If you don’t see a video, it’s…

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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

If you don’t see a video, it’s… Read More »

life in vegas, video

Grandest hotel…again

fromthebook • • • ,

When the “new” MGM Grand opened in December 1993 with 5,005 rooms, it was the biggest hotel-casino in the world. That marked the third time majority owner Kirk Kerkorian has opened the world’s biggest hotel-casino. He did it with the International (1969) and original MGM Grand (1973).

For more about Las Vegas casinos, check out Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling. 

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

Grandest hotel…again Read More »

fromthebook

Smokeless on the Strip? | Vegas Seven

Vegas Seven • • • , ,

In this week’s Green Felt Journal, I tackle the issue of smoking in casinos on the Las Vegas Strip: The implicit question raised in those cheeky billboards is this: Smoking is banned in restaurants, movie theaters and indoor arenas. Why is it still permitted in Nevada casinos? The short answer: because casinos were exempted from

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Vegas Seven

Goldstein lobbies for riverboats

fromthebook • • • ,

Bernard Goldstein, former owner of the Alter Companies, was influential in lobbying for the legalization of riverboat casinos in Iowa in 1988 and 1989. Goldstein’s riverboat casino company eventually became Isle of Capri.

You can learn more about riverboat 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

Paperback edition available again!

author • • •

I’ve successfully migrated Roll the Bones from Lulu to CreateSpace, which means that the book is available directly from the print on demand vendor again.

The upshot of all this for you, the reader, is that the retail price has dropped from $26.00 to $21.95. Thanks for CreateSpace producing books less expensively than Lulu, I’m able to offer them at that new, low price. 

I’ve also made a few slight interior changes, including modifying the title page and cleaning up a few typos, and the spine of the book is now much better looking. I’ll try to post a picture later.

This printing will be working its way into other distribution channels over the next week or so, so if you’re planning on buying from Barnes and Noble, wait until you see it for $21.95 retail. At Amazon, it’s now on sale for $20.85. Follow this link and you can’t go wrong!

Thanks to everyone who helped me migrate the book. And thanks to you, if you have bought it or are thinking about buying it.

Paperback edition available again! Read More »

author

Author David G. Schwartz summarizes chapter 14, “Runaway…

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Author David G. Schwartz summarizes chapter 14, “Runaway American Dream: Gambling in the public interest,” of Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling (Casino Edition).

This chapter describes how casinos expanded from two states, Nevada and New Jersey, to being found nearly nationwide. It starts by discussing the origins of Indian casinos, and also handles the rise of riverboat gambling, limited gaming in South Dakota and Colorado, land-based casinos, urban casinos, and racinos.

If you don’t see a video, go here: http://youtu.be/Vl2wFimz7o4

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

Author David G. Schwartz summarizes chapter 14, “Runaway… Read More »

video

Progress on Grandissimo

author • •

With Roll the Bones out now, I’ve dove back into GRANDISSIMO. In the past few weeks I’ve given the manuscript its hopefully final major edit and have started to flesh out this site.

You can now read Who is Jay Sarno to get a sense of the man GRANDISSIMO is about, and see the Cast of Characters.

My next step is to create a Kickstarter campaign to get the money I need for the last bit of work on the book—copy-editing, indexing, and marketing.

Hopefully by this October, you’ll be able to read GRANDISSIMO for yourself.

Progress on Grandissimo Read More »

author

New paperback printing

Uncategorized • • •

If you want to buy this book in paperback, I’ve got some good news and some inconvenient news.

The good news: I’m changing my print-on-demand vendor from Lulu to Create Space, which will substantially lower the cost of the paperback ($26 retail to $21.95).

The bad news is that it will take a little bit of time for the change to go through, so you may have difficulty ordering the book over the next week or so. As of now it’s still for sale on Amazon and Barnes and Noble, but is no longer available directly on Lulu. 

With the help of CreateSpace’s great technical services team, I’m hoping to have the CreateSpace store open within the next two weeks, with the book’s availability at its new price on Amazon and Barnes and Noble soon after.

The upshot? If you’re thinking of buying Roll the Bones, hang on for a week or two. If you want something of mine to read in the meantime, I’ve got two options: here’s my archive of Vegas Seven writing, which runs to tens of thousands of words, and here’s some info about Cutting the Wire: Gambling Prohibition and the Internet, which is also a fun read.

