My comments on the recent Harrah’s purchase in the LVRJ were a combined Planet Hollywood/Ohio racetrack thought: David Schwartz, director of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas' Gaming Research Center, said that the “common sense and intuitive response” would seem to be to ask why a company carrying $19.3 billion in debt is “buying more […]
Thoughts on Harrah’s “spree” Read More »
news about gamblingThis isn’t part of the Gaming Research Colloquium Series but may be of interest to those interested in gambling nonetheless. Next month, anthropologist Barbara Oakley will give a talk called “Bad to the Bone: Can Our Genes Make Us Act Badly?” I’m not going to let my knee-jerk anti-biological determinist reaction keep me from a
Interesting anthro lecture Read More »
gambling & cultureSomeone emailed me this article, which is about 7 years old and is, of course, not rooted in truth, from the Onion: A gambling-addiction study by researchers at UNLVs Gaming Studies Research Center has “gotten way out of hand,” sources close to the project reported Monday. Gambling Addiction & Behavior “Just one more sample group,”
UNLV gaming in the Onion (old) Read More »
what's newHey, I finally got around to posting the latest UNLV Gaming Podcast: 14-September 9, 2009 Derk Boss (DJ Boss and Associates) Casino surveillance expert Derk Boss gives the September 2009 Gaming Research Colloquium lecture and tackles many topics, including the latest developments in casino surveillance, how much it costs to corrupt a dealer, and how
New UNLV Gaming Podcast: Derk Boss Read More »
news about gambling, what's newToday, September 9, 2009, is the 67th anniversary of the day that legendary Las Vegas casino developer Jay Sarno joined the Army Air Force. I just happened to notice this because I’m working on a section of the Sarno manuscript today, and the coincidence struck me as worthy of sharing.
Totally useless factoid Read More »
writingI’m full of good cheer over at the Las Vegas Business Press, where I start by looking at where the employment numbers are now and where they seem to be heading: In July 2007, perhaps the high-water mark of the 2004-07 boom, more than 1.2 million Nevadans were working; slightly less than 27 percent of
At the LVBP: The casino cavalry Read More »
news about gamblingJames David Robenalt. The Harding Affair: Love and Espionage during the Great War. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 209. 400 pages. Warren G. Harding has been consistently ranked as one of the nation’s worst presidents, and doesn’t get points for personal ethics: after his death, there were numerous scandals in his administration, and he was notoriously
Book Review: The Harding Affair Read More »
book reviewsI’ve got a new column out today in the Las Vegas Weekly. It’s an essay about why there’s such a stigma against Las Vegas visitors: Three outside opinions, one conclusion: Las Vegas is the shallow end of America’s gene pool. Could they have a point? After all, casinos offer negative-expectation games. Mathematically, it’s a certainty
Column in LV Weekly Read More »
life in vegas, what's new, writingWe’ll be hosting the inaugural 2009-10 academic year Gaming Research Colloquium this Thursday as casino surveillance expert Derk Boss gives a talk: Gaming Research Colloquium Series: Derk Boss, DJ Boss and Associates “Behind the Camera: Current Trends in Casino Surveillance and Loss Prevention” Thursday, September 3, 2:00PM Extended Study Area, Lied Library View flyer (pdf)
Reminder: Derk Boss at UNLV this Thursday Read More »
what's newThere’s a big piece in today’s USA Today about penny slots: The penny slot machine, once a joke among serious gamblers, is the hottest form of betting during this recession. Even casinos that cater to wealthy gamblers are replacing $1 machines with video slots that accept bets one cent at a time. “You can play
USA Today on penny slots Read More »
news about gamblingRyan Boudinot. Misconception. New York: Black Cat, 2009. 224 pages. Misconception is a novel in the form of a memoir with a twist: we get the same story from two perspectives. But this isn’t just a case of he said, she said: it’s a thought-provoking exploration of both memoir and memory. The memoir sections deal
Book review: Misconception Read More »
book reviewsA columnist in the St. Augustine Record has a prescription for women who are dreading the return of football season: gambling! You can bridge this gap with one of the greatest relationship problem solvers I know: gambling. Thats right. A few interesting wagers can easily return your family from football fan and widow to weekend
Gambling can save your marriage! Read More »
gambling & cultureWell, it looks like the Time magazine cover story from a few weeks ago has scored some collateral damage. From the LV Sun: A Las Vegas real estate agent who landed a prominent role in a Time magazine cover story is being scrutinized by state licensing officials because of her comments, has left her employer
Consequences of carpet-bagging Read More »
life in vegasA reminder that creating a casino industry isn’t just about waving the money wand and watching the dollars pour in. From the New Journal: Before the first hand of blackjack, the first spin of a roulette wheel or the first wager at a craps table can happen at Delaware's casinos, an estimated 800 people need
Dealer training in Delaware Read More »
news about gamblingFrank Fertitta, Jr, whose sons currently run Station Casinos, has passed away. From the LV Sun: Frank Fertitta Jr., the patriarch of Station Casinos, died today after heart surgery in a California hospital. Fertitta, 70, who had been ill for some time, died at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles, sources close to the family said.
Another gaming legend passes Read More »
news about gamblingI heard an ad for this place on the radio driving to work today and started thinking about how odd it is that a nightclub on the Las Vegas Strip seems to be glamorizing mental illness. Live from Las Vegas, it’s Skizofrenia, the Nightclub: Skizofrenia features “dark alternative music” every Friday at the Harmon Theater.
Mental illness is goth clean fun! Read More »
life in vegasThe Las Vegas Sun has a graphical “snapshot” of gaming revenue numbers for the past five years: Gaming win at Clark County casinos – Las Vegas Sun. As far as revenue per game/slot goes, this is an interesting graphic because even if this number remains constant gaming revenues will still decrease, as there has been
Gaming win at Clark County casinos – Las Vegas Sun Read More »
news about gamblingI want to write about something I said but (I don’t think) got on the air in the KVVU story last Friday. Since everything about Las Vegas has to run to extremes, it’s almost impossible to have a realistic discussion of its evolution as a city, both economically and socially. With doom-mongering the current rage,
Is Vegas really doomed? Read More »
life in vegas, news about gamblingFor those of you in Las Vegas, I’m (probably) going to be on KVVU-Fox 5 news at 5 this afternoon, commenting on a new Time magazine cover story about “Fabulous Less Vegas.” Basically, it’s yet another example of what Hal Rothman called “carpetbagger journalists” blowing through town and trying to pass off their insights as
More recession discussion: Vegas goes national Read More »
life in vegas, what's newKatherine Russell Rich. Dreaming in Hindi: Coming Awake in Another Language. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009. 384 pages. In 2001, editor and author Katherine Russell Rich decided to spend a year in India learning Hindi as a way of better understanding both India and herself. The literary result is Dreaming in Hindi, a memoir of
Book Review: Dreaming in Hindi Read More »
book reviews