Most everyone knows that gaming revenues have dipped a bit, but it’s not every day that the Economist covers Las Vegas, so here it is: THE media had a field day recently when Charles Barkley, a retired basketball player, was forced to pay a gambling debt of $400,000 owed to Wynn Resorts, a Las Vegas
The Economist on Vegas Read More »
news about gamblingThere’s a great contest happening over at VegasTripping. Win, and you could get a very rare and obscenely valuable signed copy of Roll the Bones, plus and unsigned copy of the mostly-overlooked Rush CD, Roll the Bones. It’s a good deal, even if Alice in Chains’ Dirt is the real theme album for the book–at
Win RtB (and Rush) Read More »
what's newGuess what, it’s the 21st century, and one of the guys running for president collects good luck charms. From The Swamp: The Obama campaign plays Las Vegas today, staging another “Change That Works for You” rally. En route, the presidential candidate was asked what lucky charms work for him. Curious about items that Obama had
Lucky chips on campaign trail Read More »
gambling & cultureReading this article by Virginia Postrel, I started thinking about how “inconspicuous consumption” might translate on the Las Vegas Strip. Then I got back to work. But then I figured I should share some thoughts with the rest of you. Here’s just the most relevant part of the article, which you should read in its
Inconspicuous luxury? Read More »
haphazard worldUnder no circumstances am I encouraging anyone to see what seems, from the reviews, to be an abysmal attempt at a movie. But I’m perplexed by the throwaway reference to a Las Vegas Strip icon. From the LA Times: BEHOLD Mike Myers. As Guru Pitka, a self-styled Deepak Chopra wannabe whose every utterance has been
Hey, they’ve finally posted my latest piece in the Las Vegas Business Press. Here’s a taste: The economy, as the blurb that crawls across your television screen says, is bad. Really bad. And don’t you forget it. For those dealing in luxury goods and services, the perception of an economic decline is just as ruinous
The economy and room rates Read More »
news about gamblingThis is certainly one of the more unusual conversations I’ve had in a while. The setting? The world-famous Peppermill coffee shop on the Strip, about 8 this morning, as I had breakfast with Sheldon Smith of the Casino Chip and Gaming Token Collectors Club in preparation for my epic address to the CCGTCC convention tomorrow.
Accent on weirdness Read More »
life in vegasAnd the phones? What kind of office is this? Ah, it’s OK. Shelly Levine just closed a big deal. None of that will make anything approaching sense if you’ve never seen Glengary Glen Ross, but trust me, it does. All of this is my lead-in to what is surely the casino caper of the decade:
They took the leads? Read More »
atlantic city, news about gamblingI and pretty much anyone else who’s ever seriously studied gambling have often said that people will bet on anything. Some proof to support that contention? I offer into evidence the $1.2 billion Indians reportedly bet on monsoons each year. From Online Casino Advisory: Itinerant traders spread the tradition of monsoon betting in the 1800s;
At least that’s what they tell me. I was interviewed for an episode of THS Investigates called “Vegas Winners and Losers.” I’m not sure which one I’m supposed to represent. We did the interview in front of a blue screen, so they could put me in front of any kind of backdrop. I’m guessing that
Jimmy Hoffa, through the lending power of his Central States Pension Fund, had a huge impact on Las Vegas and casino history. I don’t think the definitive statement of that impact has been written yet. That’s not at all a knock on this book: the author’s scope is Hoffa’s whole life, and the Teamster investments
Book review: Out of the Jungle Read More »
book reviewsThat could mean that you’re driving up to Vegas from LA and ran out of gas before you got too far. But in this case, it’s about a group of thousands of admitted problem gamblers who’ve filed a class action lawsuit against the government corporation that owns Ontario (Canada) casinos. From the CBC: A $3.5-billion
I don’t have too much to say this week because I’ve got too much to do. Call it the conjunction of summer session B starting, me returning to work, and too many projects needing my attention. I’ve got big plans, though: one big book review, a huge update to the carpet gallery, and tons more.
My review of Richard Armstrong’s outstanding novel God Doesn’t Shoot Craps.
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book reviewsThere’s a site called blogged.com whose purpose is to help people find blogs they like. Through a process that’s entirely a mystery to me, they have reviewed this humble electronic notebook and concluded that it is “great:” Right now, I’m ranked #48 in the “Recreation and Games” category, right below Paintball Guns and just above
A review of Peter Shrag’s Paradise Lost: California’s Experience, America’s Future.
Book review: Paradise Lost Read More »
book reviewsIf you haven’t heard it, here’s the press release, more or less verbatim: MGM Mirage is naming the big casino resort at its in-development City Center project on the Strip the “Aria Resort and Casino.” I don’t have an inside line on the creative process that led to the choice, but from what I’ve read
I thought this book was corny when I read it, but in a fun way. In retrospect, the title is hilarious. Dice can’t spell, so how they spell murder is beyond me. This is an almost Hinchcliffe/Holmesian Mad Libs: The X spelled (murder, death, fear, evil). I guess having “murder” in the title sold books,
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book reviewsUnless something derails the deal (and how often has that happened with the Trumpster’s Atlantic City casinos?) the Trump Marina will soon become the Margaritaville casino resort. From the AC Press: Trump Marina Hotel Casino is being sold in a $316 million deal that will transform the poorest-performing property in Donald Trump’s gaming empire into
Wastin’ Away on Huron Ave Read More »
atlantic city, news about gamblingWhat makes Las Vegas…Las Vegas? John Pryzbys (it’s pronounced like “frisbee” but with a “b,” if you’re curious) has an article that asks that question in today’s RJ. And I’m one of the ones who offered some answers. From, naturally, the LVRJ: What is Las Vegas? A place. An idea. A stereotype. And, for those
Why is Vegas Vegas? Read More »
life in vegas