I’ve got another LVBP column up, in which I discuss whether looking at Nevada’s gaming numbers by quarters can yield any insights: The financial quarter is a handy time measure for evaluating the Nevada gaming industry’s recessionary progress. Three months is long enough to absorb monthly volatilities, but not as long as a year. Looking
Look at quarterlies in LVBP Read More »
news about gambling, writingBeth Raymer. Lay the Favorite: A Gambling Memoir. New York: Spiegel & Grau, 201. 240 pages. Sports betting might be the clubbiest form of gambling. Every game has its own lingo, but sports betting, maybe because it’s rooted in real physical competition, just seems a little more insular. There are plenty of books out there
Book Review: Lay the Favorite Read More »
book reviewsThis week’s Green Felt Journal is out–I talk a bit about marketing luxury properties during a recession. From Vegas Seven, as usual: The laws of supply and demand aren’t sentimental, particularly when it comes to hotel rooms. No matter what kind of rate a suite might have gotten in the past, when there are more
Recession luxe in Vegas Seven Read More »
news about gambling, writingThere’s another article about casino carpet available today–this is a little piece in Wired magazine: “The carpets definitely play a big part in keeping the town as surreal as it is,” said Maluszynski by e-mail. “Thought has been given to the carpeting by people who want to create this special atmosphere, [one] that defines Vegas
Vegas carpet in Wired Read More »
gambling & cultureSince starting the Occasional Paper Series over at the Center for Gaming Research, I’ve really enjoyed the opportunity of getting to learn more about the topics that scholars choose to write about. So it’s a good day when I can announce that another one is ready for your reading pleasure: Paper 06: August 2010 Laura
New paper up @UNLV CGR Read More »
what's newLeo Tolstoy and Ben H. Winters. Android Karenina. Philadelphia: Quirk Books, 2010. 541 pages. I don’t review too much fiction, but I thought I’d give this one a shot. Quirk Books has put out a few “mash-up” books–combinations of classic (and public domain) works of literature with genre fiction. The titles alone–like Price and Prejudice
Book Review: Android Karenina Read More »
book reviewsAt last I’m able to update my blog–it’s been a very busy day. I wanted to do a win/slot analysis to address the “fewer slot machines, but they have more games so it’s OK” idea, but that’s going to have to wait. Instead, read about my latest Vegas Seven column, which covers casinos breaking into
Casino Facebook games in Vegas Seven Read More »
news about gambling, writingAn experienced gaming executive (who I once worked for at the Trump Taj Mahal) has acquired Resorts Atlantic City, and a former Resorts exec has some advice. From the AC Press: One of the executives who oversaw Resorts Atlantic City during its 1970s heyday said the money-losing casino should transform itself into a convention haven
Turning around Resorts Read More »
atlantic city, news about gamblingMy latest Las Vegas Business Press column is out, in which I dissect the June Nevada numbers: The June results are in, and whatever the national economic picture, one thing is certain: Nevada gaming remains moribund. The figures released by the Gaming Control Board aren’t much cause for optimism, though things look a little better
Not a happy June in the LVBP Read More »
news about gambling, writingIt seems like every month when the Nevada revenue numbers come out someone has a different spin on why things are looking up, or not looking up. It got me thinking that, even though all of these numbers are publicly available, there’s no readily-available source for some of the key numbers. That’s a void I’ve
Nevada gaming revenue: What’s the deal? Read More »
news about gamblingLynn F. Jacobs and Jeremy S. Hyman. The Secrets of College Success: Over 600 Tips & Tricks Revealed. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2010. 224 pages. Most college graduates feel that, if they’d have known everything going in that they knew when they graduated, they would have had a much better time. THE SECRETS OF COLLEGE SUCCESS
Book Review: The Secrets of College Success Read More »
book reviewsA little late, but still, it’s here today: the 2004-2010 June Nevada Gaming numbers analysis. A continuation of the trend we’ve seen for a while. Nevada Gaming Statistics: June Comparison Statewide, Las Vegas Strip, Boulder Strip, and Washoe County figures for the month of June, 2004-2010 CGR Reports Interesting trends. I’m going to be working
It’s Thursday, so you’ve got more Vegas Seven goodness to read. This week, my contribution is a look into the El Cortez’s Design-a-Suite-Downtown competition: Most casino executives view renovating hotel rooms as a necessary but disagreeable process. Room remodels are doubly expensive—they pull rooms out of the rental pool and incur labor and materials costs.
Creative El Cortez in Vegas Seven Read More »
news about gambling, writingMy interview with Steve Inskeep of KNPR’s Morning Edition has aired: Las Vegas just added a bit more bling to its famed Strip with the unveiling of a new marquee for The Cosmopolitan — a resort-casino opening at the end of the year. There already are questions about how the city will absorb another 3,000
Too many rooms? on NPR Read More »
life in vegas, news about gamblingI’ve updated the Nevada June revenue/handle analysis: >>>Nevada Gaming Statistics: June Comparison Statewide, Las Vegas Strip, Boulder Strip, and Washoe County figures for June, 2004-2010 read report (pdf) This time, I added a one-page “executive summary.” The summary’s necessary because I’ve realized that while the implications of the numbers in the tables seem perfectly obvious
Updated June Nevada gaming numbers analysis Read More »
news about gamblingIt’s Thursday, so the new Green Felt Journal is up at last:my weekend at the Star Trek convention, condensed to about 760 words, for Vegas Seven: Anthony and Deidre Flood Jenkins are about to have the moment of a lifetime. Pavilion Room 4 at the Las Vegas Hilton might seem a funny place for this,
This week’s Las Vegas Business Press column takes a closer look at the game of baccarat, which is becoming more and more important on the Strip: At the level of the individual casino, there are even greater swings of fortune. Unlike Nevada, New Jersey discloses separate results for each of its casinos. This allows analysts
Bacc talk in LVBP, thoughts on empiricism Read More »
news about gambling, writingI’ve got a pretty interesting Atlantic City History article this month–it’s about the original Atlantic City Airshow, circa 1910. From Casino Connection: The Atlantic City Airshow, “Thunder Over the Boardwalk,” has become a city tradition. Since 2003, the spectacle of U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and scores of other military aircraft buzzing over the Atlantic Ocean
AC aeronautical history Read More »
atlantic city, writingMatt Ridley. The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves. New York: HarperCollins, 2010. 448 pages. It seems like there’s always a market for doom and gloom, even though, for the most part, things have gotten much, much better for humanity over the past few centuries and even the past few decades. In THE RATIONAL OPTIMIST, Matt
Book review: The Rational Optimist Read More »
book reviewsThere’s a new podcast up, available on iTunes and on the UNLV Gaming Podcast page: 23-August 5, 2010 Jack Harpster, Author, King of the Slots: William “Si” Redd In this interview, Harpster discusses his background and his new book about IGT founder Si Redd. Listen to the audio file (mp3) Buy the book (Amazon.com) UNLV
New podcast: Jack Harpster talks about Si Redd Read More »
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