It’s easy for most people to separate their work and personal lives. By day they are an assistant account manager or food service technician, and by night they surf for porn or watch reality TV. It’s getting harder and harder for me to draw the line. Working on Roll the Bones, I know that I […]
Don’t expect too many updates this week or next: I’m editing the manuscript for Roll the Bones. I’ve got to condense my 769-page manuscript into a lively, readable narrative without sacrificing the detail. This will take up most of my free time–I’ll probably take a few days off work, lock myself in, and plow through
I know that the thing that bugs me most about Nevada casino resorts is how hard it is to gamble. You often have to walk several feet to get to a slot machine. Luckily, the Gaming Control Board is on top of the problem and, thanks to Cantor Fitzgerald, a solution is on the horizon:
Handheld relief coming soon to Nevada casinos Read More »
news about gamblingWith poker sets, poker video games, and every other conceivable sort of poker paraphernalia available at toys stores across the world, I thought that poker had gone as mainstream as it could. But I was wrong. Thanks to Harrah’s Entertainment, you can go “all in” to the exciting world of consumer debt with the official
Not just Visa…WSOP Visa Read More »
gambling & cultureThis didn’t happen in Atlantic County, but it’s close enough to count. Here’s more proof that the truth is indeed stupider than fiction. From the AC Press: A Long Island, N.Y., woman formerly of Manahawkin was charged with burglary Saturday after allegedly breaking into a Parker Avenue home and stealing jewelry before falling asleep on
The Westward Ho casino closed yesterday, and one RJ reporter called me as a matter of course for my learned opinion on the significance of this event. Actually, I suspect that most of the people in her rolodex were away from the phone for the afternoon. But I’m always happy to help, and I was
Thoughts on the Westward Ho Read More »
life in vegasA while ago, I posted on a story about robot camel jockeys in Qatar. At the time, I wasn’t sure whether it was a totally legit story. Did someone just put some mannequins on camels and have a little fun? Could this really be the next wave of cybernetic design? Thanks to a great article
Robot jockeys explained Read More »
haphazard worldNot to make light of the current geopolitical-religious-cultural situation, but if bin Laden had his way, it’s safe to assume that Las Vegas, Reno, Atlantic City, Tunica, and other communities whose economies depend on gaming-related tourism would be out of business. Oh yeah, all women working in the hospitality business would have to quit, and
No gambling under bin Laden Read More »
gambling & cultureAs longtime readers know, my favorite casino in the world was probably the Treasure Bay in Biloxi. There’s nothing much cooler than a riverboat casino that actually looks like a pirate ship. It also had the coolest carpet ever: a treasure map. When I heard that the casino wasn’t insured, I feared that, after being
Treasure Bay returns? Read More »
news about gamblingTexas Hold ‘Em is on its way to becoming America’s game. It’s all over the Internet, on television 24/7, and seemingly everywhere. Despite the fact that THE tournaments may violate the letter (and spirit) of the law, they are becoming increasingly popular. From NBC-4: hurches, school boosters and other nonprofit groups are calling the government’s
Non-profit no limit? Read More »
gambling & cultureI’ve gotten enough emails from people asking me to appraise yellowing prints of Coolidge’s “A Friend in Need” to make me regret putting that image in the UNLV online Gaming Art Gallery, but sometimes I get a neat email that makes it all worthwhile. Today, I got such an email from artist Roxanne Chinook: Coolidge’s,
Rez dogs playing poker Read More »
gambling & cultureAcademics have many ways of gauging their career progress. Favorable book reviews in scholarly journals, high citation rates for their research, and being awarded tenure are just a few. Because I’m on the fringes of academia (I have a Ph.D. in history but don’t teach in a history department, and gambling is far from a
I just received an email from an attorney working with Antigua’s WTO case asking me to post the following: Friends. I have been asked by one of the lawyers representing Antigua in its WTO gambling case against the US whether one or more people who follow this site would be willing to send samples of
Antigua ad request Read More »
what's newIf you’re in Rolla, Missouri next Tuesday and have some time to kill, come down to the Havener Center for a totally free lecture by your humble correspondent. From news@umr: Dr. David Schwartz, director of the Center for Gaming Research at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, will present “A Brief History of Gambling†at 3
There are things that I’d like to have for the Gaming Collection at UNLV but cannot buy. Still, if they were donated, it would be great. This wheel of fortune is one example: eBay: ANTIQUE-OLD-STYLE-GAMBLING-WHEEL OF FORTUNE (item 6222792485 end time Nov-07-05 14:41:27 PST) I’d like to get one of those and, if I teach
Fortune’s old wheel Read More »
gambling & cultureI’m not posting this because of the “low brow humor” aspect, but because of the wittiness, intentioned or not, of the writer. Plus, I got a special email request to comment on this. It’s a story about the theft of bull sperm from the Washington Post: In his nearly 16 years in the Frederick County
Liquid assets stolen Read More »
haphazard worldWhen I first saw this, I thought, “Am I reading this right?” Unless Reuters is now printing fabrications or I’ve developed severe perceptual difficulties, it seems that Ireland’s Ryanair is thinking seriously about offering free airfare to everyone: Ryanair, Europe’s largest airline by market value, believes revenue from inflight gaming and gambling could eventually do
Totally comped airfare? Read More »
news about gamblingCasino advertising has come a long way, or maybe people are less susceptible to reverse psychology. This matchbook was once used to promote Harolds Club, a leading Reno casino: This image comes from the Nevada Casino Matchvcovers site. I’m amazed at the proliferation of casino collectibles out there. So, in the space of a matchbook,
Texas Hold Em, online and off, is all the rage in the United States. But its becoming more popular in other countries, as well. As the Moscow Times reports, there is a burgeoning poker scene in Russia: Fueled by Internet game rooms and television coverage of tournaments, poker has experienced an unprecedented spike in worldwide
Russian poker scene Read More »
news about gamblingI got this one while searching Pravda for Russian gambling news. It’s a keeper. From FunReports: The police department of the Russian city of Ulyanovsk obtained information about an attack that a group of criminals was going to commit against a local business woman. The police decided to arrest the gangsters in the woman’s apartment,