The Roll the Bones ebook is still available across all platforms, and will continue to be.

New paperback printing Read More »

Uncategorized

A Casino Strawman

fromthebook • • •

The late-1970s Strawman investigation, an FBI underworld inquiry based in Kansas City, Missouri, discovered widespread skimming at Las Vegas casinos.

You can learn more about how the feds and Nevada regulators chased the mob out of Nevada 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.

A Casino Strawman Read More »

fromthebook

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

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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.

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

life in vegas, video

Trump comes to Atlantic City

atlantic city, fromthebook • • • ,

Donald Trump’s first Atlantic City casino wasn’t wholly his own—it was a joint venture with Harrah’s, and was initially called “Harrah’s at Trump Plaza.” 

For the full story of how Trump gained sole possession of that property and two other Atlantic City casinos, read Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling. 

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

Trump comes to Atlantic City Read More »

atlantic city, fromthebook

Author David G. Schwartz summarizes chapter 12,…

atlantic city, video • •

Author David G. Schwartz summarizes chapter 12, “America’s Playground…Again: Atlantic city becomes the casino capital of the East,” of Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling (Casino Edition).

If you don’t see a video above, go here: http://youtu.be/UtsacolklS4

This chapter covers the development of casinos in Atlantic City. It starts with a brief recap of the city’s history through the 1960s, and discusses the trends that led to the successful 1976 referendum that approved casinos in the city.

From there, the chapter covers the development of New Jersey’s regulatory and licensing system, the first casino (Resorts International), and several other landmark casinos, including Caesars Boardwalk Regency, Bally’s, the Sands, the Golden Nugget, and Donald Trump’s three casinos. Finally, it talks about the last few years, taking the city from the excitement surrounding the opening of the Borgata in 2003 to the malaise and doubt surrounding Revel’s opening in 2012.

Author David G. Schwartz summarizes chapter 12,… Read More »

atlantic city, video

Moulin Rouge breaks the color line

fromthebook • •

From the 1930s, Las Vegas casinos on the Strip and Downtown were racially segregated. In 1955, the Moulin Rouge opened on Bonanza Road, as the first major Las Vegas casino to welcome patrons of all races.

You can learn more about the Moulin Rouge 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

Casino Concentration and the Logic of Empire | Vegas Seven

Vegas Seven • • • ,

For this week’s Green Felt Journal, I offer you an 800-word version of the 10,000-word paper I presented at the International Conference on Gambling and Risk-Taking. It’s my attempt to assess whether the mid-decade spate of mergers was good for anyone…and from what I’ve discovered, it looks like the answer is “not really.” From Vegas

Casino Concentration and the Logic of Empire | Vegas Seven Read More »

Vegas Seven

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

life in vegas, video • •

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 

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

life in vegas, video

The (illegal) Beach Club shines

fromthebook • • • ,

For the first half of the 20th century, Edward Riley Bradley’s Beach Club, located in Palm Beach, was the finest illegal gambling establishment in Florida and, some would argue, the entire country.

You can read more about illegal casinos (and legal ones too) in Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling. 

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

The (illegal) Beach Club shines Read More »

fromthebook

Author David G. Schwartz summarizes chapter 10, “A Place…

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Author David G. Schwartz summarizes chapter 10, “A Place in the Sun: The Las Vegas Strip is Born,” of Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling (Casino Edition).

This chapter covers the development of the Strip from the 1941 opening of the El Rancho Vegas into the 1960s. It discusses pioneers like Thomas Hull, Bill Moore, and Billy Wilkerson, and the infamous Bugsy Siegel who muscled Wilkerson out of the Flamingo casino.

It also explains the three factors that gave mob-connected casinos an advantage (for a time) in Las Vegas, discusses syndicate ownership as exemplified by the Desert Inn, and takes on topics as varied as the Rat Pack, the development of skill play and card-counting, and the desegregation of the Strip and Downtown.

If you don’t see a video, go here: http://youtu.be/5PwpS528RLc 

Author David G. Schwartz summarizes chapter 10, “A Place… Read More »

video