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
Here’s today’s Roll the Bones update: the long-anticipated East Coast book launch event has finally been announced: WHAT: Official East Coast launch event, Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling WHEN: Sunday, October 22, 2 pm WHERE: Foxwoods Resort Casino WHO: Author David G. Schwartz will be reading from his book, answering questions, and signing
Rolling in the East Read More »
what's new, writingThis was in Friday’s RJ, but I didn’t get to post it until today. It’s pretty big news (for the gambling book crowd, anyway), from John L. Smith‘s column: Gamblers Book Shop owner Howard Schwartz, a legend in the traditional gaming information business, says he’s ready to sell his amazing store after 27 years. Schwartz,
‘Gambler’s Book’ for sale Read More »
gambling & culture, life in vegasAmerican Heritage has a great article on the Tiki fad. How sex, rum, World War II, and the brand-new state of Hawaii ignited a fad that has never quite ended. In December 1931 a somewhat adrift 24-year-old washed up in Southern California, looking for something to do. A native of New Orleans, he was named
Since I’m one of the 56% of Internet users who take pictures with a digital camera, I’ve decided to jazz up my professional speaking information page. Click the link to see how: Professional speaking by David G. Schwartz Basically, what I’ve done is distilled the mountains of material I have about gambling history into five
You Internet users are keeping yourselves busy. When you’re not playing video games, you’re scrounging for new friends on myspace and facebook or listening to podcasts. You’re also gambling and uploading videos. Don’t take my word for it–read the report from Parks Associates: Viewing and creating video have become significant activities for U.S. Internet users,
Gambling and uploading videos Read More »
gambling & cultureAs if you needed another thing to download, I’ve got a press release for my October 7 launch event now available: RTB_launch_release.pdf Remember, it starts at 2 at the Mandalay Bay’s Reading Room. Come down, support a local author, and meet people–you’ll be glad you did.
This is a huge story for Nevada gaming, but I haven’t heard much about it until today. Currently, Nevada casinos are basically self-regulating when it comes to reporting large financial transactions, but all of that is going to end. From the LVRJ: Something uniquely Nevadan and historic is about to end today. No, it’s not