Based on a discussion in my Gambling and the Media class, I wrote a little essay about how gambling’s depicted in film and literature. Now it’s a Las Vegas Business Press column: Looking at how gambling is depicted in books, films, and television says a lot about how people perceive the pastime, but it often […]
Writing about gambling Read More »
gambling & cultureThis might be the nuttiest gambling story of the year. You’ve got to read it to believe it. From the Independent Online: Traditional beliefs about the clairvoyant powers of vultures could spell trouble for the birds as gamblers look for a sure bet during the World Cup. According to muti tradition, eating the brains of
Gamblers & vulture brains Read More »
gambling & culturePart-time economist and full-time curmudgeon Andy Rooney trashed the gambling business in a recent 60 Minutes piece: The thing that bothers me most about gambling is that people fritter away money so they don’t get to spend it on things that someone else has been paid to produce. Gambling produces nothing. There’s only so much
Andy Rooney takes on gambling Read More »
gambling & cultureHere are some reminders from the IRS about what to do with your gambling winnings and losses: # Gambling income includes – but is not limited to – winnings from lotteries, raffles, horse and dog races and casinos, as well as the fair market value of prizes such as cars, houses, trips or other noncash
Gambling tips from the IRS Read More »
news about gamblingAt the “opening ceremonies” for Aria, U.S. Green Buildings Council CEO Rick Fedrizzi said that Aria was an example of what architecture should be, and that schoolchildren should be brought in to see the building for itself as an example of what the future would be. “Wow,” I thought, “Bringing kids to a casino to
Gambling Goes Mainstream | Global Gaming Business Magazine Read More »
news about gambling, writingWith all of the problems the Large Hadron Collider has had, a pair of physicists are mulling the possibility that nature itself is conspiring against it. It’s possible, they say, that the potential creation of a Higgs boson particle is so abhorrent that “ripples through time” are preventing the machine from operating as it’s supposed
Playing Casino War with the universe Read More »
gambling & cultureA columnist in the St. Augustine Record has a prescription for women who are dreading the return of football season: gambling! You can bridge this gap with one of the greatest relationship problem solvers I know: gambling. Thats right. A few interesting wagers can easily return your family from football fan and widow to weekend
Gambling can save your marriage! Read More »
gambling & cultureConnected to this WSJ article about the NFL not liking sports betting, there’s a pretty neat, though somewhat vague, interactive map of American gambling: The NFL Doesnt Want Your Bets – WSJ.com.
Interactive gambling map Read More »
news about gamblingWe were lucky to host an outstanding Gaming Research Colloquium talk today: Dr. Nicholas Tosney spoke about some parallels between early modern British gambling and 20th century Las Vegas gambling. Great stuff that I highly recommend. Nick Tosney: Commercialization, Crime, and Casinos – Center for Gaming Research. Subscribe to the UNLV Gaming Podcast in iTunes,
New podcast lecture up Read More »
what's newBecause we can’t wait for the future, everyone wants to know what’s going to happen. Spectrum Gaming has a 21-point list of what to expect, but I’ll give you my own views, focusing mostly on Las Vegas. This is all with the caveat that, as I often say, “my work is not predictive.” That’s just
Room rates, 2009, and the future Read More »
news about gamblingIf you’re familiar with your gambling history (some of which you can find, in a single volume and at an outrageously affordable price, in Roll the Bones) you already know that, going back to the Romans, gambling was permitted, even encouraged, during the Saturnalia festival at the end of the year. Saturnalia evolved into Christmas,
Merry Christmas, start gambling! Read More »
gambling & cultureAre “tough economic times” making us less willing to risk? And is that a bad thing? The LV Sun looks at it: Risk and risk-takers have been celebrated, fetishized, apotheosized in the American economy and culture for two decades. George Gilder, bard of ’80s-era supply side economics, summed it up: “A successful economy depends on
We’re having another event in our Gaming Research Colloquium Series at UNLV. Next Tuesday at 12:15 Christina Turdean, a grad student from the University of Delaware, is speaking about her research. The talk is called “Betting on Computers: Digital Technologies and the Rise of the Gaming Industry in the US, 1960-2000.” If you’re on the
Gaming Talk Next Week Read More »
news about gambling, what's newLike me, you’ve probably got town hall fatigue from this grueling election season. But here is a town hall-type meeting you might want to attend: A panel discussion on the ins and outs of the gambling industry will be held October 14, from 10 a.m. to noon, at UNLVs Paradise Campus. Admission is free. Mark
State of the state of gambling Read More »
news about gamblingI don’t think you’ll see officials in Nevada, or anywhere else in the US, adopting this approach any time soon. From Bloomberg: South Korea’s National Gaming Control Commission yesterday said it intended to limit total annual revenue of the gambling industry, including horse racing, lottery tickets and casinos, to about 14 trillion won $13.4 billion.
Limiting gambling in South Korea Read More »
news about gamblingA psychological study unveiled at the convention of the American Psychological Association makes a bold claim: that 2 percent of all gamblers account for nearly 25 percent of all casino wins and losses. From Science Daily: In another study, psychologist Arch G. Woodside, PhD, of Boston College, and Ralph Perfetto, PhD, of the University of
Gambling study makes provocative claim Read More »
news about gamblingI grabbed this yesterday and saved it to post this morning. In the meantime, I got scooped by Chuckmonster and KLAS. But here’s the original story, from the AP: Yes, Michael Wax stunk. Hes the first to admit it. The 440-pound Brooklyn man said he was playing poker in an Atlantic City casino for 17
86ed for smelling bad Read More »
atlantic cityI’ve been meaning to sit down and do a comparative analysis of casino and lotteries revenues over the past year, to see whether the economic downturn (ED) is causing people to gamble less, or just forcing them to curtail trips to Las Vegas and other gaming destinations (and even local venues). Lo and behold, someone’s
Lottery records falling Read More »
news about gamblingI assume that Rainawari is somewhere in the Kashmir, but from this story, I imagine that it’s quite different from Las Vegas. From Greater Kashmir Online Edition: The residents of Mirzabagh, Mughal Mohalla, Rainawari and other adjoining areas Tuesday alleged that the areas have become hub of gamblers. A delegation from the areas told Greater
A story you’ll never hear in Vegas Read More »
news about gamblingHere’s a brand new review for a book that’s only been out a little more than a month! Am I on the ball, or what? And it’s not a random book that I’ve plucked from the shelves at Lied Library–it’s a poker book. And it’s a good one. Read on, and you’ll see what I
Book review: Ghosts at the Table Read More »
book reviews