life in vegas

Rediscovering The Equation That Made Las Vegas Famous | Forbes

My latest for Forbes tries to crack the Vegas equation: There were many factors that put Las Vegas on the map as an international destination and have kept it there, but essentially the Las Vegas equation for success comes down to the balance of two forces: novelty and access. This was true in 1950, 1990, […]

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forbes

National Finals Rodeo More Necessary Than Ever in Vegas Seven

My latest for Vegas Seven is some thoughts on what NFR returning to Las Vegas means this December: It might have initially been a marriage of convenience, but over the years Las Vegas and the cowboys (and cowgirls) have struck up a genuine romance. The annual year-end boots and belts makeover has become an anticipated

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Vegas Seven

What the Future of Tech and AI Looks Like for Las Vegas – Vegas Seven

In this week’s Green Felt Journal, I dwell (hopefully not excessively) on what less human interaction might mean for Las Vegas: Hospitality is labor-intensive. It takes many hands to create the Las Vegas experience, from housekeeping to meal service. But perhaps that human touch won’t be needed at all someday. Two recent developments in autonomous

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Vegas Seven

What Atlantic City Needs to Learn From Las Vegas | Vegas Seven

As an Atlantic  City native and an observer of the casino scene, I’ve gotten asked my opinion on what’s happening there. I’m glad to have the chance to write a column that summarizes how I feel. It’s a bit of a history lesson and a cautionary tale: Atlantic City casinos prospered in those years because

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Vegas Seven

We’re no longer number one! in the LVBP

I’ve got a new piece in the Las Vegas Business Press about how Las Vegas is going to have to adjust to no longer being number one in gaming: In June, Macau casinos took in about $2.6 billion in revenues, an increase of more than 50 percent from the previous year. This achievement highlights the

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Las Vegas Business Press

Which will we see first? in Two Way Hard Three

In case you missed it, I’ve got a slightly-more-serious but still fun piece up on Two Way Hard Three about various longshots on the Las Vegas Strip: With a renewed push for a casino smoking ban in Nevada, I go to thinking: which would happen first–no smoking in a casino, or a casino dress code?

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life in vegas, Two Way Hard Three

Wynn & China on Two Way Hard Three

In case you missed it, I posted a piece yesterday on Two Way Hard Three talking about Wynn Resorts and China: In today’s flurry of email headlines (which continue whether I’m in the office or not) I read a blurb saying that Wynn Resorts “has become”; a Chinese company. Certainly this is no surprise to

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news about gambling, Two Way Hard Three

Station hiring in Vegas Seven

It’s Thursday, which means another Green Felt Journal is available for your reading pleasure in Vegas Seven. This one is a look behind Station Casino’s recent hiring push: The local employment picture has been a dire one. In the past five years, the unemployment rate has more than tripled. That’s why a local company hiring

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news about gambling, Vegas Seven, writing

New Podcast: RJ Rowley’s talk

Today I was fortunate to hear one of the best Gaming Colloquium talks we’ve had in a while: RJ Rowley talking about locals casinos in Las Vegas. Here’s the info you need: 26-January 25, 2011 RJ Rowley, Assistant Professor, University of Wisconsin-Platteville “Neon Beyond the Neon: The Geography of Locals Casinos” In this talk, Rowley

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news about gambling

Is the party really over?

Interesting column in The Economist that I don’t necessarily agree with: More important, few residents of Las Vegas would any longer agree that their city is either great or happy. Nevada has America’s highest unemployment rate. In Las Vegas, unemployment has risen more this year even as it has flattened in the rest of the

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life in vegas, news about gambling

Silverton goes off-beat in Vegas 7

I missed this yesterday, but my latest Green Felt Journal column is out in Vegas Seven. It’s about some of the unusual events taking place at the Silverton: Santa is floating inside the 117,000-gallon aquarium at the Silverton Casino and Lodge, his white beard billowing as the parrot fish and stingrays glide by. He’s taking

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life in vegas, news about gambling, Vegas Seven, writing

Projecting the future

A while back, some folks asked me what I thought the near-future held for Las Vegas gaming and tourism. After mulling over some of the LVCVA data for the past 40 years, I gave them six different scenarios. This might be nice for a wider audience, I thought. But, since I had a lot on

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life in vegas, news about gambling

The complex Vegas story in LVBP

It’s not every day that venting about the frustrating aspects of your job leads you to a column. But if you read my piece in the Las Vegas Business Press, you’ll see how I use some misconceptions about Las Vegas as an opportunity to set the record somewhat straight: Recently, for example, I received an

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life in vegas, news about gambling

Big concern for Las Vegas

Interesting article in today’s Las Vegas Sun by Richard Velotta about how undue concern over carbon emissions may seriously impact travel. This has tremendous implications for Las Vegas: Seventy-two government agencies have cut their travel budgets because of environmental concerns, a top travel executive said, leading him to conclude that overzealous environmental policy could be

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life in vegas

Response to another lame take on Vegas

What is it about Las Vegas that brings out the worst in some writers? The latest victim shares his thoughts on Las Vegas in Smithsonian Magazine, though I cant imagine why an editor would solicit this kind of superficial “analysis,” much less publish it: I knew, going in, that I’d feel out of place. The

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life in vegas, writing

Hard Rock CEO in Vegas Seven

It’s Thursday, so I’ve got a new Green Felt Journal in Vegas Seven. This week, I profile new Hard Rock Hotel president Joseph Magliarditi: The Hard Rock Hotel got a new president and chief executive officer on June 1. Joseph A. Magliarditi comes with extensive experience in the Las Vegas casino industry and promises to

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