Paris on poker

Now might be the time to dump your WPTE stocks, because poker might have reached its saturation point. Here’s exhibit A, from Inside Entertainment: “I’m obsessed with poker,” confessed celebuntante Paris Hilton after learning the high stakes gambling game. “It’s my favourite game now.” Paris and her younger sister Nicky are apparently so obsessed with […]

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gambling & culture, life in vegas

Everyone wants Aztar

Someone else wants to buy Aztar. From Reuters: Casino operator Aztar Corp., which has been the target of a bidding war, said on Monday that it had received a buyout offer worth more than $1.69 billion from Columbia Entertainment and would enter into talks with the company. Aztar said Columbia Entertainment, the gaming affiliate of

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atlantic city, life in vegas

Cashless gambling, The Next Generation

I often explain the evolution of the casino floor by taking about slot machines. Once, players had to “buy” change from employees, then put quarters or tokens into slot machines. Then bill validators let players put cash directly into slots. Now, Ticket In Ticket Out (TITO) interfaces let players put in bills and get tickets,

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gambling & culture

Gambling your way out of prison?

At first, I thought that this news story might be a parody of get-rich-quick schemes. But unfortunately, it looks to be authentic. Judge for yourself, from Frost Illustrated: “How do you get someone to change their mind about robbing someone, stealing someone’s identity or selling drugs for money?” asks S. Silas Patterson, author of the

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gambling & culture, haphazard world

Monkey bars on Paradise?

I’m posting unexpectedly late today, because my servers apparently had some problems. I’m glad I waited because I got some more info on the story of the day. In recent years, online gambling companies have become increasingly integrated with the rest of the business world. Several have their stocks traded publicly. Some buy iconic grilled

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life in vegas, news about gambling

What happens in Kapchagai

It seems like everyone wants a piece of Vegas. Well, at least everyone who likes casinos and tourism. Today, for example, I got a phone call from a woman in the Domincan Republic who wanted me to sell her casino carpet. Yes, despite the myriad admonishments on my contact page and elsewhere that I don’t

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gambling & culture

Sanctions against the US?

The nation of Antigua is understandably chagrined that the United States government has not come into compliance with the World Trade Organization’s ruling on its Internet gaming case. I’m not a lawyer, so I can’t break all this down. But here’s the press release from Antigua’s PR firm: The deadline passed today for the US

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news about gambling

Baseball embraces gambling

Hypocrisy regarding gambling is nothing new–as a historical phenomenon, it’s a few thousand years old. But people and organizations keep finding new ways to contradict their stated principles in search of a buck. Don’t believe me? Ask the Boston Globe: Red Sox fans who play the state lottery now have a chance at the ultimate

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gambling & culture

A look at the past

Doing my job at the Center for Gaming Research, I run across all sorts of interesting facts. For example, take this gem, pulled from the 1979 Form 10-K for Golden Nugget, Inc.: The Registrant’s hotel provides luxury accomodations and facilities. Management emphasizes courtesy and service to its customers and attempts to maintain a high standard

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news about gambling