One of Nevada’s legendary casinos is closing up in Lake Tahoe. From KVBC: Before the Las Vegas Strip ruled the gambling world, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. helped make the Cal Neva lodge one of Nevada's coolest casinos in the early 1960s. On Wednesday, roulette wheels will stop spinning and blackjack games […]
If you like casino capers, here’s one from Switzerland, via the New Zealand Herald News: A masked gang armed with machine guns and pistols staged a spectacular robbery at a Swiss casino dubbed “Las Vegas in Europe” last night and escaped with hundreds of thousands of euros after terrifying gamblers by firing shots into the
In addition to the cover story, my regular Green Felt Journal column in Vegas Seven this week tackles one very specific complaint about Aria’s casino, the lighting: But the thing most likely to provoke comment from casino-goers about Aria in its first three months hasn’t been Pelli Clarke Pelli’s spacious design or the cutting-edge technology
Shining a light on Aria Read More »
news about gambling, writingI had such a busy day yesterday that I couldn’t post this. It’s ironic because this article was the culmination of about a month of interviews, analysis, observation, writing, and re-writing. It’s the cover story for the March 25 Vegas Seven, about Aria’s first 100 days: Aria, the centerpiece of the 67-acre mini city, has
Yesterday I wrote a bit about the numbers behind the proposed mini-casinos considered for Atlantic City. Now, with news that Hard Rock is talking about spending $300 million to build a mini-casino, I thought I’d do a little number-crunching and learn if you’d be better off using that money to buy an existing property or
Comparison shopping in AC Read More »
atlantic city, news about gamblingWe’ve got our latest podcast up over at UNLV’s Center for Gaming Research: the Colloquium talk by our March 2010 Gaming Fellow, Pascale Nedelec, ” Urban Dynamics in the Las Vegas Valley: Casinos and Sprawl.” Here’s her abstract of the talk: Las Vegas is well known for its urban sprawl. While the casino industry has
New podcast up–locals casinos and urban growth Read More »
news about gambling, what's newHere are more details about the proposed regulatory changes in Atlantic City, which seem to make the tax process even more byzantine. Ah, I just wanted an excuse to use “byzantine” in a sentence. It’s one of those words that I don’t get to use enough. From Business Week: The new casinos would have to
Details of AC “overhaul” Read More »
atlantic city, news about gamblingOften, gamblers decide to pool their resources and share both the costs and the gains from their gambling. Lottery clubs are the best example of this. Sometimes, though, it ends badly, as in this Connecticut case. From the Boston Globe: For years, Theresa Sokaitis and Rose Bakaysa were the closest of siblings, whiling away long
Family feud over jackpot Read More »
gambling & culture, news about gamblingI’ve got a new column in the Las Vegas Business Press about that Arkansas casino nirvana, with some more exploration of a state without gaming regulation: Recent events in a state that's considering getting into the casino game have raised the question of casino regulation. Looking at intent and practice of regulation anew provides a
Casino regulation in context Read More »
news about gamblingIn case you were wondering, the former Sands site in Atlantic City continues to deteriorate. From the AC Press: The barren site overlooking the Boardwalk consists of little more than mounds of dirt and scruffy tufts of grass peeking through the soil. Intruders are kept out by a padlocked chain-link fence bearing a “No Trespassing”
Pinnacle Prairie update Read More »
atlantic city, news about gamblingStephen Fried. Appetite for America: Fred Harvey Civilizing the West–One Meal at a Time. New York: Bantam Books, 2010. 528 pages. If you’ve driven from LA to Las Vegas and wondered what the “Harvey House” sign in Barstow was all about, here’s the scoop: from roughly 1876 to 1930, many train passengers took their meal
Book Review: Appetite for America Read More »
book reviewsI’ve posted a new report at the Center for Gaming Research website: a statistical breakdown of the evolution of Nevada baccarat, 1992-2010. Here’s my description: This chart shows the trajectory of Nevada baccarat since 1992. The total baccarat win and number of tables grown over the past eighteen years, both in absolute terms and as
Speaking of baccarat… Read More »
news about gambling, what's newNew Green Felt Journal in Vegas Seven: Baccarat first came to Las Vegas in the 1950s, but didn’t make much headway until the growth of high-end, international play in the 1970s. Caesars Palace and the Hilton led the way, and soon most casinos with any pretension to catering to high-rollers added the game. The game
Baccarat to the future at Vegas Seven Read More »
news about gambling, writingIt’s a great day at the Center for Gaming Research. The second in the Occasional Papers Series has been published. Here’s the info: Larry Gragg. “The Powerful Mythology Surrounding Bugsy Siegel,” Occasional Paper Series 2. Las Vegas: Center for Gaming Research, University Libraries, University of Nevada Las Vegas, 2010. Abstract: Journalists, authors, filmmakers, and historians
2nd occasional paper published Read More »
what's newIt’s Thursday, so that means the latest Vegas Seven is hot off the presses–printing and digital. This week, I’ve got an article about gaming taverns–you know, those bars with slots in them that are ubiquitous in Las Vegas. Here’s the opening: From Irish pubs to Mexican cantinas, it seems that every culture puts its own
Gaming taverns in Vegas 7 Read More »
news about gamblingThe latest UNLV Gaming Podcast is up; it’s an interview with Aria Resort and Casino President and COO Bill McBeath. A Las Vegas native and UNLV alum, McBeath has had an interesting career, to say the least, and has worked for some of the biggest names in the business—Michael Gaughan, Steve Wynn, and Kirk Kerkorian.
New Podcast: interview with Bill McBeath Read More »
news about gambling, what's newThe good folks at the Nevada Gaming Control Board have released the January 2010 Nevada casino gaming stats. Here is my summary: Statewide 1. Baccarat continues to power the state’s card games, with its win increasing by about 12% over last year. This game has actually seen a net gain in the past 3 years–Nevada
January Nevada numbers analysis Read More »
news about gamblingHere’s my latest from the Las Vegas Business Press, in which I continue to deconstruct the popularity of pennies: When the year-end Nevada gaming revenue figures came out, two trends dominated the news: Gambling in general was down again in 2009, while baccarat play toward the end of the year showed a surprising spike. But
More about the year of the penny Read More »
news about gambling, writingI was interviewed for this piece last week, and it’s interesting to see how it all came together. I’m glad I’m not the only one who didn’t think that this proposal made no sense. From Arkansas Business: If a proposed constitutional amendment allowing Texas businessman Michael J. Wasserman to build casinos in Arkansas sounds like
Casino Nirvana in Arkansas Read More »
book reviewsInteresting article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch over the weekend about the evolution of Missouri’s casino blacklist: For years, the crimes that barred gamblers from Missouri casinos read like Mafia movie plots. Men with ties to Kansas City's notorious La Cosa Nostra ran illegal betting rings, threatened witnesses and skimmed money from Las Vegas casinos,
Evolution of MO blacklist Read More »
news about gambling