Foxwoods has made a few significant moves recently, and neither has anything to do with the excellent cole slaw to be found in the buffet. Instead, this has to do with the blurring of the line between Indian gaming and commercial casino gaming. First, from the Boston Globe:

Two of the biggest names in the casino business — Foxwoods and MGM Grand — joined forces yesterday to develop gambling ventures around the globe and market a $700 million hotel-casino complex under construction in Connecticut.

The deal gives Las Vegas’s MGM Grand access to the Northeast market and Indian gaming, and provides an experienced partner for the Mashantucket Pequot tribe as it tries to diversify its operations in the face of rising competition here in New England.

Under terms released yesterday, the Pequots will license the MGM Grand name for the new resort the tribe is building adjacent to its existing facility in Connecticut. The complex, expected to feature a hotel, casino, 5,000-seat concert theater, spa, and nightclubs, is expected to open in 2008 and be operated by the tribe.

MGM Grand and Foxwoods also said they expect to jointly develop gaming and nongaming operations and share data for marketing purposes on the millions of gamblers who visit their respective properties. MGM Grand said it would provide a loan of up to $200 million to finance the gambling projects.

Foxwoods, MGM Grand to join in casino ventures – The Boston Globe

And this, from WLOX, which is Biloxi’s ABC affiliate and not an in-house radio station for a deli:

The Foxwoods Development Company wants to be the company that opens a casino at the Broadwater.

On Tuesday, the head of the Foxwoods group called WLOX News. And Gary Armentrout told us the plan being negotiated is to turn 15 acres of Broadwater property immediately north of Highway 90 into a land based casino.

“It’s an opportunity we’re looking forward to pursue,” Armentrout said.

Foxwoods Development is based in St. Louis. It’s trying to get on next month’s Mississippi Gaming Commission agenda so it can get the Broadwater site approved.

So you know, the Pequot tribe operates the Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut. However, Armentrout said the Broadwater project wouldn’t be run by the native american tribe. It would be run by Foxwoods Development. That way, Mississippi would have regulatory control over the Biloxi casino. And Foxwoods would pay the same taxes every other coast casino is required to pay.

You’ve got to like the shift between written English (the newspaper article) and spoken English (the TV piece). Of course, this doesn’t compare with “Casinos got so big!” as in-depth analysis.

The significance of all this? It’s not that Indian casinos are partnering with commercial casino companies–that’s been going on for several years, and there are a few Harrah’s-branded casinos, for example, on Indian reservations. I think it’s more important to note that Foxwoods is actively developing a casino of its own in a commercial market. Also, the MGM/Foxwoods deal is not described as a management deal, but as an equal partnership, in which each side gets something of value.

Yesterday, I talked about an effort to keep Atlantic City on Monopoly – the Here and Now Edition.

This morning, I installed Flash 8.0 and actually voted on the Hasbro site. To the extent that anyone should get worked up over a board game, here’s what I think:

It’s no surprise that Las Vegas makes the cut, but you’ve got to wonder at the three choices (like so much on the Internet, “choice” is illusory–you can only pick from 3 options). Las Vegas Boulevard definitely deserves to be there, and so does Hoover Dam. But Tropicana Boulevard? Why not Pecos, or Stephanie, or Rampart? Or the Desert Inn Arterial?

I don’t know if this is ironic, but none of the three “Las Vegas” landmarks is actually in the city of Las Vegas (though LV Blvd does continue through it, they are talking about the sub-Saharan section). Why not put in Fremont Street instead of Tropicana?

I’m a little miffed that the 405, 10, or 101 freeways didn’t make it into the LA top three.

I got this in my inbox and thought I would pass it on.

Tomorrow, we are launching the online petition to support Atlantic City’s presence on Hasbro’s new version of Monopoly. The homepage of our website, www.atlanticcitynj.com will have a button that says: Keep AC On The Board. Click on that button and sign the petition. Please take a moment to sign the petition and MORE IMPORTANTLY, please forward the petition to at least 10 friends or colleagues! We want to gather as many signatures as possible so that we have a big list to deliver to Hasbro on May 12!!! If you’re interested in what hasbro is doing, just visit their website at www.hasbro.com and click on the Monopoly voting button.

