Las Vegas icons photographed by

I don’t know if I’ll make this a regular feature, but this sound bite was just so incredible, I couldn’t pass it up: One young female, walking down the stairs at Lied Library at UNLV, chatting animatedly on her cell phone, completely oblivious to her surroundings: “So my Daddy wanted to give me money to

I’d like to thank everyone who turned out for the International Launch of Roll the Bones last Saturday at Mandalay Place. It was really great to read selections from my book about gambling history in a casino. I’d also like to thank Debra Belcoff and everyone at the Reading Room, as well as the good