A 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
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book reviewsWere the players complaining about tighter slots right? Well, the answer (since late 2007, at least) is…yes and no. I decided to take a look at how each financial quarter since 2007 broke down for the state, the Las Vegas Strip, and the Boulder Strip. This way, I figured I’d have a good gauge of how casinos catering to tourist (LV Strip) and local (Boulder Strip) crowds responded.
Slot hold and the recession Read More »
news about gamblingThe June numbers are in, and it’s woefully obvious that there’s no recovery in sight for Nevada’s gaming industry. From the LVRJ: Nevadas monthly gaming revenues have sunk to levels not seen since 2004. And analysts said theres no telling how low the bar will fall. “Were still hearing from the casino operators that weekends
Casinos in Atlantic City continue to post revenue declines, as the July number prove. From the AC Press: Casino revenue sank to its lowest level in 12 years in July, another ominous sign that there will be no summer turnaround for the troubled gaming industry. In what is ordinarily the biggest money-making month on the
The Las Vegas UFL team finally has a name that draws on the city’ history. Check out the press release: At a press conference today, United Football League Commissioner Michael Huyghue announced the Las Vegas franchise will be named the Locomotives and unveiled innovative team uniforms showcasing the Locomotives’ “Premiere” season colors of silver, blue
Howard J. Morris and Jenny Lee. Women Are Crazy, Men Are Stupid: The Simple Truth to a Complicated Relationship. New York: Simon Spotlight Entertainment, 2009. 240 pages. Relationship books are always popular, and since a flood of books by purported experts hasn’t stopped couples from breaking up, why not a book by a boyfriend/girlfriend pair
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book reviewsEarlier this week over at gaming.unlv.edu we rolled out our latest project: the 2009 Las Vegas Casino/Hotel Impact Survey. It’s a new start for the center but also a return to the past. Let me explain… In 1980, accounting firm Laventhal and Horwath conducted a “Recession Impact Study” that polled executives at Las Vegas casinos
The 2009 Recession Impact Study is underway Read More »
what's newNot much time to write because of a big project I’m working on, but I’ve posted the latest UNLV Gaming Podcast: it’s an interview done at the Casino Marketing Conference with Nichole Barker and Hetty Fore, who share their expertise about casinos using the “new media” to talk to patrons and potential customers. You can
New UNLV Gaming Podcast: Casinos and New Media Read More »
what's newThe gaming industry lost another pioneer this week, Jeanne Hood, who led downtown Las Vegas’ Four Queens for many years. From the LVRJ: Hood took over as president and chief executive officer of the Four Queens upon the death of her husband, David Hood, in 1977. In 1985, she became president and chief executive officer
Another pioneer passes Read More »
news about gamblingA story in the Las Vegas Sun on Friday gives me a jumping-off point for a somewhat-extended discussion of slot hold: Longtime gamblers have been saying it for months: If you want people to play in your casino during the recession, reduce the hold on your slot machines. A panel of marketing experts validated that
Lower your slot hold, get more players? Read More »
news about gamblingDonald McRae. The Last Trials of Clarence Darrow. New York: William Morrow, 2009. 422 pages. Clarence Darrow was one of the most polarizing figures of the early 20th century. He was at the forefront of several of the era’s most widely publicized trials, including the McNamara brothers’ 1912 trial for allegedly bombing the LA Times
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book reviewsFollowing up on yesterday’s post about Nevada regulation, here’s a story that demonstrates the need for strict internal controls in Florida, from the Miami New Times: For some employees, Gulfstream Park was a hell of a place to work, full of cocaine and free gambling. When the scheme was finally discovered in 2007, hundreds of
Cocaine and free gambling in Florida Read More »
news about gamblingThere’s a great article by Liz Benston in the LV Sun today about the investigation that ultimately deprived a nightclub of its license: Managing a Las Vegas nightclub requires the deft and daring skill of operating a party environment that almost crosses the line into illegal activity. Anything less would be considered too tame to
Prive investigation and gaming regulation Read More »
news about gamblingInteresting editorial piece about the hypocrisy of the major US sports leagues when it comes to gambling from the KC Star: Late last week, the four major professional sports leagues NBA, MLB, NFL and the NHL, along with the NCAA, filed a complaint against the state of Delaware in federal court in Wilmington, seeking to