Coming from the folks who brought us “Always Turned On,” I can’t see this effort failing.

I’m just impressed that the AC website has finally incorporated a skyline shot that shows the Borgata, now the city’s most prominent casino.

Illegal gambling is notoriously hard to stamp out, because it is usually socially acceptable. A Philippine anti-gambling group wants to change that. From INQ7:

A man from a remote barangay in Central Luzon unwittingly placed a bet on “jueteng,” the underground lottery so despised by the clergy in his area.

He didn’t win the pot, but got an unenviable prize just the same: The infamy of having his name displayed at the local chapel as a “sugalero” (gambler).

A new movement formed by antigambling advocate, Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz, is planning a similar shame campaign to discourage people from gambling, whether legal or illegal.

“We would like our chapters to come up with their own creative approach against gambling,” he said yesterday in a press conference launching the Krusadang Bayan Laban sa Sugal.

The new group was the archbishop’s answer to what he called the Arroyo administration’s relentless promotion of a “gambling culture” in the country.

Shame campaign vs gambling planned – INQ7.net

Like you, I wondered what a barangay is. It’s something like a village or ward.

Maybe this’ll work, but I think that it only have a chance if “sugalero” has negative cultural connotations. In the US, it’s doubtful that most people would find being called a “gambler” a mark of shame; Kenny Rogers, at least, embraces the label.

In my historical research into gambling, I’ve yet to find the Grand Unification Theory of gambling–exactly why people like to gamble so much. It’s a little reassuring to know that psychologists aren’t that much closer. Still, they, like historians, have a pretty good idea that humans like to gamble, even when it isn’t in their best interest. From Psychology Today:

Gambling plays on at least two human universals: the urge to get something for nothing and the difficulty of giving up that dream, no matter how high the stakes or the odds against it.

Winning vs. Recouping Losses

For most of human prehistory, living through the night was not a given. For this reason, goes the evolutionary hypothesis, our ancestors learned to take what we’d now consider murderous chances in pursuit of food and mates. Those who continuously gambled and won became our forebearers, passing on a taste for the “off chance.” The possibility that a big score could be just around the corner, but you never know where or when you’ll hit on it, parallels modern gambling: One more rock overturned and you find dinner.

When you start losing, the darker side of that equation asserts itself: “One more roll and I’ll recoup my money” becomes a formula for huge losses. No one is exempt. Remember the Barings Bank fiasco, in which the Rolls Royce of British banking was felled by a lone trader who kept making bad bets on derivatives, desperate to dig himself out of a hole? His gut overrode his training. We’re all vulnerable to this risk instinct, the feeling that “I can and must recoup my losses.”

For our ancestors, it was actually risky to avoid risk altogether. Sometimes the next big score really is just around the corner. If you find an edible critter behind one in 50 rocks, your foraging pays off, especially when the terrain is safe.

In this case, one in 50 is excellent odds because you’re in a low-risk, potentially high-yield situation. It’s sort of like online dating: Meeting 10 people for coffee is not a huge imposition, especially since you could be finding your future partner.

Playing the slots is designed to feel similarly risk-free, but in reality it’s high-risk, low-yield, at least in the long run. You’re practically guaranteed a net loss and have only the slimmest shot at the jackpot. Another disadvantage: Gambling doesn’t teach you anything new, whereas the risks our ancestors took for survival had a steep learning curve—after overturning four dozen rocks, you’ve identified some helpful patterns.

Money is a relatively new concept for the human species. We learn about it the way we learn to read or play the piano—with effort. For most of us, money makes scant intuitive sense. We understand trade, but fiat value eludes us. A diamond is vastly more valuable than a cup of water, until you’re dehydrated. So which has more “value?” We learn to contextualize money because it’s not natural to think in mathematical abstractions.

Psychology Today: Gambling: The Pipe Dream Payoff

The article goes on to warn gamblers against chasing losses. It argues that gambling is high-risk and low-yield, but I wonder if that is entirely true. If one considers the enjoyment of the gambling experience itself a reward, then gambling must be at least moderate-reward. And if the gambler only wagers money he has already earmarked for that entertainment, the risk is low, since the money is already “spent.” It’s all in the perspective.

