Back in 2004, my editor at Gotham gave me an advance copy of this to read on one of my trips to New York. I started reading it in the Port Authority bus terminal while waiting for the trusty NJ Transit 312 to take me back to Atlantic City, and didn’t put it down until I finished it, somewhere south of Tom’s River. I think that says it all. This was a fantastic story, one that all Americans should read, particularly as we consider our commitments to a military presence in both Iraq and Afghanistan. It’s still relevant in 2008, as we are in the midst of another election cycle where the war is a rightfully major issue.

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It looks like Star Trek: The Experience might be leaving the Las Vegas Hilton. From the LVRJ:

The lease on the biggest nerd magnet since the International Consumer Electronics Show expires at the end of the year, and a spokesperson for owners Cedar Fair Entertainment Co. told the Web site TrekMovie.com “there are currently no plans to renew” it.

If Cedar Fair were to beam Experience out of the Hilton, it could mark the demise of a 10-year run that has made Las Vegas the center of the universe for fans of the seminal science fiction franchise.
…
The lease on the biggest nerd magnet since the International Consumer Electronics Show expires at the end of the year, and a spokesperson for owners Cedar Fair Entertainment Co. told the Web site TrekMovie.com “there are currently no plans to renew” it.

If Cedar Fair were to beam Experience out of the Hilton, it could mark the demise of a 10-year run that has made Las Vegas the center of the universe for fans of the seminal science fiction franchise.
Experience Ending: Hilton Star Trek attraction may seek out new life elsewhere

The Experience isn’t cheap: it costs $37.99 for two rides and access to the museum, which I think is the most interesting part of the whole place.

It would be a shame to see the Experience close, since it obviously caters to a demographic that many other Vegas outlets don’t:

TrekMovie.com editor-in-chief Anthony Pascale stopped short of saying Experience would bolt, but he said it didn’t look good for Trekkies who make a pilgrimage to the Hilton as part of their Las Vegas vacations.

“It is the premiere, and right now only, live Star Trek attraction in the world,” Pascale said. “A lot of nerd weddings go on at that place.”

My biggest problem with ST:TE is not with the attraction itself, but with the Hilton’s SpaceQuest casino. That’s the section of the casino that surrounds ST:TE. I don’t think they did a very good job of giving the SpaceQuest casino a Star Trek look. It’s just generic space-looking, with no design elements from any of the Star Trek shows or movies at all. And out of all of the artifacts from the show they could have used in the display cases, the most prominent one they used was the salt monster from an early episode of the original series–not exactly a recognizable icon. When you imagine the potential, it’s a real let-down.

That being said, I’d like to see the Hilton and Cedar Fair not only keep ST:TE, but upgrade it. I think it’s just good business. You’d have to work pretty hard to find an attraction that would have the same immediate draw as a Star Trek one–you figure each Trekkie who comes to Vegas has to visit it at least once. In an industry that is warming up to the value of branding, an association with one of the entertainment world’s most recognizable brands seems to be a slam dunk.

I don’t think so, you might say. The Trek franchise is moribund–the last show went off the air three years ago. Yes, but I think that it’s due for a revival. There’s a new movie in production, due to open next May. And it’s a complete re-start of the franchise: J. J. Abrams, the creative force behind Lost, is directing it, so I’d expect something really, really good. Closing the attraction a few months before a major movie’s released just seems so obviously short-sighted to me. Why not just extend the agreement for another year, at the very least, or commit some money to tweak the museum and, just maybe, develop a new ride that ties in with the movie?

I’ve got a can’t miss idea: they should add a theater and stage a new show: a musical extravaganza version of the vaunted Trek classic A Night in Sickbay.

I originally reviewed this for the Pennsylvania Review of History. As you’ll see, it’s a provocative book that might make you rethink just how lucky you are.

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When I worked casino security, I used to enjoy seeing all sorts of strange items turn up in the lost and found. But I never got anyone arrested, like these folks did. From foxnews:

A man has been charged in Kitsap County for possession of a controlled substance after he made the mistake of attempting to retrieve a bag containing methamphetamine from the Suquamish Casino’s lost-and-found.

The casino’s security officer alerted the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office when the bag was found to contain three knives, a bag of white crystals identified as meth, some jewelry, a small digital scale and some blood pressure medication.

The 33-year-old Seattle man’s identification was also in the bag, which was turned in by a customer.

As a deputy was speaking with the security officer this week, the man came up and told him he was looking for his missing black bag. The man confirmed the bag was his and a deputy placed him under arrest.

