Think someone who won a million-dollar slot jackpot is rolling in dough? Well, owning the casino is even more profitable. Forbes has an interesting slideshow with the the richest gambling magnates in the world.
Hitting the jackpot Read More »
gambling & cultureThe day has arrived…after about a year of research and writing, I’ve finished the first draft of Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling. What does this mean for you, the reader? A chance to do some more reading. Gotham will be bringing the book out next June, so if you’ve ever bemoaned the lack
The bones have been rolled Read More »
writingI’ve recently suggested, tongue-in-cheek, that gambling may be the answer to everything. Apparently some people really think that betting patterns can help predict the destructive swath of hurricanes. Really.
Betting on hurricanes? Read More »
gambling & cultureThis doesn’t really have anything to do with either the Johnny Depp or Gene Wilder versions of Roald Dahl’s books about Charlie Bucket and Oompa-Loompas, but something about this story seems positively Wonka-esque. Someone tried to blackmail Sydney’s Star City casino with chocolate. Seriously.
Charlie and the casino shake-down Read More »
news about gamblingYesterday, I suggested that gambling may be able to predict the future…as long as the future’s already been written in a book and people are able to bet on it. This site has yet another example of gambling gone wild: Stuff On My Cat � Smokey has a bit of an issue Just when you
I just found this interesting because a guy I used to work with had an unnatural fascination for guinea hens, so it’s kind of an inside joke. But still, it’s an example of how growth brings unforeseen problems.
Twlight of the guinea hens Read More »
atlantic cityThe latest Harry Potter book sold something like 7 million copies on its first day, as readers were eager to find out which “major character” dies or something like that. I haven’t read the books, so I’m not sure what that’s all about, but here’s an interesting story: two months ago, newspaper reports gave away
Harry Potter spoiled…thanks to gambling Read More »
gambling & cultureI have seen the future of racing, and it is robots! At least I think so. According to Ananova, robot jockeys have been pressed into service at a Qatar camel-racing track. They have a picture, too:
Some people think that the perfect place to live does not exist. They’re wrong–it’s Moorestown, NJ, according to Money magazine. With average SAT scores of over 1150, students there, I’m sure, will have no problem overcoming the stigma of being from New Jersey. It’s a stigma, to be sure. As a native of Atlantic City,
Today, nearly every nation or state grants some sort of gambling franchise, usually in the name of revenue enhancement, i.e., cash. With the police cracking down on illegal rivals, these gambling monopolies are usually pretty lucrative for everyone involved. In Canada, though, the authors of a new report believe that Ontario’s state-sanctioned gaming industry may
Canadian gaming illegal? Read More »
news about gamblingSince 2002, Russia has become a truly casino nation. Moscow alone, which had 30 casinos in 2002, has almost double that number today. But many American visitors would be a bit surprised by what they found behind the doors of a Moscow gambling house: Victorian decor…and arm wrestling?
Hurricane Dennis might be wreaking havoc with Gulf Coast casinos soon, and the Mississippi Gaming Commission is ready. Even before an official shut-down order has been issued, though, Gulfport music lovers have bad news.
According to the LVRJ, ‘Life goes on’ in Las Vegas after the London terrorist attack. Events like that show how trivial much of the “news” is, particularly the sort of thing covered on this site. Still, if you are interested in the world of gambling as seen from Las Vegas, there are several stories out
The Party Gaming stock offering has been big news lately. There’s a profile of the company’s chief owner Ruth Parasol, for example, that makes interesting reading. But what about the people who actually run the site?
In the true spirit of blog-dom, here’s a story about a story that, for me, is more interesting than the original story. The State of Nevada has recently approved wireless gaming in casinos, and I think that the industry might be interested in hearing the reaction from a gamer’s website. While these aren’t your hardcore
More write ups for the casino carpet mania! Even the New York Times had a piece, which I guess is the pinnacle of recognition. Anyway, if this is your first time here, enjoy this site, and check out the carpets here. There are some other photo galleries as well, and of course this blog.
I’m proud to write for Casino Connection, the official magazine of Atlantic City casino employees. After all, I used to be one, and it gives me a nice platform to talk about Atlantic City history once a month. This month, it has a great article about something that makes Atlantic City unique–its Italian bread.
You can’t read it yet, but you can pre-order it from amazon.com at an incredible price: $16.47 for all 296 pages. Of course, if you want to buy the hardcover for $49.95, I’m not going to stop you. It’s still under construction, but you can check out my very own Cutting the Wire section to
Cutting the Wire is here (virtually)! Read More »
writingI get people asking me all the time for quantative measures of the “social impact” of gambling. I try to convince them that such a thing is hard to measure. But, if you’re unhampered by standards of academic rigor, it’s easy to make wildly inaccurate claims based on second-hand evidence. Take, for example, this letter
Solid socio-economic research Read More »
gambling & cultureInterest in gambling is booming, even as many Americans are shunning more artistic endeavors, like the ballet and theater. So why not roll the dice on gambling-themed operas? Sounds like a winner, as the San Francisco Opera has found out.
Gambling on Love in San Francisco Read More »
gambling & culture