Yesterday I jokingly predicted the cresting of the poker wave, but here’s some evidence that the gambling wave–at least the Las Vegas one–is still building. Read about it, minus the tortured metaphors, from the LVRJ:

The “Big Six” gaming operators are starting 2006 with record-breaking profits, up nearly 45 percent from the first quarter 2005, thanks to surging demand for Las Vegas as a destination, strong table play in casinos and the two biggest mergers in industry history, analysts said this week.

With the major casino companies set to begin reporting first-quarter earnings next week, analysts are predicting that the combined net income for the six largest Nevada-based gaming companies will have surged to $572 million, up 44.8 percent from $395 million in the 2005 first quarter.
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Deutsche Bank analyst Marc Falcone said the earnings forecasts for the first quarter, as well as the remTainder of the year, are on the conservative side because economic fundamentals are proving to be stronger than expected.

“Growth (in the first quarter) was substantial, with regional markets benefiting from the mild winter and Las Vegas getting a boost from increased high-end play,” he said.

The Big Six gaming companies are Boyd Gaming Corp., Harrah’s Entertainment, Las Vegas Sands Corp., MGM Mirage, Station Casinos and Wynn Resorts Ltd.

Penn National, a major gaming company not based in Las Vegas, also enjoyed substantial growth, with first-quarter net income of $46.7 million, up 77.4 percent from $26.3 million a year earlier, analysts said.

The Las Vegas-based Big Six are expected to report combined revenue of $5.9 billion in the first quarter, up 55.7 percent from $3.8 billion a year earlier.

reviewjournal.com — Business – GAMING COMPANY REVENUE: Record profits for ‘Big Six’

They’ve got a really nice graphic with the logos of each company and their revenue info here. I wonder how long it took to put together.

No, you won’t be seeing anything like that in the Gaming Abstract soon.

I’m taking a second foray into celeb gossip because…I don’t know. I’ve got a real story I’ll post later. But take this wonderfully-inaccurate story with a grain of salt. From BANG via AZcentral:

Paris Hilton has been banned from her own casino and ordered into gambling rehab.

The socialite’s parents, Rick and Kathy, have barred her from playing in their Paris Hotel and Casino, which was named after her, after she gambled away her $180,000 Bentley car.

Now the hotel heiress has been ordered by her parents to seek help for her alleged problem, according to Britain’s Daily Star newspaper.

he 25-year-old ‘Simple Life’ star developed her penchant for gambling after spending the last few months playing poker in Las Vegas tournaments with her sister Nicky.

Paris revealed: “I’m obsessed with poker. It’s my favourite game now. I’m lucky in Vegas. I always win.”

But her lucky streak ran out after she lost her Bentley GT in a high risk poker game.

Paris agreed to stay away from the city’s famous strip of casinos but has now reportedly taken up internet gambling to get her thrills.

Paris Hilton’s gambling out of control

First of all, unless something has drastically changed, Harrah’s Entertainment owns Paris Las Vegas, not Rick and Kathy Hilton.

Second, I don’t think you can wager a car in a poker room in a Nevada casino. I was going to call a poker room to confirm, but I’m too busy. If anyone knows for sure, post a comment, but as far as I’m aware, you must bet with chips. How would they calculate the rake from a car, anyway?

Third, Paris Las Vegas doesn’t have a poker room, though Bally’s next door does.

Now might be the time to dump your WPTE stocks, because poker might have reached its saturation point. Here’s exhibit A, from Inside Entertainment:

“I’m obsessed with poker,” confessed celebuntante Paris Hilton after learning the high stakes gambling game. “It’s my favourite game now.”

Paris and her younger sister Nicky are apparently so obsessed with the game they’ve been venturing to Las Vegas to get in on ay action they can find. “We love it,” said Paris. “We play at tournaments.”

Some may say the more money you have, the more you have to lose, but that doesn’t seem to apply to Paris who must have a horseshoe hidden somewhere. “I’m really lucky in Vegas,” she boasts. “I always win!”