The man was also charged with possession of prescription drugs without a prescription and possession of a dangerous weapon.

Man Busted for Retrieving Meth From Casino’s Lost-and-Found

It’s an interesting mix: drugs, knives, jewelry, and an ID. I bet they had a ball writing up that report.

This is probably going to make it into one of those “America’s Dumbest Criminals” shows.

With much, but not all of the site work done, I’m taking a bold leap back into the gaming news blogosphere today.

I haven’t heard much about this possible bidder for the Columbia Sussex casino empire, but that might just be because I’ve spent more time poring over css style sheets than reading the news. And before you ask, I’m not related to Gerald Schwartz. From ReportonBusiness.com:

Onex Corp. is ready to place a bet on the U.S. gambling industry, with struggling casino icon Tropicana Entertainment LLC a potential target for Gerald Schwartz’s buyout firm.

Onex has top-end help in its hunt for a gambling deal, teaming up with Alex Yemenidjian, the former president of Kirk Kerkorian’s MGM Grand casino empire. The firm is employing the same strategy in another beat-up business, building products, where Onex has joined with Masonite International Corp. founder Philip Orsino to seek deals.

In gambling, the focus isn’t just on the neon and flash of the Las Vegas strip, where the Tropicana is a well-known name in lights, but in more out-of-the-way places. Onex made a bid for Gateway Casinos Income Fund, which runs gambling operations in Western Canada, but fell short in that 2007 takeover battle.

Onex eyes move into gambling

I wouldn’t exactly call Columbia Sussex a “casino icon,” but what do I know?

Onex is a private equity company:

We also pursue opportunities to create value by putting a portion of Onex’ substantial cash resources to work in additional asset classes that we believe will generate superior returns. Through Onex Real Estate Partners, our acquisition partnership with a team of highly experienced industry professionals, we are investing in high-quality commercial and multi-unit residential real estate. We may invest in other asset classes where we believe we can achieve appropriate returns and where the activities can lead to acquisition opportunities.

I wonder if the US/Canadian exchange rate would make this a good bet for Onex? At the very least, TropEnt owns some pretty valuable real estate on the Strip.

Re-reading after seven years, I’m struck by two things: I’m not entirely comfortable reviewing books that I don’t like, and the general quality of writing about Las Vegas has not much improved.

Let me explain: as a writer, I absolutely hate saying negative things about other writers. I know how hard it is to find the discipline and vision to write a book, then go through rounds of revisions and editorial haggling. To do all this and then see your work ripped to shreds is just heart-breaking.

But sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind, I’ve heard, and sometimes the writer isn’t the victim, the reader is. Maybe the writer took a nice advance then realized that he didn’t have anything meaningful to say on the topic. In that case, I’ve got no pity: I’ve been offered projects that I didn’t feel I could do justice to, and I’ve turned them down, even though it meant passing up a payday. Before I start writing, I feel an obligation to the reader to approach the topic in good faith.

And the more crap that’s out there, particularly the more well-marketed crap, the less room there is for real writing in the book ecosystem: it’s literary kudzu, or snakeheads, or whatever invasive species you can think of. Theodore Sturgeon was probably right when he said “ninety-five percent of everything is crap,” and in regard to Las Vegas/gambling that’s probably a generous estimate. But since for whatever reason I’m in a position to have some influence, I try to encourage good writing. I’m not saying I practice it or anything, I’m just saying I can recognize it and, like a soused undergrad seeing that guy from his o-chem class across the haze of a frat party, say, with an equivalent nod of the head, “Dude!”

As you’ll see, I’m not saying “dude” for this book.

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I originally reviewed this for the Nevada Historical Society Quarterly. Written three years before Positively Fifth Street, this book pioneered the literary take on the World Series of Poker genre.
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I read Elif Shafak’s The Flea Palace almost four years ago. I haven’t re-read it since, and don’t own a copy. But it’s still one of my favorite books, and I can still vividly recall much of the writing. Here’s what I had to say about it when I first reviewed it:

I saw this book in the “new books” shelf of UNLV’s Lied Library. The title jumped out at me, and I decided to read it on one of my cross-country flights back east. I originally approached it with some trepidation (it’s written by an academic, and in my experience most academic prose is eminently forgettable), but it’s a great book! Don’t trust me, read it yourself.

So keep on reading, and learn just why this book is one of my favorites.
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My reposting of reviews continues. This one is a real gem. If you don’t believe me, look at the cover:

Click through to look at the big version of that if you don’t believe me, but yes, that is JFK and, yes, he does figure into the plot. Is he the BP on the count team? You’ll have to read on to find out.

