I discovered this book while looking at the Barnes and Noble page for Roll the Bones. Apparently, people who buy my book there also buy this one, along with histories of happiness and night-time. Being interested in Venice, I thought I’d give it a read, not really knowing what to expect. Author John Berendt doesn’t
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book reviewsThe Russian State Duma–their version of parliament–voted down a bill that would have created a new regulatory framework for Russian casinos. Existing regulation, it seems, is something of a slapdash affair. From RIA Novosti: The bill’s doom does not mean gamblers and casino proprietors have several more years to enjoy the absence of related legislation,
Russians veto casino bill Read More »
news about gamblingHumans have been using money for 7000 years, maxiumum, but their brains have been evolving for far longer than that. So how do we handle money, biologically speaking? And how can this be connected to gambling? This article from MIT’s Technology Review says how: According to new research by Mauricio Delgado, a neuroscientist at Rutgers
Losing money hurts! Read More »
gambling & cultureAnother piece of the Strip’s past is gone forever…but was it a valuable piece of history, or just some landscaping that had outlived its usefulness? You be the judge, since this LVRJ article presents both views: Four of the five original statues that once stood in front of Circus Circus, Las Vegas icons photographed by
One man’s treasure… Read More »
life in vegasDo you want to know just what the “Unlawful Internet Gambling Funding Prohibition” is? I’ve printed out all 107 pages of the “Security and Accountability For Every Port Act of 2006,” AKA, the SAFE Port Act, and, skipping ahead to page 94, I’ll summarize the relevant bits for you. Section 801 of the SAFE Port
Internet Gambling Prohibition summarized Read More »
news about gamblingAs expected, the Internet Gambling Prohibition is driving a lot of companies out of the field. From CBS News: British-based online gaming companies began cashing in the chips of their U.S. operations Friday as President Bush signed a bill aimed at restricting Internet gambling in the United States. Sportingbet PLC and Leisure & Gaming PLC
Are online poker sites in the United States in the post-ban world, or out? Card Player has a few answers: In the past few days, we have received definitive confirmation that the following companies are not pulling out of the United States: Full Tilt, Bodog, Full Contact Poker, Doyle’s Room and the Doyle Brunson Network,
Those of you who were at the World Series of Poker last summer might have seen the booth for Poker Face 2. For those who didn’t, here are some excerpts of story in the Baltic Times explains a bit about the photog and the book: In November 1983, Ulvis Alberts, a photographer who had snapped
Behind Poker Face 2 Read More »
writingI don’t know if I’ll make this a regular feature, but this sound bite was just so incredible, I couldn’t pass it up: One young female, walking down the stairs at Lied Library at UNLV, chatting animatedly on her cell phone, completely oblivious to her surroundings: “So my Daddy wanted to give me money to
Overheard in Las Vegas Read More »
life in vegasThere’s a very interesting story about Macau from the Independent: The Grand Waldo is a large casino with 168 tables and 334 slot machines, but it also has restaurants, shops, a luxury hotel, spa, nightclubs, a fitness centre, a swimming pool, a children’s playground and, inevitably for a casino targeted at the Chinese, karaoke facilities.
I’d like to thank everyone who turned out for the International Launch of Roll the Bones last Saturday at Mandalay Place. It was really great to read selections from my book about gambling history in a casino. I’d also like to thank Debra Belcoff and everyone at the Reading Room, as well as the good
It’s been no secret that the Sands will be closing, but now it’s official: Atlantic City’s second casino to close will do so on November 11: From the AC Press: At 6 o’clock in the morning, gamblers will be shooed off the casino floor. By noon, the last hotel guests will have packed up and
Sands closing 11/11 Read More »
atlantic cityI don’t usually post music reviews, and I haven’t seen this group yet, but this could be interesting. It showed up in my inbox courtesy of the Las Vegas Hilton’s Hotsheet: Imagine sipping champagne in Tempo, the Las Vegas Hilton’s high-energy lounge, and beautiful women playing strings walk by your table. This is not a
I did a quick interview with Jeff Gillen on Las Vegas One’s News One at night last night, which went really well, at least according to people who saw it and let me know about it. So the buildup to the international launch of Roll the Bones continues. I also sent this bulletin out on
Many people have been writing about the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement act, so I thought it might be a good idea to punch up the actual text of the SAFE Port Act, H.R. 4954, which the House and Senate passed and have forwarded to the president, along with my comments. So what will this bill
UnSAFE for online gambling Read More »
news about gamblingCultural conservatives, anti-gamblers, and others opposed to gambling on the Internet scored a victory this Sunday when Congress slipped the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act into an unrelated port security bill, thus banning gambling on the Internet. Or did they? Yahoo.finance uk explains: It’s a safe bet that the passage of anti-Internet gambling legislation by
Net gambling “ban” Read More »
gambling & cultureI’m out of the office for a day, and two HUGE stories break: Congress passes an Internet gaming ban, and the world’s biggest gaming company might be bought out. Adding to the fun, Harrah’s and Boyd swap land, paving the way for Harrah’s redevelopment of its center Strip holdings. Here’s the HET buyout, from AP:
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to have your name in lights on the Las Vegas Strip–literally–I’m happy to say that I can tell you that it feels pretty good. Mandalay Bay has put the ad for the October 7 International Launch Event in the rotation for the LCD marquees, and, thanks to the
Rolling on the Strip Read More »
life in vegasThere’s been speculation for months, but it seems that it’s gone to the next level: Steve Wynn has been physically present in Atlantic City, apparently talking turkey with politicos. From the Star-Ledger: Steve Wynn, the man who was anointed king of the casino industry after he remade Las Vegas in the 1990s, wants to roll
Wynn Atlantic City? Really? Read More »
atlantic cityI’m hardly one to make light of problem gambling, but this story is ridiculous. From Ananova: Russian actors are being paid to pretend to be destitute beggars in a government scheme to discourage people from gambling. They will tell passers-by how they were once rich executives who lost everything after becoming addicted to gambling. Vladimir