It looks like this is going to be the new look of this site for a while. I’m pretty busy with other projects so I don’t have the hours I need to work on the thorough redesign, and there’s only so much sleep you can miss before it catches up with you. I might adjust
Review of Linda Himelstein’s The King of Vodka, a biography of Pyotor Smirnov.
Book Review: The King of Vodka Read More »
book reviewsI upgraded WordPress to version 2.8 this morning, after having put off every upgrade since 2.5. Everything went fine (or so it seemed), but after the installation was complete, I had a blank page here. There’s some kind of problem with the custom theme I’ve been using, so I’ve adopted this theme temporarily. All the
This looks different! Read More »
what's newIf you don’t get your slot jones on in the airport and can’t wait to get to a casino, you will soon be in luck: the county commission has approved a proposal for slots at the unified car rental center, even though the bid seems a bit high. From the LVRJ: Anxious to get revenue
Connected to this WSJ article about the NFL not liking sports betting, there’s a pretty neat, though somewhat vague, interactive map of American gambling: The NFL Doesnt Want Your Bets – WSJ.com.
Interactive gambling map Read More »
news about gamblingYes the Tropicana Atlantic City, which was “repossessed” by the Casino Control Commission over a year and a half ago, has finally been sold…to Carl Icahn. From the AC Press: Tropicana Casino and Resort, once expected to fetch $1 billion or more, was sold today for $200 million to a group of lenders headed by
Our long national nightmare is over Read More »
atlantic city, news about gamblingI think this story from KLAS really demonstrates what a global business gambling has become: Federal prosecutors have charged two men with conspiring to sell counterfeit video slot machines bearing the name of the Reno-based International Game Technology. The two men include a 43-year-old Cuban national accused of selling the slots in Latvia. Rodolfo Rodriguez
Global slot scheme Read More »
news about gamblingI’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
UNLV Gaming Podcast 10 posted, Xanadu rebooted Read More »
what's newJust 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
UNLV gaming talk later this month Read More »
what's newMiranda 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
Book Review: Tide, Feather, Snow Read More »
book reviewsTaking 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
If a red flag is flying, brazen bold against the blue… Read More »
haphazard world, life in vegas, news about gamblingThis 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.
Talking online gambling on KNPR Read More »
news about gamblingI 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
You can probably order a margarita at the Shell, but Trump Marina isn’t turning into Margaritaville anytime soon. From the
Marina not wasting away Read More »
atlantic city, news about gamblingThis 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
Casino manager murdered in AC Read More »
atlantic cityAlmost 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
Woman with the golden arm Read More »
atlantic city, news about gamblingSince I’ll be running around the 14th Annual Conference on Gambling and Risk-Taking for most of this week, I won’t be posting much here. When I return, though, I should have a few podcastable interviews and much more fun stuff.
Studying gambling and risk-taking Read More »
what's newIf 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
ALL IN: THE POKER MOVIE at Cinevegas Read More »
life in vegasLawmakers 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
Video slots comes to Illinois? Read More »
news about gamblingTarquin 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.
Book Review: The Case of the Missing Servant Read More »
book reviews