By a strange coincidence, I’m meeting Ed Thorp today. I don’t think that this book is going to come up in conversation, but if it does, I’m covered.

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James Swain. Loaded Dice. New York: Ballantine Books, 2004. 310 pp, $22.95 (hardcover)

When I started this site back in 2005, I posted many reviews as static pages. Now, instead of reformatting them all, I’m reposting them as posts. If you’re a longtime reader, enjoy the nostalgia, and if you’ve just found this site, it’s a chance to enjoy something new.

I’ve also made a few small graphics changes, so hitting the handy F5 key might make the site look better.

I’ve started with James Swain’s Loaded Dice, which was a fun book and the first fiction that I reviewed here. Enjoy. Click on through for the full review.
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I’m still hustling through the site redesign. As you see, I’ve spiffed up the background a little. Can you guess where I got the inspiration for the new pattern? Without looking at a certain part of this site? Comment if you can.

I’ve also converted the books section, so check that out, too.

If you don’t see something really different from the old look, bash the F5 key repeatedly. Or just click on the “browser refresh” icon.

I haven’t tested the new look in Netscape, IE, or Safari, so if you are using one of those and see something totally goofy, drop me a line.

It will be a few days before I have everything in the old theme loaded into the new theme. Until then, if you need your casino carpet fix and can’t find it through Google, use this gallery link.

I’ll also be updating the writing page substantially, and expanding it into several pages.

More news: I’ve decided to return to comments, and my new configuration might actually support them, so if you are a regular reader and would like to take a minute or two, please register and comment.

Thanks a million, and keep checking back as I improve the site.

And that’s a good thing! At least the Brookings Institution says so…and DC thinktanks are never wrong. From the LV Sun:

Las Vegas’ success in becoming a nexus of entertainment and gambling is a model that American cities would do well to emulate in other businesses, a new Brookings Institution report concludes.

The local “cluster” of entertainment and gambling, writers of the Brookings study say, typifies the regional connections among similar businesses essential for the United States to remain competitive internationally.

That conclusion is not a new one for A. Somer Hollingsworth, president and chief executive of the Nevada Development Authority. Las Vegas is so attuned to the idea of clusters, Hollingsworth said, that his decadelong mission to diversify the local economy is taking root, with the region forming clusters in at least two other industries, biotechnical research and alternative energy.

“I don’t know that we’ll ever have a cluster as solid and big as gaming,” Hollingsworth said. “If they stop growing, it’d be hard to catch up. But I think we’re seeing finally more of our local clusters developing. And over the next five to 10 years, these things will really start to happen.”

Our concentration of resorts is cited as economic model - Las Vegas Sun

Maybe I’m wrong, but I think that Las Vegas is doing OK in gaming, but isn’t that well known for biotechnology yet. I don’t know too much about that field, so maybe I’m off base.

And isn’t this whole “cluster” thing the sort of self-evident truism that think tanks always get ridiculed for announcing to the world as if it’s arcane gnosis or something? I mean, you build 20 of the world’s biggest casinos in one city, and people are going to start going there to gamble. If you have a lot of movie studios, you’ll get plenty of support services, etc.

And here I never thought I’d get to creditably use the word “gnosis” in a post. Every day is a surprise around here.

The headline sort of describes what I do, but this is about something else. From The Province:

The B.C. government is hiring nine “responsible gambling information officers” to educate gamblers at casinos in Metro Vancouver, Victoria and Nanaimo.

B.C. Lottery Corp. spokesman Paul Smith said the aim is to help gamblers play responsibly.

He said the officers will occupy information booths at each casino during peak hours to inform players about the risks of gambling.
…
Smith said the gaming officers will be trained to spot distressed gamblers. An officer may strike up a conversation with a problem gambler and offer help. But the officer will not try to prevent the gambler from losing his shirt. “We are not there to deal with problem gamblers per se,” Smith said.
…
Anti-gambling advocate Bill Chu called the term “responsible gambling” laughable. “How can gambling be responsible?” said Chu, of the Multicultural Coalition Against Gambling Expansion. “It’s legalized pick-pocketing. They are spending millions of dollars luring people into gambling. Now they’re spending tidbits on this so-called responsible gaming. What’s the point of having these phoney guys posing as responsible gambling officers when you’re trying to scoop up [$1.2 billion] from people’s pockets?”
B.C. govt to hire 9 responsible gambling information officers

“Trained to spot distressed gamblers,” huh? I can just imagine how that conversation will go: “You lost a lot of money tonight…let me conduct an inventory of your personal finance and relationships and help you see if you’ve got a gambling problem.”

