In my admittedly cursory research into the life and habits of Leonardo DaVinci while writing Roll the Bones, I was unable to find anything on his gambling proclivities. With The Da Vinci Code selling 40 million copies so far, don’t think that I wasn’t trying my best for some tie-in. “Hitler’s casino” made the cut, […]
Gambling on Da Vinci Read More »
gambling & cultureThink about this sitcom idea: slot tune writer by day, Mormon sacred music composer by night. If it seems implausible, that’s only because you haven’t met David Zabriskie yet. From the Salt Lake Tribune: During his free time, David Zabriskie composes moving music for religious theatrical productions. The work may feed his soul, but when
He writes the songs (that the slot players sing) Read More »
gambling & culture, haphazard worldAfter all that fun yesterday with Google Trends, I’m back to “real” casino news today. Peter Morton has sold the Hard Rock to Morgans Hotel Group. From the LVRJ: The Hard Rock Hotel, a pop icon in Las Vegas with its signature neon guitar and concert venue, The Joint, has been sold to New York-based
Just because, I ran a few comparative trend searches on Google Trends again. For example: Google Trends: water, fire, air, earth Turns out people are searching the most for air, then water, then fire, then finally earth. Water is hogging a lot of the news coverage, while sturdy old earth gets almost no print. For
A new Google Trends feature is available, and I quickly decided to use it to see which is most popular on the Internet: sex, gambling, or financial info? So I entered the search string “porn, gambling, stocks.” Here is the result: Google Trends: porn, gambling, stocks If you don’t want to click over, I’ll give
Sex, gambling, and money Read More »
gambling & cultureJust as I’m reviewing a manuscript on the sociology of risk, I read a great piece in the New Yorker about one 419 scam that really makes you think. Here’s the particularly apt part: Robert B. Reich, the former Labor Secretary, who has studied the psychology of market behavior, says, “American culture is uniquely prone
The Culture of Risk and 419 scams Read More »
gambling & cultureIt’s official: the 2006 New Las Vegas Marathon will also feature a half-marathon. Read about it here: Last December, the inaugural New Las Vegas Marathon attracted participants from all 50 states and more than 30 nations and captured the attention of USA Today, Time Magazine, Sports Illustrated and Runner’s World. Organizers today announced the addition
Las Vegas (half) Marathon Read More »
life in vegasIt’s no news flash that casino gambling is big business. But the American Gaming Association’s State of the States report (big pdf) shows just how popular gambling is. From Reuters: Gambling revenue at U.S. casinos rose 5 percent last year to a record $30.3 billion, as more visitors flocked to a growing number of casinos
82% of people like it Read More »
gambling & cultureFrank Catania, a former director of the Division of Gaming Enforcement (NJ’s regulatory police body) has a great piece on the futility of Internet gaming prohibition in Cnet news: Every attempt to regulate activity on the Internet seemingly raises questions about the proverbial slippery slope. But if regulation of the Internet is a slippery slope,
Net gambling ban in perspective Read More »
gambling & cultureSince even before the opening of the Borgata, there has been much talk of new developments in Atlantic City. It looks like an addition to the Trump Taj Mahal is really going to happen. From the AC Press: The Planning Board granted preliminary approval Wednesday to a new 810-room hotel tower at Trump Taj Mahal
Here’s another update on that Atlantic City/Monopoly thing. All across the country, there were rallies and protests connected to immigration. Atlantic City, a city of immigrants, will be galvanized today by a rally over a board game. From the AC Press: The city that used to have a monopoly on Monopoly will host a rally
I used my Las Vegas Business Press column to talk about Second Saturday a few weeks ago, so I feel it’s only appropriate to mention First Wednesday here. But don’t go down to Fremont Street for this one–instead, head to St. James Place in Atlantic City: Restaurants, hotels and retailers around Atlantic City will come
First Wednesday is tomorrow Read More »
atlantic cityNevada embraced tourism because of a paucity of their development options. So, if you’re in a small emirate who wants to lessen its dependence on oil exports, it might be a model to follow. Dubai seems intent on doing do, minus the gambling. From CNN: Dubai is planning to build the world’s largest hotel as
LV to lose world’s biggest hotel? Read More »
life in vegasFoxwoods has made a few significant moves recently, and neither has anything to do with the excellent cole slaw to be found in the buffet. Instead, this has to do with the blurring of the line between Indian gaming and commercial casino gaming. First, from the Boston Globe: Two of the biggest names in the
Foxwoods in the news Read More »
gambling & cultureYesterday, I talked about an effort to keep Atlantic City on Monopoly – the Here and Now Edition. This morning, I installed Flash 8.0 and actually voted on the Hasbro site. To the extent that anyone should get worked up over a board game, here’s what I think: It’s no surprise that Las Vegas makes
Monopoly follow-up Read More »
atlantic cityI got this in my inbox and thought I would pass it on. Tomorrow, we are launching the online petition to support Atlantic City’s presence on Hasbro’s new version of Monopoly. The homepage of our website, www.atlanticcitynj.com will have a button that says: Keep AC On The Board. Click on that button and sign the
Keep Monopoly turned on Read More »
atlantic cityIllegal gambling is notoriously hard to stamp out, because it is usually socially acceptable. A Philippine anti-gambling group wants to change that. From INQ7: A man from a remote barangay in Central Luzon unwittingly placed a bet on “jueteng,†the underground lottery so despised by the clergy in his area. He didn’t win the pot,
In my historical research into gambling, I’ve yet to find the Grand Unification Theory of gambling–exactly why people like to gamble so much. It’s a little reassuring to know that psychologists aren’t that much closer. Still, they, like historians, have a pretty good idea that humans like to gamble, even when it isn’t in their
Gambling Psych 101 Read More »
gambling & cultureYesterday I jokingly predicted the cresting of the poker wave, but here’s some evidence that the gambling wave–at least the Las Vegas one–is still building. Read about it, minus the tortured metaphors, from the LVRJ: The “Big Six” gaming operators are starting 2006 with record-breaking profits, up nearly 45 percent from the first quarter 2005,
A big quarter for Big 6 Read More »
gambling & cultureI’m taking a second foray into celeb gossip because…I don’t know. I’ve got a real story I’ll post later. But take this wonderfully-inaccurate story with a grain of salt. From BANG via AZcentral: Paris Hilton has been banned from her own casino and ordered into gambling rehab. The socialite’s parents, Rick and Kathy, have barred
Maybe she doesn’t always win… Read More »
life in vegas