UNLV Gaming Podcast 10 posted, Xanadu rebooted

I’ve got thrilling new podcast up over at the UNLV site: 10-June 9, 2009 Dylan Evans, University College, Cork At the 14th International Conference on Gambling and Risk-Taking, Dr. Schwartz interviews Dr. Evans, who presented a paper on the risk intelligence of expert gamblers. When it comes to assessing risk, expert gamblers are far better […]

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UNLV gaming talk later this month

Just in time for the World Series of Poker, we’re having a very special Gaming Research Colloquium Series talk at UNLV: June 25, 2009 Gaming Research Colloquium Series: Dr. Ole Bjerg, Copenhagen Business School "Whats in a Game? The Co-Evolution of Poker and Capitalism" Thursday, June 25, 12:15 PM Special Collections Reading Room View flyer

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Book Review: Tide, Feather, Snow

Miranda Weiss. Tide, Feather, Snow: A Life in Alaska. New York: HarperCollins, 2009. 288 pages. This memoir is an exploration of how one woman abandoned the known for the unknown–in this case, south central Alaska. Weiss, who was born and raised in flat suburban Maryland, shucked off most of her preconceptions when she moved to

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book reviews

If a red flag is flying, brazen bold against the blue…

Taking a minute from the grind of analyzing the April Nevada gaming revenues, I figured I’d post this story, which surprisingly hasn’t really been picked up by the Vegas blogosphere. From KLAS: The Raelian Movement is announcing plans to build a UFOland in Las Vegas where visitors can attend a Happiness Academy and see a

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haphazard world, life in vegas, news about gambling

Talking online gambling on KNPR

This morning I joined KNPR’s State of Nevada host Dave Berns and poker legend Howard Lederer in studio to talk about the Frank bill and the proposed legalization of online betting in the US: Americans are expected to lose $22 billion next year via Internet betting, although the practice is technically illegal in this country.

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news about gambling

New podcast up

I was lucky enough to get three good interviews with people who spoke at the 14th International Conference on Gambling and Risk-Taking last week, and I’ve uploaded the first of them: a twelve-minute chat with Dr. Douglas Walker, who spoke on how the social costs of gambling are used and abused and casino crime. You

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Casino manager murdered in AC

This story is just appalling: a disgruntled patron shot a Trump Taj Mahal casino executive in cold blood, allegedly because he was frustrated by his roulette losses. From the AC Press: Despite his claims that he racked up millions of dollars in gambling losses, the accused killer of a casino supervisor actually won $1,100 this

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atlantic city

Woman with the golden arm

Almost 20 years to the day that Stanley Fujitake made gambling history at the California in downtown Las Vegas, a woman in Atlantic City has taken his crown as the longest craps roller ever. From the AC Press: A Morris County woman gave a whole new meaning to the expression “being on a roll,” as

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atlantic city, news about gambling

ALL IN: THE POKER MOVIE at Cinevegas

If you’re a local or will be in town for Cinevegas, you definitely should check out the world premier of All In: The Poker Movie. Here are the details: Director: Douglas Tirola Cast: Features interviews with features interviews with some of the biggest names in poker today, including Humberto Brenes, Annie Duke, Antonio Esfandiari, Chris

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life in vegas

Video slots comes to Illinois?

Lawmakers in the state of Illinois are seriously considering legalizing video poker and other electronic gambling devices throughout the state. With a maximum of 5 devices per location, this would be similar to–but smaller than–Nevada’s restricted licenses, which permit bars to have up to 15 machines. From the Chicago Tribune: Video poker has long been

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news about gambling

Book Review: The Case of the Missing Servant

Tarquin Hall. The Case of the Missing Servant. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2009. 310 pages. Vish “Chubby” Puri is the self-proclaimed finest private investigator in India, and in this, the first novel to feature him, the reader follows him as he cracks a case and, along the way, picks up some of his backstory.

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book reviews

The intoxication defense

A high-roller who lost an incredible amount of money gambling in Las Vegas casinos is seeking to avoid paying some of his markers, claiming that he was too drunk to know what he was doing. From the LV Sun: High-rolling Nebraska philanthropist Terrance K. Watanabe is mounting an unusual defense to charges he failed to

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news about gambling

A pioneer passes

Las Vegas has lost one of its true legends. Claudine Williams, after a storied career, passed away yesterday. From the LVRJ: Claudine Williams, the first woman to run a Strip casino and considered one of the pioneers who shaped the gaming industry and Las Vegas, died Wednesday after a long illness. She was 88. Williams

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news about gambling

Delaware destroys sports betting ban

Technically, sports betting isn’t banned in the Diamond State, but I figured this was a quick way to work in a George Thorogood reference. Here’s the story from USA Today: The Delaware state senate moved quickly Tuesday to approve a sports gambling bill, leaving only Gov. Jack Markell's promised signature as the final step before

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news about gambling

Legalizing Internet gaming…the federal solution

The Frank Bill, which would legalize internet gaming with several key restrictions, has attracted the usual range of partisan comment. Supporters of allowing people to play online insist it is a needed expansion of personal liberty, while opponents decry it as opening turning the dens and bedrooms of America into gambling parlors. Let’s start the

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news about gambling

Book Review: It Sucked and Then I Cried

Heather B. Armstrong. It Sucked and Then I Cried: How I Had a Baby, a Breakdown, and a Much Needed Margarita. New York: Simon Spotlight Entertainment, 2009. 258 pages. There are many awful things about pregnancy, child birth, and infant care; many funny things, too. In It Sucked and Then I Cried, Heather Armstrong shares

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book reviews

March revenue thoughts

The March gaming and tourism numbers are out, and it doesn’t look pretty, though only time will tell whether the bottom is near or somewhere in the distance. Statewide, all nonrestricted locations won 11.61% less this March than they in March 2008. In Las Vegas, visitor volume declined by 6.5%. Clearly, fewer people are coming

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life in vegas, news about gambling