Because if you’ve got a problem with gambling, more government will always help.

I wonder if these “officers” wear uniforms and, if so, what they look like.

I’m quoting something–it might be Doctor Who or H2G2, where the bad guy kept saying “Seize them!” Or maybe that’s what bad guys in charge usually say. Anyway, this is just a lead-in to me posting on something I’ve written myself, in the Business Press:

“Harrahrizing” the Palace wouldnt work. Instead, Harrahs execs chose to Caesarize Harrahs, renaming the company after its premium brand.

Its an interesting choice, when you think about the founders of each “brand.” Bill Harrah has a reputation as a no-nonsense, results-oriented autarch who insisted on perfection in his casinos. With his company’s focus on database management and consumer metrics, hes become, in retrospect, a sort of ubernerd, presiding over an army of bookkeepers with a slide rule in one hand and a magnifying glass in the other.

But Harrah was more fun than that. He spent most of his time building up a collection of antique cars and enjoyed hanging out in the garage far more than presiding over board meetings. And he was hardly a stay-the-course kind of guy — he got married seven times, to six different women.

Las Vegas Business Press :: David G. Schwartz : Heres hoping Caesars name gives Harrahs some Roman-candle sparkle

Harrah as ubernerd–who’d a thunk it?

It’s just me free-associating about the significance of the name change, with some unsolicited advice for the people who run Harrah’s and are already way richer than me, if that matters.

I wonder if the new Caesars Entertainment would be interested in buying the “dieiscast” domain? They could move their slot-finder here, and I could use the proceeds to buy a new domain for myself and go on a whirlwind casino tour, re-emerging for a relaunch with a renewed carpet gallery.

Here’s a little unvarnished peek into the soul of Las Vegas: an answer to the question, “If you gave Las Vegans $600, how would they spend it?. Only the LVRJ is brave enough to ask the public directly. Here’s a few of my favorites:

Vacation to California to help forget about the high gas and grocery prices.
…
I was unemployed for about 3 months recently and I have to use my tax rebate for my past due bills that accumulated during that time. If there is anything left I will buy some stuff for the house and maybe go out to dinner. Also maybe buy some clothes.
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we’re using ours to buy a new gun.
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I am donating it to our Troops to an organization called Soldiers Angels.
Thanks to them our country is safe.
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I will do my duty and spend my Economic Stimulus Check for both household items like new comforter sets, cothes and household items — stuff for the garden, etc. - I will do my american duty and spend, spend, spend —–in fact, I’ve started already and I don’t even have it yet, but, I did do direct deposit and I should have it by Friday.
…
I’m very recently unemployed so rent & food. =)
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My husband and I will use our check to catch up on bills and a down payment on an Apple computer.
…
Pay my dentist.
ReviewJournal.com - Breaking News - How will you spend your tax rebate?

I deliberately juxtaposed the person who is donating his/her check to the troops and the one doing his/her “american duty” (sic) by spending into debt. I think that the men and women who haven’t seen their families for months are the only ones really doing their “American duty,” and it’s sickening to think that buying crap you don’t need is seen as a patriotic gesture.

LOL about vacationing to California to forget about high prices. That would be a great idea if the cost of living wasn’t higher in California than Nevada. It’s like going to Newcastle to get away from coal.

At least no one said, “Megabucks.”

Dateline, the Target at Flamingo and Maryland. I had a genuine “what? what? WHAT?” experience.

I was doing some necessary domestic shopping, and had a few items and a bag with some items that I needed to get (in other words, I didn’t think I’d be able to get the right thing without having a sample for comparison). I parked my cart at the end of an aisle and walked down it, looking for some dry-erase markers. I had to go down another aisle to find them. I headed back to my starting point, and all of the sudden I was like, “Dude, where’s my cart?”

My cart, with my hard-won cache of consumer goods, was gone.

Luckily, there was a Target employee right there. I gave him a description of the cart, and we started looking for it. He got on his radio and learned that the guy who returns empty carts to the front was on break, so even if he mistakenly thought my cart was empty, he wouldn’t have been around to take it. I went to the front of the store and continued the search, even talking to a store manager about my quandary.

Then, circling back to the scene of the crime, the guy who I first talked to was looking for me. He pointed at a pile of stuff sitting in a ground-level bin.

“Is that your stuff?”

“Hey, it is,” I replied with a sense of relief. “What?” Then it all sunk it–my stuff was there, but the cart was gone.

