As I promised on a Two Way Hard Three thread a week or so ago, here’s my photographic tribute to the Stardust’s last weeks: Die is Cast image gallery: Stardust
New image gallery: Stardust deconstructed Read More »
life in vegas, what's newHere’s a welcome story for those who like to gamble online–and those who just want to study it. From the LVRJ: Two Nevada lawmakers, hoping to repeal a crackdown on Internet gambling, are working on legislation that would require the National Academy of Sciences to conduct an 18-month study of online wagering. Reps. Shelley Berkley,
The Nevada Council on Problem Gambling is sponsoring the first annual state conference on problem gambling: it takes place April 19-20 at the Orleans Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. If you question the propriety of holding a problem gambling conference in a casino, I’m guessing you’ve never been to Nevada. In this state, that
Problem gambling conference Read More »
life in vegasNew Mexico has outlawed cockfighting–from the ABQ Tribune: Gov. Bill Richardson signed a measure today that outlaws cockfighting in New Mexico, leaving Louisiana as the only state where the centuries-old bloodsport remains legal. State Sen. Mary Jane Garcia, a Doña Ana Democrat who has introduced legislation to ban cockfighting over the past 18 years, thanked
NM bans cockfighting Read More »
gambling & cultureI’d be remiss if I didn’t let KLAS tell you about the Stardust implosion: The excitement of the implosion is over and now the massive clean-up effort begins bfore the old Stardust property is turned into the $4 billion Echelon resort. The legendary Stardust hotel tower on the Las Vegas Strip was brought down by
Implosion, and thoughts on a goat man Read More »
haphazard world, life in vegasA friendly reminder from the LV Sun: If $5,000 casino chips could talk, what would this one say? It might explain its recent travels and how it has ended up in the custody of a cashier at the MGM Grand, who questioned whether it really belonged to the gambler who turned it in. The gambler,
Chips aren’t cash! Read More »
news about gamblingI just found out about this from Yahoo: Director Martin Scorsese has teamed with his “Departed” co-star Mark Wahlberg for an HBO drama series about the development of Atlantic City. The project will be developed in conjunction with the book, “Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City” by Nelson Johnson, which
It’s not TV, it’s AC on HBO Read More »
atlantic cityThere are lots of things the media can get away with, but some things it can’t. You can’t impugn a strip steak if you’ve eaten a steak sandwich, for one. And you can’t claim that subliminal messages in slot machines affect player behavior. At least that what Konami hopes. Here’s the press release: An item
Sublibellous advertising Read More »
gambling & cultureWith a just-opened parcel of land that many developers would kill for, what do you think the City of Atlantic City is doing? A) Fielding a variety of bids from interested developers before choosing the one that best promotes regional growth B) Hiring a developer with a proven track record to masterplan the site and
No Bader master plan yet Read More »
atlantic cityAn interview I recorded a few weeks back is airing on NPR’s Justice Talking this week: Casino gambling has undergone a boom in recent years as cash-strapped states and Native American tribes have opened casinos and entertainment complexes across the nation. In this edition of Justice Talking, we’ll take a look at who is profiting
Talking Justice…and Casinos Read More »
gambling & cultureComing on the heels of the anti-casino archive, this could be the coolest story ever. From Radio Free Europe: Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov has called on the city’s gambling halls to eventually be turned into libraries. “More than 2,000 gaming halls were opened in a short time in Moscow and we are now actively closing
Casinos into libraries Read More »
gambling & culture, haphazard worldI’ve always hoped that, just as I spend most of my working (NOT waking) hours documenting and preserving the history of the gaming industry, there is someone, somewhere who is cataloging the decline and demise of gaming. My wish has come true. From the Evening Sun: The battle fought over a failed proposal to build
Anti-casino archives Read More »
gambling & culture, haphazard worldEarlier this week, the CBC broke a disturbing story: three Konami video slots are briefly flashing winning combinations as players spin the virtual reels. Programming bug or subliminal ploy? You be the judge. From CBC: Ontario’s provincial gambling operator has pulled 87 video slot machines out of service or physically removed them from its casinos
Sgt. Fritter’s Lonely Jackpot Banned? Read More »
news about gamblingThose of us who like to talk about Las Vegas have lost a true friend. Hal Rothman, a brilliant environmental historian who became a real pioneer of the academic study of Las Vegas, passed away on Sunday. Here’s a story from the LVRJ: Hal Rothman, the oft-quoted expert on all things Las Vegas, died Sunday
Hal Rothman, 1958-2007 Read More »
life in vegasI’m going to warn you: this story has nothing to do with casinos. Not on the face of it, anyway. From the AC Press: When Gary E. Pettus retired Dec. 1 after more than 26 years on the resort’s police force, he planned to live off his $4,600 monthly police pension. Instead, he and about
Jack Potts to the rescue Read More »
atlantic city, haphazard worldEven though it seems like casino legalization is a steady wave sweeping across the planet, some nations have chosen to outlaw casinos. Turkey is one of those, though it appears that gambling is still flourishing. From Sabah.com: It is forbidden to open casinos in Turkey; however, casinos are abundant in Turkey. Only in Istanbul are
Illegal Turkish casinos Read More »
news about gamblingSome in Vegas are saying that All-Star Weekend was a taste of future greatness. Jason Whitlock begs to differ. From AOL: NBA All-Star Weekend in Vegas was an unmitigated failure, and any thoughts of taking the extravaganza to New Orleans in 2008 are total lunacy. An event planned to showcase what is right about professional
All-Star success or failure? Read More »
life in vegasMy father wrote for the Atlantic City Press when I was growing up (which probably explains my friendliness for the media). As a child, I believed that the Press was one of the finest and most significant newspapers in the country. I think I actually thought that the Sunday morning show “Meet the Press” had
Mouse obit in the Press Read More »
atlantic cityThere’s a great piece on Sol Kerzner in the Wall Street Journal, appearing here via projo.com: Most succession dramas involve the sudden death of a company patriarch, not the successor. The elder Kerzner now faces the prospect of coming back to fulfill his company’s growing global ambitions, just as it must deal with new private-equity
By all accounts, yesterday’s NBA All-Star game at the Thomas and Mack Center was a success–as successful as an exhibition game can be, I suppose. But I don’t have to worry about losing my parking spot (TMC is right around the corner from the library and my office), because Stern says we’ve got a better