Craftily arranged nouns, verbs, and more.
I have a little piece on UNLV’s Newscenter about why it’s important to preserve the past: Since my latest book, Grandissimo, came out, people have asked me why I wrote it. The simple answer is that Jay Sarno was the most interesting person in Las Vegas history not to have a book already written about him. […]
On Writing Grandissimo | UNLV News Center Read More »
writingHere is this week’s Green Felt Journal, a tribute (in mostly his own words) to Burton Cohen: Cohen grew up in the hotel business in Florida, and his 16 years of practicing law made him a perfect chief executive, able to read contracts and grasp their subtleties but also aware of operational realities on the
Burton Cohen: The Man You Wanted Running Your Hotel | Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenIn my latest Green Felt Journal, I riff on remarks MGM chairman Jim Murren made about his company’s Park development and the future of the Strip by imagining what the Strip will look like in 2019: An interesting way to ponder the Strip’s trajectory is to follow Murren’s lead, play the long game, and imagine
MGM’s Park and the Future of the Strip | Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenLast Thursday, I did a quick interview with Lorrin Bond of 97.1 about my Vegas Seven cover story on The Mirage’s design and construction. You can listen to it here if you like: David G. Schwartz talks about how the Mirage came to be by Vegas Seven on SoundCloud – Hear the world’s sounds. Fun
Talking how the Mirage came to be on 97.1 Read More »
Vegas SevenOne of my favorite things about writing for Vegas Seven is the chance to write extended feature pieces that give me a chance to do original research and learn a great deal about Las Vegas, present and past. In this week’s issue, I take a look back at the event which, 25 years ago, changed
The Conjuring of The Mirage in Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenIn this week’s Green Felt Journal, I take a look at what changes might be afoot on casino floors across the country: Since the recession, however, slot machines have lost ground to tables. Last year, tables statewide earned 35 percent of total gaming win. That doesn’t sound like a big shift—5 percentage points over just
The Coming Social Gaming Revolution | Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenIn this week’s Green Felt Journal, I propose a possible solution to the current schism between pro- and anti-online gaming forces in Congress (and the gaming industry): With both sides ratcheting up their lobbying, though, it seems that Congress is painting itself into a corner without a way forward or compromise that will satisfy everyone.
The Online Gaming Debate: Not So Fast, Congress | Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenIn this week’s Green Felt Journal, I take a look at FinCEN, the federal bureau that, I think is going to make a big impact on Las Vegas in the near future: Would-be high-rollers, take note: If you ever have a transaction of more than $10,000 at a casino, the staff there will gather information
Needs of High Rollers, Government Leave Casinos in a Bind | Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenIn a little experiment on price sensitivity in the ebook format, I’ve decided to slash the price of the e-version of Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling by nearly 20%. The list price for all versions of the RTB ebook is now $7.99. You can learn more or buy it at your favorite ebook retailer:
New Lower Price for Roll the Bones ebook Read More »
Roll the BonesHere is my latest in Vegas Seven, about two Caesars transactions that, I think, augur the future: It’s no secret that both online and social gaming are growing; millions of people play “for free” each day, and at least 10 states—including California and Texas—are mulling the legalization of straight-up online gambling. The two transactions show
Caesars’ Changing Empire | Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenWhen Derek Stevens started accepting Bitcoin at The D and Golden Gate, I became curious: How did he make the decision to do this, and why? The result of my curiosity is this week’s Green Felt Journal: Sometimes a story about newfangled technology doubles as one about old-fashioned neighborhood gumption. When The D and the
What Does Bitcoin’s Downtown Presence Say About Las Vegas—and the Future? | Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenIn this week’s Green Felt Journal, I take a look at the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement’s decision to release less information about gaming win. I think it’s a bad thing: The industry is often misunderstood, partially because many people don’t grasp the nature of casino math. Some confuse the amount of money gambled
Numbers, Transparency, and the Health of Gaming | Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenIn this week’s Green Felt Journal, I take a look at the resurgent American Gaming Association and what it means for Las Vegas: In the past few months, the American Gaming Association has almost completely regenerated itself. Even though the gaming industry’s chief lobbying group has the same name and offices, it has a renewed
The American Gaming Association Takes a Smart New Direction | Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenHere is my final Green Felt Journal of 2013. It’s perhaps appropriate that it looks ahead to 2014: While 2013 was mostly a year of building and transition, Las Vegas should definitively enter the post-recession era in 2014. That won’t mean a return to pre-recession prosperity, but rather a shift in how casinos approach visitors.
The Action, for Resorts, Is on the Street | Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenIn this week’s Green Felt Journal, I take a look at one of the entrepreneurs who is shaking things up on the Strip: Jonathan Fine is a case in point. Fine—who operates some of the Strip’s hottest midmarket nightspots—comes from one of the most illustrious families in Las Vegas: His grandfather, Hank Greenspun, founder of
Rockhouse, PBR Rock Bar Owner Just a Local Kid on the Strip | Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenIn this week’s Vegas Seven, I have a feature article considering the ways that the spirit of 1993 is still with us: In the fall of 1993, the wrapping came off three new resorts that promised to change the way people visited Las Vegas. The opening of The Mirage four years earlier is rightfully credited
From the Emerald City to Pharaoh’s Tomb | Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenThis week’s Green Felt Journal was a difficult one for me to write. A few months back, I struck up a friendship with a long-time Las Vegan, David Atwell, who I learned was involved with some of the biggest real estate deals in the city’s history. We had conversation after conversation about the development of
It’s kind of meta that, in the big holiday rush last week, I didn’t share my latest in Vegas Seven, a look at the maybe fantasy called Wonderland: In Las Vegas, you’re never quite sure what’s real, what’s fantasy and what’s just wishful speculation. And it’s never possible to tell which is which, until it’s
Fantasy Land | Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenThis week’s Green Felt Journal considers how mobile devices, slots, and the Bible converge: Yes, there really are Bible-themed virtual slots available on your mobile device. App-maker Top Free Games—whose library is split between gambling games like video poker and blackjack and public-domain works like Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, the Kama Sutra and the
Bible-Themed Slot Machines, Flood Not Included | Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenIn this week’s Green Felt Journal, I talked to security experts about how to make Las Vegas casinos and nightclubs safer: The recent tragic shooting at Drai’s after-hours club in Bally’s casino hotel has raised questions about just how much security both casinos and nightclubs in Las Vegas should provide. Not surprisingly, there is no
Keeping the Clubs Safe | Vegas Seven Read More »
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