Another mystery mammal has been found. From Maine Today: Residents are wondering if an animal found dead over the weekend may be the mysterious creature that has mauled dogs, frightened residents and been the subject of local legend for half a generation. The animal was found near power lines along Route 4 on Saturday, apparently […]
An evil, legendary hybrid mutant Read More »
haphazard worldLas Vegas’s Sands has been gone for a while now, but in Atlantic City a casino by that name soldiers on. And it will soon have a new owner, who might tear it down and start from scratch. From the AC Press: Billionaire investor Carl C. Icahn is negotiating to sell the Sands Casino Hotel
Anyone got $250 mil? Read More »
atlantic cityThere is an interesting piece in Forbes about the prospects for legalization of online gaming here in the USA: For several rapturous years, hundreds of companies have been exploiting the fact that U.S. laws on online gambling are as hazy as your classic, smoke-filled casino. Even while the U.S. Department of Justice insists all forms
Betting on Online Gambling Read More »
gambling & cultureThere was an interesting piece in the Review-Journal on Joel Bergman, a prolific casino architect: Joel Bergman dislikes awards. He doesn’t enter competitions for them. He believes the application process can give away too much inside information about his company, one of the gaming industry’s leading architectural design firms. Advertisement So when the Global Gaming
Designing the Nugget, twice Read More »
atlantic city, life in vegasWith the closing of Bet On Sports’ American operations–and effectively its entire business (story here), it is clear that this case will be much different from the 2000 Jay Cohen trial. Some in the media have expressed wonder at the “secret” website launched to support indicted former BOS CEO David Carruthers. As I said in
Free Carruthers FAQ Read More »
news about gamblingThe 2006 edition of the World Series of Poker is nearing its climax. The final table will start playing in about a half an hour down at the Rio. Read Card Player’s recap of Day 7, via video, for all the details of the tournament’s penultimate day. I’m going to head down to the Rio
Not content with being a gaming and tourism juggernaut, Nevada is actively courting non-gaming development–at the expense of other states. It’s hardly surprising that New Jersey is at the top of the list of targets. From the AC Press: When the Nevada Development Authority, or NDA, picked New Jersey as the first target of its
MGM Mirage is announcing the formation of a new realty group, so if you want to buy a piece of the Strip’s biggest development project, you are in luck. Straight from the press release: With construction now underway at Project CityCenter, MGM MIRAGE (NYSE: MGM) delivers yet another illustration of its industry-leading innovation: the formation
City Center Realty Read More »
life in vegasWhat do extreme sports, golf, and poker have in common? A great deal, if my thoughts on the topic are to be believed. I develop this theory in this week’s column in the LVBP: The emergence of poker as a lifestyle means that the game has become more than a game — it is a
The poker lifestyle Read More »
gambling & cultureI don’t want to go on a semantic binge here, but please explain to me why freedavidcarruthers.com is secret. From the NY Post: Someone’s making a long-shot bet that a Web site will help free David Carruthers, the former BetonSports boss locked up in a St. Louis jail for promoting illegal gambling. It’s unclear who’s
Regular readers might know that I’ve got a strange fascination with weird animal stories (remember the mystery mammal?) and it should be obvious that I write a great deal about casinos. So I’m all over a story that combines both. From the AP: A Lake Tahoe casino that promotes a “habitat for everything wild” found
Who doesn’t like a toga party? Outdoors, in Las Vegas? Someone, I’m sure. In any event, Caesars Palace is having a toga party TONIGHT to celebrate its 40th anniversary. I go this email in my inbox today: FREE Toga Party! Caesars Palace Celebrates ITS 40TH ANNIVERSARY! Featuring celebrity host Jenny McCarthy and music by Otis
Toga party tonight! Read More »
life in vegasI could have sworn that a few years ago the Berlin Wall fell, the Soviet Union broke up, and Russia became an American ally. I guess I was misremembering, because Pravda’s printing some of the most inflammatory anti-Bush stuff I’ve seen this side of the New York Times, complete with what might be the most
With friends like these… Read More »
haphazard worldI think these two stories illustrate the differences between Atlantic City and Las Vegas. A major property in one is bringing itself boldly into post-1991 style, while the other is redefining the casino resort. First things first from the Press: “Purple and pink. Aye-yai-yai-yai-yai,†Mark Juliano moaned with obvious displeasure. “Have you ever seen so
A Tale of Two Cities Read More »
atlantic city, life in vegasI was down at the WSOP at the Rio yesterday, checking out the Gaming Life Expo and hanging around the media room. The Expo is huge. I remember at the 2002 WSOP (the first I went to), there was one guy with a card table outside selling jewelry and stuff, and another guy selling books.
In what will hopefully be the first of three, I’ve got a new review up in, predictably, the review section. It’s about an excellent, excellent novel called God Doesn’t Shoot Craps: The book is the story of Dante Alighieri “Danny” Pellegrino, a direct mail scam artist, who earns his bread from peddling holy water, chunks
Craps, faith, and paradise Read More »
writingThe US Department of Justice has dropped the gloves in its fight against online gambling by arresting Bet on Sports CEO David Carruthers. Direct from their press release: A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Missouri has returned a 22-count indictment charging 11 individuals and four corporations on various charges of racketeering, conspiracy
Throughout history, many nations and cultures have used a random draw to select political positions. But an Arizona proposal could go one step further, merging voting with the lottery. From the NY Times: To anyone who ever said, “I wouldn’t vote for that bum for a million bucks,†Arizona may be calling your bluff. A
An election lottery? Read More »
gambling & cultureNative American casinos often have all of the amenities found in Las Vegas and Atlantic City resorts, and they often have a much more marketable heritage. Take, for instance, this new casino project, from KYZV: The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs on Friday unveiled the name and vision for Bridge of the Gods Columbia River
Bridge of the gods Read More »
news about gamblingAlthough the needless bureucratic closure of Atlantic City’s casinos has come and gone, some legislators want to help out the real victims–the workers who had a few days of involuntary unpaid vacation. From the AP: State workers who got unexpected holidays last week because of New Jersey’s government shutdown will be paid anyway. Now Shore-area