My latest piece in the Las Vegas Business Press takes a look at why Leroy’s Blackberry sports-betting application is a big deal: The year is still young, but 2011 has already been groundbreaking for Nevada’s gaming industry. The Gaming Control Board approved an application that lets players make bets from their own mobile devices, pointing […]
BlackBerry to the future in the Las Vegas Business Press Read More »
news about gamblingThis week in the Las Vegas Business Press, I finally get a chance to discuss the October Nevada gaming numbers: For both the state and the Strip, it was the third consecutive month of positive year-over-year revenue growth — as good a sign as any that, for now at least, the bleeding has stopped. At
October & the future in LVBP Read More »
Las Vegas Business Press, news about gambling, writingMy latest Las Vegas Business Press column is out, in which I dissect the June Nevada numbers: The June results are in, and whatever the national economic picture, one thing is certain: Nevada gaming remains moribund. The figures released by the Gaming Control Board aren’t much cause for optimism, though things look a little better
Not a happy June in the LVBP Read More »
news about gambling, writingI tried to douse some of the anti-gambling rhetoric yesterday, so it’s only fitting that in this week’s LVBP column I give a little perspective on calls for gambling legalization to bridge budget gaps: The legalization or expansion of casino gaming is a hot topic in many states across the country. Like Nevada, many states
Gambling, legalization, and taxes in the LVBP Read More »
news about gamblingBased 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 & cultureNo Green Felt Journal in Vegas Seven this week because of a production error, but there’s always next week to look forward to, and I’ve got a piece about the promotion of Las Vegas in the Business Press this week: Maybe it isn't. While the ads are amusing and have a fair shot of “going
Fun or bad? You decide Read More »
life in vegas, writingFor a while now, I’ve been dropping hints about an article on resort fees that I’ve been working on. I’ve been a little more mysterious than usual because the magazine I wrote it for hadn’t been published yet. Well, it’s out at last, in the debut issue of Vegas Seven magazine. It’s the first in
With G2E upon us, I’ve been even busier than usual–hence no post yesterday. Here’s a preview of what I’ll be saying about food and beverage operations and casino brand identity, as covered in my LVBP column: A property’s brand includes a great many things: the name, the architectural style, fonts used in signage and advertising,
More about F&B and branding Read More »
news about gamblingI’ve got a new column in the LVBP, about the dubious morality (and even more dubious economics) of many states that legalize gambling: There's a paradox here: Many states legalize gambling only to bring in revenue in lieu of raising taxes. When their citizens can't generate the kind of tax revenues state governments can't do
Morality, economics, and gambling expansion Read More »
news about gamblingMy Las Vegas Business Press piece on Encore is up. It’s an expansion of my original post on this site. Here’s my grand conclusion: Encore, in its essence, is hopeful. Even the name is a reminder that something came before, and something will come after. It’s both a great new resort and a call to
My latest piece in the LVBP is small consolation for folks who’ve got a significant chunk of their net worth tied up in gaming stocks, but hey, there’s a reason that they call it “gambling.” I’ll spoil you with the last two paragraphs, from the LVBP: Today, with fears of an economic downturn souring even
My latest Business Press column is out, in which I turn an offhand comment by an LA Times movie reviewer into grist for 550 words about Fake Vegas. From the LVBP: Casinos, certainly, have taken their place as legitimate businesses, and a former Harvard business professor runs the world’s biggest gaming company. So it’s not
Fake Vegas explored Read More »
life in vegas, news about gamblingHey, they’ve finally posted my latest piece in the Las Vegas Business Press. Here’s a taste: The economy, as the blurb that crawls across your television screen says, is bad. Really bad. And don’t you forget it. For those dealing in luxury goods and services, the perception of an economic decline is just as ruinous
The economy and room rates Read More »
news about gamblingI’ve got a more in-depth look at the Canadian responsible gaming monitors in the LVBP. Here’s a snippet: Recently, the British Columbia government announced plans to hire nine “responsible gambling information officers.” These new deputies of safe gaming will spend their working hours hanging out in casinos throughout the Canadian province, looking for “distressed gamblers”
Responsible gaming monitors redux Read More »
news about gambling