Here’s something to remind us that an oceanfront view can be great, but an oceanfront smell isn’t always the best. From the AC Press: Local beach patrols reported spotting mussels along area beaches Sunday, but so far there have been no problems. Atlantic City Beach Patrol Chief Rod Aluise said there were some mussels on
Here’s more evidence that Las Vegas never was recession-proof. This is taken from Parry Thomas’ biography, Quiet Kingmaker. As the most important banker to the gaming industry from 1955 to the 1980s, he knows what he’s talking about: In my first twelve years here in Nevada [1955-1967] we went through at least three depressions locally
Never. Recession. Proof. Read More »
news about gamblingJack Sheehan. Quiet Kingmaker of Las Vegas: E. Parry Thomas. Las Vegas: Stephens Press, 2009. 346 pages. Wow. That was my reaction to finding out that a biography of Parry Thomas was coming out. Thomas, the man who it said said “flipped the switch that turned on the lights in Las Vegas,” is easily one
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book reviewsI saw this back on Sunday in the LVRJ and thought I’d share it: The Vegas Club has introduced a new low-limit “Fetish Pit” beginning at 7 p.m. every Thursday through Saturday. Dealers are dressed as “naughty nurses,” “sexy school girls,” “risqué female cops” or “leather-clad biker chicks” while pole dancers perform on a raised
Interesting story on the M resort a few days ago in the LV Sun. My eyes lit up when I saw this bit, because it answered a crucial question: what’s been going on with the Boulder Strip’s roulette hold percentage since March? Marnell says he doesn’t shy away from volatility because he knows the casino
Volatility in practice Read More »
news about gamblingInspired by Gerald Davis’ Managed by the Markets, I wrote an LVBP column about similarities between gaming companies and other ones. My bold suggestion is that the gaming industry is more like than unalike others: As big as the companies that run Las Vegas casinos seem in this town, they're really on the small side
It’s never too early to start planning your next writing workshop, particularly if you’re planning to be in Cape May, New Jersey next January 15-18. If you’re inclined towards brief non-fiction (and who isn’t…except for those of us who like lengthy fiction?) you may want to consider beating the crowd and registering now for one
Getting to the point Read More »
writingJohn Buntin. L.A. Noir: The Struggle for the Soul of America’s Most Seductive City. New York: Harmony Books, 2009. 409 pages. In this lengthy exposition of Los Angeles police and corruption, John Buntin examines the career of two Angelenos: Bill Parker, who became one of the LAPD’s most important–and controversial–chiefs, and Mickey Cohen, who occupied
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book reviewsAlong with word that business in Las Vegas is “bouncing along the bottom,” the big news today is the latest in celebrity bad marker cases, former NBA star Antoine Walker. From the LVRJ: Walker faces three felony counts related to writing bad checks at Las Vegas casinos between July 2008 and January 2009. According to
Another day, another bad marker case Read More »
news about gamblingYou’ll have to wait until September, but you’ll be able to hear surveillance expert Derk Boss discuss current trends in casino surveillance and loss prevention. Here’s the summary: September 3, 2009 Gaming Research Colloquium Series: Derk Boss, DJ Boss and Associates “Behind the Camera: Current Trends in Casino Surveillance and Loss Prevention” Thursday, September 3,
Surveillance talk coming to UNLV Read More »
what's newHarrah’s had announced–in very unspecific terms–what it plans to do with its fantastic assortment of Strip acreage. From the LV Sun: They didn’t announce their intentions at the time. The economy was still humming, and with tourism booming and new resort construction expected by consumers and demanded by investors, the decision was something of a
Hey! What passes for good news on the casino revenue front: the decrease in revenue isn’t as bad as it’s been. Who would have thought we’d be saying that back in 2007? From the LV Sun: Casinos along the Las Vegas Strip won $480.8 million in May, making it the 17th straight month of a
Nevada revenue decline declining Read More »
news about gamblingTrisha Ashworth and Amy Nobile. I’d Trade My Husband for a Housekeeper: Loving Your Marriage after the Baby Carriage. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2009. 176 pages. It’s another Amazon Vine review, and another advice book. If you wonder why I review so many of these, its because there seem to be a lot of them
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book reviewsThe casino industry has lost one of its major innovators with the passing of Bernie Goldstein this weekend. From the Quad City Times: Bernard “Bernie” Goldstein, 80, who got his start in business as a scrap metal dealer and became a major player in Americas gambling empire, died Sunday in Trinity Pathway Hospice, Bettendorf. “Im
Bernie Goldstein, 1929-2009 Read More »
news about gamblingReview of Gerald F. Davis’s Managed by the Markets: How Finance Re-Shaped America,
Book Review: Managed by the Markets Read More »
book reviewsCasinos in most of Russia are about the close. From BBC News: Gamblers in Moscow and other major Russian cities are placing their last bets ahead of a government ban on casinos and gaming halls. A new law comes into effect at midnight, confining gambling to four regions far from the capital. It bans gambling
Russian casinos closing Read More »
news about gamblingColorado casinos are getting ready to start play with more games and higher betting limits. From the Colorado Springs Gazette: At the Colorado Grande Casino in Cripple Creek, the last security cameras are being placed over the roulette table. At Bronco Billys Casino, gamblers are laying wagers on blackjack table in the new table games
Gambling history in Colorado Read More »
news about gamblingI’ve put up today’s Gaming Colloquium lecture as a podcast. You can listen to it here or subscribe in iTunes. You know, I don’t think Steve Cyr used the word “zeitgeist” in his talk, and Bjerg didn’t once mention boozed-up high rollers. That’s what I like about this speakers’ series–we can hear a real diversity
New UNLV podcast: Poker and Capitalism Read More »
what's newReview of Greg Kot’s Ripped: How the Wired Generation Revolutionized Music
Book Review: Ripped Read More »
book reviewsRichmond Shreve. Lost River Anthology (Rites of Passage). Cape May, New Jersey: Cape Island Press, 2009. 146 pages. This is new ground for me: the first person I’ve had in a workshop or class who’s published a book. Richmond Shreve was in my creative non-fiction workshop a few years ago at the Winter Getaway, and
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