Paris Hilton: poker is so hot right now

It must be nice to always win. But wouldn’t it be refreshing to have a celeb poker player tell the camera that they have no idea to play and always lose?

Ripping off people, banks, and credit card companies by pretending to be someone that you’re not probably happens a lot, but I thought this story was apt because of the Las Vegas connection. From the Times Online:

IT WAS almost as if Youssef Babbou had been watching the 2002 Steven Spielberg film Catch Me If You Can, the mostly true story of a celebrated American conman who pocketed $2.5 million in the 1960s by forging cheques.

But times move on, and paper has been replaced by plastic. Babbou, a Tunisian, was sentenced by Croydon Crown Court yesterday to four years in prison for a series of scams against credit card companies that provided him with a life of luxury. He had already served prison terms in France and Italy for similar offences.

His was a world of Mercedes-Benz cars, Rolex watches, diamonds from De Beers and shopping sprees in Harrods. He admitted in court to receiving £117,000 worth of goods and services by deception, but prosecutors said that the figure was a mere “glimpse of the offending”.

In the film, Frank Abagnole Jr assumes the identities of an airline pilot, a doctor and a lawyer to milk bank accounts. Babbou, 49, turned to the “rich lists” published by magazines and pretended to be a variety of millionaires who had lost their credit cards.

His principal target was American Express. Posing variously as a golf partner of Bill Clinton, the boss of a chain of Las Vegas casinos, the head of a leading finance company and inventor of part of the space shuttle, Babbou would ring an emergency number and ask for duplicate credit cards to be sent to an address that he supplied.

On November 15, 2004, Babbou reported the loss of a card belonging to Frank Fertitta III, head of a chain of US casinos. He went to an American Express office in Knightsbridge, where he was able to secure a replacement card by providing a false identity. He then drew £10,000 using the new card as guarantee, and over the next three days spent £10,000 at Harrods, more than £5,000 at Gucci and £10,000 at Watches of Switzerland.

He helps to design space shuttles and plays golf with Bill Clinton!

I guess the guy had a good idea, because most people in the US couldn’t pick Frank Fertitta, Dennis Baake, or Robert Golisano out of a a line-up. But he got caught, and is going to jail.

I was also interested to learn that Frank Abagnale only earned $2.5 million for fraud, but $20 million for writing books about his fraud. Maybe the moral is that crime doesn’t pay, but writing about it does.

That’s Penn National Gaming, not the school, though the school is just fine, as well, and as an alum I officially encourage all high schoolers with a record of academic excellence to consider Penn.

But this is a note of appreciation for the gaming company, which is much larger than most people think, and which has something many other companies do not: a detailed timeline history on the web. I’m slogging my way through the UNLV Gaming Abstract, and I’ve gotten all the way to Penn National Gaming, which is why I care so much about this today.

I’ve burned hours poring over 10-K reports looking for details about when properties were acquired, etc, for other companies. And here Penn has provided all that info in one convenient place. If all other companies did this, I wouldn’t have to put together this abstract.

I’ll still check this out against the 10-K–there might be a few important things that they left out. But if you want to see why this is great, click the link below:

Company History / Timeline – Penn National Gaming, Inc.

Anybody going to the Red Rock opening tonight?

Someone else wants to buy Aztar. From Reuters:

Casino operator Aztar Corp., which has been the target of a bidding war, said on Monday that it had received a buyout offer worth more than $1.69 billion from Columbia Entertainment and would enter into talks with the company.

Aztar said Columbia Entertainment, the gaming affiliate of hotel owner Columbia Sussex Corp., had offered it $47 per share in cash, marking a 9 percent increase from the highest previous offer of $1.54 billion by Ameristar Casinos Inc.

Both offers include additional payment for preferred shares.

Reuters Business Channel | Reuters.com

We got Aztar’s 2005 annual report on Friday. Usually these things are works of art–Ameristar had a really flashy one last year. Aztar’s is just a Courier-font printout of its Form 10-K bound in a glossy cover. Kind of depressing.

