Are “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 […]
This week my job is to spend too much time at the Las Vegas Convention Center, walking the exhibit halls and stalking the conference rooms of the Global Gaming Expo. Here’s a takeaway from the first day, from KLAS: The economy took center stage at the largest gaming conference in the world that opened in
G2E and the industry’s future Read More »
news about gamblingBinon’s casino in downtown Las Vegas has been through a rough few years. It’s been sold twice and along the way has lost the “Horseshoe” name and the World Series of Poker (which crowned its 2008 champion last night, btw). With new owner Terry Caudill at the helm, however, a turnaround is in progress, starting
Binion’s poker reborn Read More »
news about gamblingJust to give you an idea of what I’m working with, I wanted to post this letter from my Homeowners’ Association. It’s probably no better and no worse than most HOAs, but they went a little “nuts” with the “quotation marks” and capitalizing Common Nouns. You’ve really got to click and read the whole thing–it
A very quotable newsletter Read More »
life in vegasJeff Haney over at the LV Sun’s had a bad run with Vegas sports books recently. In his latest column, he comes just short of calling for an immediate ban on all sports betting. Here’s the apex of the piece: My opinion of elected public officials places them slightly below Saturday morning scamdicapper slime on
Sporrts betting rampage Read More »
news about gamblingThe state of Nevada gives you a pretty wide berth when it comes to where you put your slot machines. Mostly they are in age-restricted places like casinos and bars, but you can also find them in family-friendly supermarkets and airports. At the Reno-Tahoe Airport, you can literally buy a Happy Meal just feet away
Slotless bars in topless clubs Read More »
news about gambling…but I see a silver lining. In fact, you could argue that things are getting a whole lot better. It’s just a matter of perspective. Specifically, we’re talking about July’s Nevada gaming revenues being down. From the LV Sun: For the seventh straight month, casino winnings on the Strip slumped, falling 14.6 percent in July
Things are getting worse… Read More »
news about gamblingSince I’ve been downtown on other business lately, I’ve had the opportunity to update, at last, the Downtown Las Vegas Casino Carpet Gallery. There are some neat things happening down there, and some not-so-neat things. My favorite “new” carpet (since the last time I’d taken pictures) has to be the California’s: it puts a new,
Downtown revisited Read More »
news about gamblingEveryone knows that Las Vegas has changed in the past 30 years. It’s hard to come it with a good, descriptive name for the process, though. “Disneyfication” gets thrown around a lot, and it comes close, but it’s not perfect. “Corporatization” sounds bland enough to describe it, but it’s almost too bland to use. But
Vegas bribery evolved Read More »
life in vegasCirca 1952. This is a fun little thing that I dug up in UNLV Special Collections…well, I saw it lying on a desk. It’s sheet music to the 1952 chart-topper, “I Lost my Love When I Lost My Loot in Las Vegas.” It’s not every singer who can appear on a sheet music cover shirtless
I caught this wide-eyed Vegas puff piece on an Australian news website, and I had to laugh. I’ll spare you the article, but here are the tips. I’ll let my readers deconstruct them at will. From NEWS.com.au: # Stay on The Strip. All the action is there and everywhere else is a bust. Try to
Vegas tips from Oz Read More »
life in vegas, news about gamblingA reporter for that well-known bastion of literary tradition, the LV Sun, has weighed in on the reading habits of Las Vegas library-goers: Las Vegas, the old truism and sometime political talking point says, is at the bottom of every good list and at the top of every bad one. But what about the lists
Popular Vegas books Read More »
life in vegasWhile shopping at a local outlet mall, I noticed this wonderful chapeau offered for sale: I’ve got a few problems with this. The chief one is that only a fool would advertise that they were part of a continuing criminal enterprise. The whole point of the mafia is that it’s supposed to be a shadowy
What makes Las Vegas…Las Vegas? John Pryzbys (it’s pronounced like “frisbee” but with a “b,” if you’re curious) has an article that asks that question in today’s RJ. And I’m one of the ones who offered some answers. From, naturally, the LVRJ: What is Las Vegas? A place. An idea. A stereotype. And, for those
Why is Vegas Vegas? Read More »
life in vegasIt’s hard to believe, but one of the oldest gambling con games is alive and well in the shadow of the Las Vegas Strip. I snapped some pictures of a shell game in action on Monday between the Tropicana and Hooters. Technically that’s not the Strip, but it’s in the Strip tourist corridor, so the
This is another paperback I discovered in the catacombs of the UNLV Special Collections stacks. The tagline is what sold me: “The most beautiful girls in Las Vegas couldn’t stop Eddie from winning.” Also, Library Journal called it “a groovy novel.” So, I figured, it’s about a card-counting Greg Brady. This might make for an
Book review: The Fortune Machine Read More »
book reviewsChristina Binkley. Winner Takes All: Steve Wynn, Kirk Kerkorian, Gary Loveman, and the Race to Own Las Vegas. New York: Hyperion, 2008. 304 pages, hardcover. Over the last decade, the Las Vegas Strip has become increasingly consolidated. Once, there were a host of casino owners: Aztar, Bally Gaming, Boyd Gaming, Circus Circus Enterprises, Grand Casinos
Book Review: Winner Takes All Read More »
book reviews, life in vegasIt 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
What happens in Kapchagai Read More »
gambling & cultureI’ve read in a newspaper in a while. While I’m quick to pounce on what I perceive as uninspired or erroneous reporting (check out USA 5 minutes ago or Dogs not playing poker), I’m also the first to recognize excellence. The piece in your question concerns a lesser-known Las Vegas casino, the Western. Adam Goldman,
At the risk of being self-aggrandizing, I’ve got to put this in here. A while ago, I spoke with a Texas reporter about a company that claims to have developed a system to add pheromones to ventilation systems in stores and casinos. Islamic These pheromones would, allegedly, cause people to spent/gamble more. From the Galveston
Out of this world? Read More »
life in vegas