Apparently someone needed a cart and was such a lazy slug that he/she couldn’t walk to the front of the store to get one–instead he/she had to dump my stuff and take my cart.

This isn’t a side of Vegas that you’ll see at the Country Club at Wynn (I hope) but it’s definitely one that us locals get to experience. And they wonder why there’s a lack of civic spirit here…when people don’t care enough about their neighbors to steal their shopping carts, is it really a surprise that most people in Vegas don’t care about the broader community?

In the coming months, you may see more of these ruminations about life in Las Vegas from me.

—-

If you want serious gaming-type news, here’s something for you: Tom Breitling is speaking and signing books at the Stan Fulton Building at UNLV at 6 PM tonight. He probably won’t string together a sentence with three “ats” in a row. I’ve gotten to work with Tom a little on this event, and I’m convinced of two things: he’s a great guy, and he’s got an interesting story to tell.

You may have already seen my review of Double or Nothing, and if not you should check it out–the review and the signing.

I should be there. Just don’t swipe my chair when I’m not looking.

Here’s a quick recap: I write about the history of gambling. Much gambling used to be illegal. Gaming is organized. Therefore, I write about organized crime.

I’m always eager to find other forms of organized crime to compare gambling syndicates to. So imagine my delight when I learned that economist Peter Leeson has written a paper on the economics of pirating, and is even writing a book about the subject. As he says on the Austrian Economists blog:

Finally, I’m now in the process of writing a book on the economics of pirates entitled, The Invisible Hook: The Hidden Economics of Pirates, History’s Most Notorious Criminals. It’s currently under contract with Princeton University Press and, with any luck, will be out in 2009. Here I explore in depth the economics of all manner of pirate behavior.

The Austrian Economists: An Economics of Pirates Research Update

How can you not like “the invisible hook” as a title?

If you want to read the article Leeson’s already written on pirate economics, check it out here: “Pirational Choice: The Economics of Infamous Pirate Practices.”

I’m looking forward to reading this one. I’m intrigued with Leeson’s reconstructing the transactions of a group that didn’t leave many records, as there are obvious parallels with illegal gamers.

These days, I consider myself lucky if I have time to sleep. So I was a bit taken aback to learn, through some completely serendipitous web browsing, that some people, calling themselves lotologists, have invented a new hobby. From Word Spy:

lotologist (law.TAWL.uh.jist) n. A person who collects new and used lottery tickets.

Word Spy - lotologist

This is apparently not a hoax: there is a website, lotologist.com, that looks legit. There’s even an annual Lotovention that is being held at the East Liverpool Motor Court in East Liverpool, Ohio this year.

This is more evidence that if something exists, no matter how ephemeral, people will collect it.

I can think of better ways to spend your time and money, but if it keeps you out of trouble, more power to ya.

This, of course, from a guy who’s posted a gallery of carpets from casinos around the country.

Most people think of Las Vegas as the home of folksy, friendly service and Atlantic City service workers as rude, inconsiderate, and uncaring, but most people evidently don’t participate in Market Metrix, which just rated AC above Vegas in a recent index of hospitality destinations. From the AC Press:

Atlantic City has won a stunning upset over longtime rival Las Vegas in a competition crucial to each.

Under the headline “Atlantic City trumps Las Vegas for customer satisfaction and value,” Market Metrix last week announced the results of its latest Hospitality Index survey.

In every category - from value for price to sophistication and pampering - New Jersey’s nearly 30-year-old gaming market outperformed its 77-year-old rival in Nevada.

“Compared to the Las Vegas Strip, Atlantic City guests are more satisfied with their hotel and casino experience,” said the survey, published in Hotel & Motel Management magazine.

A convincing 78 percent of Atlantic City visitors were “very likely to recommend” the resort to others, but just 59 percent of Las Vegas visitors were as likely to do so, according to San Rafael, Calif.-based Market Metrix.

Jonathan Barsky, CEO of Market Metrix, had one word to describe that difference: “Wow.”

“It was really surprising to us to see the performance … to see Las Vegas, the king of gambling and entertainment, get beaten by Atlantic City,” he said.

Atlantic City tops Vegas in hospitality, satisfaction service

Atlantic City is hipper and more sophisticated than Vegas? The world truly is turned upside down.

Kudos also to Erika Pope, who’s been working overtime on spin control for the LVCVA–first with the Columbia Sussex credit card charge story, then with this one. She’s done a great job, too, especially here–classy, emphasizing the positives of Las Vegas, and not putting down Atlantic City, which some might have done.

I’ve linked to a graphic listing the metrics they used–let’s see how long this stays active: