I could do some official-sounding retrospective on the year in gaming, but that’s been done better elsewhere, by people with more time. Instead, I thought I’d take a moment to flip through my archives and pick out a few of my favorite posts from 2008. January Things you need to tell the GCB Best name […]
Looking back at 2008 Read More »
what's newWith 2008 almost history, I’ve got a new Atlantic City history article in Casino Connection to tell you about: Casino Connection Atlantic City | AC History | Curtain up. It’s all about the proliferation and disappearance of theaters along the Boardwalk.
Theater time in AC Read More »
atlantic cityMy 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
This Christian Science Monitor editorial argues with some logic that gambling isn’t the best thing for the economy. But I think the last line is a bit utopian: One bright spot in this deep recession is that gamblers might be saying "Enough" to the lure of easy money and calling it quits. States, too, should
A recent case of kickbacks opens up an interesting public policy question that will probably not be answered. From the LV Sun: A vice president of Fry’s Electronics who is accused of swindling the company out of more than $65 million has long been on the radar of Clark County prosecutors. The Internal Revenue Service
Casino debt hall of fame 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 & cultureCan you guess the year that an article appeared in Forbes magazine with these quotes? — “Las Vegas is showing signs that it is becoming overbuilt.” –“With traffic growing more slowly than capacity, older casinos have been hurting. Atlantic City casinos fared much worse last year.” — “Steve Wynn put it this way: ‘The old
There’s been quite the buzz for Encore over the Internet. This quote from Oskar Garcia’s AP piece explains, I think, why Wynn gets it more than anyone except Jack Binion and a few others: Wynn expected thousands to jam the entrances to the casinos on Monday night, as some of his best customers ceremoniously pull
Dave’s thoughts on the opening of Encore at Wynn Las Vegas.
And now for an Encore Read More »
life in vegas, news about gamblingYou might have noticed that I do a great deal of writing. Whether it’s the daily blogging, the articles for the Las Vegas Business Press, Casino Connection, and elsewhere, or the books, writing is something that is very important to me, both professionally and because I like to do it. Since it means so much
I didn’t write this…not exactly Read More »
atlantic city, writingA review of Bill Zender’s Casino-ology: The Art of Managing Casino Games.
Book Review: Casino-ology Read More »
book reviewsReading David McKee’s post on the TI sale to Phil Ruffin, something clicked that made me realize the transaction made perfect sense. For a while now, MGM Mirage has been positioning itself as a casino builder and hospitality brand manager. The international moves are ample evidence of that, as are the City Center partnership with
Big news from the LVRJ this morning. Treasure Island is about to be sold: Former New Frontier owner Phil Ruffin is buying the Treasure Island from MGM Mirage for $775 million, sources confirmed Sunday night. The deal is expected to be announced today. Ruffin, a Wichita, Kan., businessman, sold the New Frontier in May 2007
Seth Davis. When March Went Mad: The Game That Transformed Basketball. New York: Times Books, 2009. 307 pages. Today, college basketball is big business, with massive TV contracts and incredible hype. During the annual NCAA tournament, college basketball mania reaches its apex with “March Madness.” Every red-blooded American fills out a bracket or ten and
Book Review: When March Went Mad Read More »
book reviewsThanks to a legislative loophole, Delaware is one of only four states allowed to license legal sports betting. In a few months, you may be able to get action down legally in the Diamond State–with a few caveats. From the Philly Inquirer: Atlantic City’s hopes of a gaming-industry rebound in 2009 might be about to
Delaware to bet on sports? Read More »
atlantic city, news about gamblingI would never make light of animal cruelty and believe that no punishment it too harsh for someone who likes to torture kittens, but you’ve got to admit this is pretty droll, what with the winsome look on the kid’s face and all.
Funniest photo ever? Read More »
life in vegasI don’t have any point here–I just thought that this Ventnor reference was funny. From the Examiner: A cold wind blows along the boardwalk today, and no, this isnt a prelude for Springsteens version of Santa Claus is Coming to Town. Its about contrast. While the barren boardwalk in neighboring Ventnor is part of the
Ventnor is desolate this time of year Read More »
atlantic cityThis doesn’t look good. From http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN1032927320081210: Las Vegas Strip casinos won $475 million from gamblers in October, a drop of 26 percent from a year earlier, the state's Gaming Control Board said on Wednesday. Statewide, Nevada casinos' take from gamblers fell 22 percent to $905 million for the month as the U.S. economic recession continued
October numbers down Read More »
news about gambling