If you haven’t read enough about Las Vegas, today is your day: I’ve posted my quick but (hopefully) useful travel guide to this site. It’s written under my pen name Will Winslow. Read this clip for the details: In addition to writing fine books and articles on gambling history, opinion, and current issues, Dr. Schwartz […]
New Vegas guide out NOW! Read More »
life in vegas, writingI was just given a copy of the minutes of a meeting that a researcher found in UNLV’s University Archives. I’ll let you read the funny part: Meeting of the Biology Faculty October 9, 1968 MINUTES Meeting called to order at 10:05 AM. Members present: Murvosh, Deacon, Niles, Yousef, Austin, and Storm. Babero arrived late
Over the weekend, Suni and I made a trek up and down the Las Vegas Strip. Of course, I took a few pictures of new carpets at the MGM Grand, Flamingo, and Harrah’s, as well as Planet Hollywood. See them all here: Die is Cast casino carpet gallery 1 In the meantime, here’s a teaser:
New Strip carpets added Read More »
life in vegas, what's newI’m sure when most people heard that a bomb went off in the Luxor’s parking garage at 4 this morning, they at least considered the possibility that it might have been a terrorist scheme gone awry. But apparently it was “just” a “homicide with an unusual weapon.” From Breitbart: A device left in a casino
Luxor explosion not terrorism, cops say Read More »
life in vegasIf you don’t mind humiliating yourself for a few bucks and a free trip to Vegas, check out Claiborne’s contest on styledenial.com. To “purge your fashion sins,” you’re supposed to take a photo of yourself in your “worst outfit” and send it to the site. Registration closes on May 14, and voting starts May 16.
Dress badly, win a Vegas vacation Read More »
haphazard world, life in vegasAfter a long break, I’m back in town. Suni and I went on our honeymoon to Italy, which was quite an experience–12 days of travel and fun, far away from the daily hubub of the Center for Gaming Research. Of course, I couldn’t keep my mind totally off work stuff–not when the luggage carousel at
It earns more in gaming revenue than the Strip, at least. It was either this or a post on Stanley Ho’s medical issues, and I honestly can’t think of anyway to properly blog on that one. From news.com.au: MACAU says it has overtaken the Las Vegas Strip as the world’s biggest casino draw, raking in
Macau confirms: it’s bigger than Vegas Read More »
news about gamblingThis is pretty sad, from KLAS: A popular bakery that supplied bread and pastries to many Las Vegas hotels is a complete loss following a late night fire. The Great Buns Bakery on Tropicana near Pecos caught fire around 10 p.m. on Tuesday night. Nearly 50 firefighters responded to the fire call. The building’s sprinkler
Bad news for Great Buns Read More »
life in vegasAs I promised on a Two Way Hard Three thread a week or so ago, here’s my photographic tribute to the Stardust’s last weeks: Die is Cast image gallery: Stardust
New image gallery: Stardust deconstructed Read More »
life in vegas, what's newThe Nevada Council on Problem Gambling is sponsoring the first annual state conference on problem gambling: it takes place April 19-20 at the Orleans Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. If you question the propriety of holding a problem gambling conference in a casino, I’m guessing you’ve never been to Nevada. In this state, that
Problem gambling conference Read More »
life in vegasI’d be remiss if I didn’t let KLAS tell you about the Stardust implosion: The excitement of the implosion is over and now the massive clean-up effort begins bfore the old Stardust property is turned into the $4 billion Echelon resort. The legendary Stardust hotel tower on the Las Vegas Strip was brought down by
Implosion, and thoughts on a goat man Read More »
haphazard world, life in vegasA friendly reminder from the LV Sun: If $5,000 casino chips could talk, what would this one say? It might explain its recent travels and how it has ended up in the custody of a cashier at the MGM Grand, who questioned whether it really belonged to the gambler who turned it in. The gambler,
Chips aren’t cash! Read More »
news about gamblingThose of us who like to talk about Las Vegas have lost a true friend. Hal Rothman, a brilliant environmental historian who became a real pioneer of the academic study of Las Vegas, passed away on Sunday. Here’s a story from the LVRJ: Hal Rothman, the oft-quoted expert on all things Las Vegas, died Sunday
Hal Rothman, 1958-2007 Read More »
life in vegasSome in Vegas are saying that All-Star Weekend was a taste of future greatness. Jason Whitlock begs to differ. From AOL: NBA All-Star Weekend in Vegas was an unmitigated failure, and any thoughts of taking the extravaganza to New Orleans in 2008 are total lunacy. An event planned to showcase what is right about professional
All-Star success or failure? Read More »
life in vegasBy all accounts, yesterday’s NBA All-Star game at the Thomas and Mack Center was a success–as successful as an exhibition game can be, I suppose. But I don’t have to worry about losing my parking spot (TMC is right around the corner from the library and my office), because Stern says we’ve got a better
It’s a busy day for me, because this morning I was live on KNPR’s State of Nevada. You can click that link for a link directly to the show, and I think you can even listen. I’m part of the panel in the first segment. It was a lively talk about pro sports potentially coming
Down in the depths on the 80th floor Read More »
atlantic city, life in vegas, what's newThe Las Vegas Visitors and Convention Authority has released its 2006 numbers. Here’s a quick summary from the LVRJ: Las Vegas attracted a record number of tourists in 2006 despite losing 581 rooms from its hotel inventory, the first such decrease since 1992. Las Vegas had 38.9 million visitors in 2006, up slightly less than
Vegas visitors on the rise Read More »
life in vegasIf you’re in Las Vegas and are scrambling for a place to take your beloved for a romantic dinner tonight, Harrah’s Entertainment has an answer to your problem: Restaurant Guy Savoy, the exlusive gourmet room in Caesars Palace’s Augustus Tower. From a press release: Sunday February 11th through Wednesday February 14th SAINT VALENTINE’S MENU $340
Last minute Valentine’s meal Read More »
life in vegasThis is one of those things that’s just too Vegas not to mention. The Hilton just sent out a press release announcing that it now holds the record for the biggest hand-painted mural in town. If you’ve driven by, it won’t take you long to guess who’s on it. The Las Vegas Hilton is now
If you’re in a Nevada casino and want to bet on the big game (or even a little one) but don’t want the extra hassle and exercise of walking down to the sports book, you are in luck: sports betting kiosks are soon to be ubiquitous. From the LV Sun: Like a brightly colored alien
Sports betting kiosks Read More »
life in vegas