James Swain. Loaded Dice. New York: Ballantine Books, 2004. 310 pp, $22.95 (hardcover) When I started this site back in 2005, I posted many reviews as static pages. Now, instead of reformatting them all, I’m reposting them as posts. If you’re a longtime reader, enjoy the nostalgia, and if you’ve just found this site, it’s
Book review: Loaded Dice Read More »
book reviewsI’m still hustling through the site redesign. As you see, I’ve spiffed up the background a little. Can you guess where I got the inspiration for the new pattern? Without looking at a certain part of this site? Comment if you can. I’ve also converted the books section, so check that out, too.
If you don’t see something really different from the old look, bash the F5 key repeatedly. Or just click on the “browser refresh” icon. I haven’t tested the new look in Netscape, IE, or Safari, so if you are using one of those and see something totally goofy, drop me a line. It will be
And that’s a good thing! At least the Brookings Institution says so…and DC thinktanks are never wrong. From the LV Sun: Las Vegas’ success in becoming a nexus of entertainment and gambling is a model that American cities would do well to emulate in other businesses, a new Brookings Institution report concludes. The local “cluster”
Vegas is a total cluster Read More »
life in vegasThe headline sort of describes what I do, but this is about something else. From The Province: The B.C. government is hiring nine “responsible gambling information officers” to educate gamblers at casinos in Metro Vancouver, Victoria and Nanaimo. B.C. Lottery Corp. spokesman Paul Smith said the aim is to help gamblers play responsibly. He said
Talking about gambling for a living Read More »
gambling & cultureI’m quoting something–it might be Doctor Who or H2G2, where the bad guy kept saying “Seize them!” Or maybe that’s what bad guys in charge usually say. Anyway, this is just a lead-in to me posting on something I’ve written myself, in the Business Press: “Harrahrizing” the Palace wouldnt work. Instead, Harrahs execs chose to
Here’s a little unvarnished peek into the soul of Las Vegas: an answer to the question, “If you gave Las Vegans $600, how would they spend it?. Only the LVRJ is brave enough to ask the public directly. Here’s a few of my favorites: Vacation to California to help forget about the high gas and
How Vegans are spending their tax rebates Read More »
life in vegasDateline, the Target at Flamingo and Maryland. I had a genuine “what? what? WHAT?” experience. I was doing some necessary domestic shopping, and had a few items and a bag with some items that I needed to get (in other words, I didn’t think I’d be able to get the right thing without having a
Your cart doesn’t stay in Vegas Read More »
life in vegasHere’s a quick recap: I write about the history of gambling. Much gambling used to be illegal. Gaming is organized. Therefore, I write about organized crime. I’m always eager to find other forms of organized crime to compare gambling syndicates to. So imagine my delight when I learned that economist Peter Leeson has written a
These days, I consider myself lucky if I have time to sleep. So I was a bit taken aback to learn, through some completely serendipitous web browsing, that some people, calling themselves lotologists, have invented a new hobby. From Word Spy: lotologist (law.TAWL.uh.jist) n. A person who collects new and used lottery tickets. Word Spy
Too much spare time Read More »
haphazard worldMost people think of Las Vegas as the home of folksy, friendly service and Atlantic City service workers as rude, inconsiderate, and uncaring, but most people evidently don’t participate in Market Metrix, which just rated AC above Vegas in a recent index of hospitality destinations. From the AC Press: Atlantic City has won a stunning
A few months ago I listed the myriad things that you need to disclose when applying for a non-restricted casino license. Apparently Chet and Karla Cox aren’t regular readers, because they applied for a license without getting an attorney, and hit a few roadblocks. From the LV Sun: Although Silver State would handle the filling,
Unrestricted not so easy Read More »
life in vegas, news about gamblingI thought this was an amusing story in light of Harrah’s recent decision to become Caesars Entertainment. From the Indy Star: At 10:30 this morning, the huge 12-foot statue of the Roman conqueror that dominates the Caesars Indiana casino in Harrison County will be removed as the riverboat takes a major step to “de-Romanize” itself.
Knocking down Caesar Read More »
news about gamblingPollsters have known for a long time that you can often elicit a different answer based on how you phrase a question. For instance, most voters would say yes to a questions about whether they support government doing more to help educate children about gambling, but would answer no if asked whether taxes should be
It’s all in the name Read More »
haphazard worldThat’s an awful name for a band, but it would be appropriate for a Police cover band that worked casinos. I wonder if Scrantonicity II will get any gigs when Sands Bethworks opens up? Oh yeah, here’s a story about how intransigent players who don’t pay off their markers hear from the Clark County bad
…or the Nevada budget situation is far more dire than we’ve been led to believe. From KLAS: Buckley said one of those areas needs to be prisons. The finance committee went ahead with plans to close the Jean prison, saving the state $11 dollars. It had been closed and reopened twice before. Las Vegas Now
Either that’s a typo… Read More »
haphazard world, life in vegasYou know your career’s heading downhill when you used to playing parliaments and congresses, but now you’re being booked into bingo halls and casinos. And not even Strip casinos: Hard Rock Live – Event – Mikhail Gorbachev At first I thought this was some kind of mistake, or my sleep-deprived brain was playing tricks on
From Red Square to Hard Rock Read More »
gambling & culture, haphazard worldIn response to an email query, I wrote a long, rambling dissertation on the problems with the “Parity Hedge System.” The first tip-off that this isn’t a legitimate winning system (other than the fact that there is no such thing as a legitimate winning system) is that it’s posted on Quatloos, the self-described “Cyber-Museum of
Parity Hedge System explained Read More »
gambling & cultureTom Breitling with Cal Fussman. Double or Nothing: How Two Friends Risked It All to Buy One of Las Vegas’ Legendary Casinos. New York: Collins, 2008. 256 pp. In honor of tomorrow’s Vegas Gang uber-podcast, which will feature Tom Breitling, I am at long last posting my review of his new casino tell-all. Enjoy! Until
Book Review: Double or Nothing Read More »
book reviewsMore parallel universe reporting from the LV Sun: Some of the students who failed a new math test shouldn’t have been in the class in the first place, longtime educator Bill Hanlon told the Clark County School Board on Thursday. Up until a few years ago, the only students who took algebra in high school
Who needs algebra? Read More »
haphazard world, life in vegas