This is funny. This afternoon, I recorded an interview with Jeff Gillan of In Business Las Vegas, so tune into KSNV-3 tonight if you want to see it. We talk about the NFL allowing Las Vegas ads during regular season games. When I got back to the office, I had an email from a recent […]
Not on the Daily Show next week Read More »
what's newAkasha Lonsdale. Do I Kneel or Do I Bow? What You Need to Know When Attending Religious Occasions. London: Kuperard, 2010. 336 pages. This book sets out to help people understand different religions, with an emphasis on the practical–how to behave at “religious occasions.” Written from a primarily British perspective, it covers eight religions: Roman
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book reviewsIt’s Thursday, so I’ve got another Green Felt Journal in Vegas Seven. This week, I take a look at the surprising success of hobby-related trade shows, with a focus on Creation Entertainment’s upcoming Star Trek Convention: Things haven’t looked good for business travel to Las Vegas for a few years. Since 2006, the city has
Trek to the Rescue in Vegas7 Read More »
life in vegas, news about gambling, writingNew Jersey governor Chris Christie’s Advisory Committee on New Jersey Gaming, Sports, and Entertainment has issued its report, which calls for a partial state takeover of Atlantic City. From the AC Press: But Atlantic city and state officials have naturally focused most on the governor’s plan to create a state-run portion of Atlantic City, in
NJ to take over AC casino district Read More »
atlantic city, news about gamblingThe 2010 issue of Casino Design, a supplement to Global Gaming Business, is out now. It’s filled with tons of great articles with many perspectives on how and why casinos look the way they do. I’d like to point you towards the cover story, a massive look at how CityCenter developed, from drawing board to
CityCenter’s history Read More »
life in vegas, news about gamblingRobert L. O’Connell. The Ghosts of Cannae: Hannibal and the Darkest Hour of the Roman Republic. New York: Random House, 2010. 336 pages. This book, by military historian Robert O’Connell, looks at the hows and also the whys of the battle of Cannae, one of the most conclusive–but ultimately least decisive–battles in Western history. In
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book reviewsIt’s Thursday, so you’ve got another Green Felt Journal column to read in Vegas Seven. This week, you can read my column on one of the first players to bust out in the main event; I wrote about my time at the tournament a few days ago, and here are the literary results: So what
Early WSOP bust-out in Vegas 7 Read More »
news about gambling, writingI get lots of questions from folks in the media about the use of scent in casinos. Apparently, after a month there wasn’t much question at the Palms, since the casino decided to stop using its air perfume. From the LV Sun: The Palms scent — teakwood, named after the Southeast Asian tropical hardwood —
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news about gamblingI tried to douse some of the anti-gambling rhetoric yesterday, so it’s only fitting that in this week’s LVBP column I give a little perspective on calls for gambling legalization to bridge budget gaps: The legalization or expansion of casino gaming is a hot topic in many states across the country. Like Nevada, many states
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news about gamblingThis Patriot-Ledger editorial–from which I’ve excerpted a tiny slice–says a great deal about how public debates about casino gambling are structured. Why not use innuendo and guilt by association, if you can’t find numbers to back you up? If BP had come here peddling an offshore oil well, the company would have been hooted out
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news about gamblingAh, that headline was inevitable, given the story, which I’m taking straight from the press release. It’s worth it: In honor of National Dog Day on Thursday, Aug. 26, Whiskey Pete’s Hotel & Casino invites guests to bring their pets on vacation where furry friends can stay and play for free in an affordable, comfortable
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news about gamblingDaniel Okrent. Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition. New York: Scriber, 2010. 480 pages. Prohibition is one of the great riddles of American history. Looking at it from the distance of three generations, it seems inexplicable that Americans voted to outlaw intoxicating beverages, and it seems clear that the drys were on the
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book reviewsIf nothing else, this story was much easier to research than the one I wrote earlier this week (but won’t be out for another week or two). Instead of pouncing on players who’d just been eliminated from the main event early in level one, I got to sit down and chat with a guy who
First WSOP bracelets in Vegas Seven Read More »
news about gambling, writingThe May numbers have been released from the Nevada Gaming Control Board, and while on the surface they seem to be not such bad news, they actually send a mixed message. Here are my thoughts, broken down by region. Statewide Across the state, the gaming industry continues to shrink–we’ve got about 2,500 fewer slots and
As those of you who follow my Twitter stream know, I spent a good chunk of yesterday down at the Rio, cruising around Day 1A of the World Series of Poker. Oskar Garcia has the action cover here. I thought I’d share a few of my thoughts. The story I was looking for at the
When MGM Mirage changed their name to MGM Resorts International, I wasn’t bowled over. “Resorts International” is forever linked in my mind to May 26, 1978, and a big red hotel on the Atlantic City Boardwalk (sure, it’s been painted white for 20 years or so, but in my mind Haddon Hall will always be
MGM name game in Vegas Seven Read More »
news about gambling, writingThe latest Las Vegas Business Press is on the streets, and it includes my thoughts on the April numbers: April revenue results for Nevada’s casinos contained a not-unexpected surprise. The hands of fate, in the form of a lower-than-usual baccarat hold percentage, finally caught up with the state, proving that an over-reliance on high-end gamblers
Volatility attacks! in the LVBP Read More »
news about gambling, writingThanks to the State of the States publication from the AGA, we’ve got some decent numbers for the national commercial casino industry. With more than ten years of reports behind us, I decided to start pulling together some of the statistical information into 1-pagers that will make it easier to see the trends in American
Casino employment trends Read More »
news about gamblingIt’s Thursday, and if you like my writing for Vegas Seven, it’s a lucky Thursday, since I’ve got my usual Green Felt Journal column and a more in-depth Latest Word. The Latest Word piece takes a philosophical and even theological look at poker, winning, and losing: In other words, poker isn’t always fair. Of course,
Vegas Seven double shot Read More »
gambling & culture, news about gambling, writingNeat story from the Chicago Tribune about a cruising riverboat: For a few hours Wednesday morning, a riverboat casino that’s been moored on the banks of the Illinois River will head for open water.The Par-A-Dice Riverboat Casino hasn’t sailed in 11 years. But casino owner Boyd Gaming Corp. plans a three-hour cruise to comply with
An uncommon cruise Read More »
news about gambling