The big news here is that Red Rock Station is opening. It’s everywhere. Well, the casino itself is in Summerlin, but the hype is everywhere. I’ll be there, and I might even post a picture of the carpet that night, like I did with Wynn Las Vegas–truly the crowning moment of my professional career (self-deprecating sarcasm alert!).

Speaking of gaming companies, I’m still busy working on the section of the Gaming Abstract dealing with gaming corporations. I’m currently trying to parse MTR Gaming’s corporate history into an accurate but easy to understand timeline. It’s harder than you might think.

Puggy Pearson was one of the true greats of the early World Series of Poker, and it’s sad to learn that he’s passed away. From the LV Sun:

As the quintessential road gambler, cigar-chomping Puggy Pearson would take on anyone, anywhere, anytime and at almost any game you could wager on – providing he liked it.

He developed a fondness for poker as a teenager and came up with an idea that revolutionized the modern game. He proposed that players at the same table start with the same amount of money and play until one player had it all – “freeze-out” style, he called it.

In 1970, Horseshoe owner Benny Binion used that formula in his new World Series of Poker tournament, launching a format used in poker tournaments to this day.

Walter Clyde “Puggy” Pearson, the 1973 World Series of Poker $10,000 buy in, no-limit Texas hold ‘em champion and a member of the Poker Hall of Fame, died Wednesday in Las Vegas. He was 77.

…

Pearson had been ailing for several years, but earlier this week played poker in the Bellagio card room, his favorite haunt in recent years.

Palm Mortuary on Jones Boulevard is handling the arrangements. A memorial service has been tentatively scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Monday at the Bellagio, his family said.

…

Pearson’s showdown with fellow Hall of Famer and three-time world poker champion Johnny Moss at the 1973 world championship game was the first World Series event recorded for TV broadcast.

On the final hand, Pearson defeated Moss to win poker’s most prestigious title and the winner-take-all prize of $130,000 from a field of 13 players.

By comparison, the winner of the same event at last year’s World Series of Poker won $7.5 million from a field of 5,619 players.

In the 1970s and ’80s, Pearson often showed up for major tournaments wearing costumes. One year he dressed as a cowboy with six-shooters; in other years he appeared in full American Indian dress or in Viking gear.

Although he won four World Series events, Pearson, in later years, declined to play in long tournaments, preferring shorter, live-action games that were his bread and butter as a road gambler.

Las Vegas SUN: Poker tournament pioneer ‘Puggy’ Pearson dies

Puggy was a very interesting guy to talk to, to say the least. He’s truly going to be missed.

I often explain the evolution of the casino floor by taking about slot machines. Once, players had to “buy” change from employees, then put quarters or tokens into slot machines. Then bill validators let players put cash directly into slots. Now, Ticket In Ticket Out (TITO) interfaces let players put in bills and get tickets, instead of coin out; the tickets can be played in other machines or cashed out at a redemption booth.

I’ve often said that the next logical step is to let players gamble directly with credit or debit cards. It looks like an intermediate stage, where players will transfer money onto a player club card. From the LVRJ:

Two Las Vegas gaming-equipment providers are developing a device that could eventually let slot customers make credit-card and debit-card withdrawals directly at the game.

The proposed device won’t allow casino patrons to gamble directly off their Visa or American Express cards, but will remove several steps in the current money access process, Mike Rumbolz, chief executive officer of Cash Systems, said Wednesday.

Cash Systems is developing the product with Bally Technologies. Scotch Twist LLC, which has several patents that allow for the transfer of money to a gaming device, is also participating in the joint venture. Rumbolz could not give a price for the product because it is still in development.

The product would let casino patrons set up accounts with particular gambling halls, using conventional credit cards or debit cards as cash sources to fund wagering.

The device would let players access money through their regular player club cards off any of the casino’s slot machines. For security, players would need personal identification numbers to access the money.

Bally Technologies will provide the hardware for the slot machine-casino interface and the accounting systems. Cash Systems will provide the products for cash access transactions between the casino and banks.

Both Bally Technologies and Cash Systems will jointly market the product.
reviewjournal.com — Business – New product would put cash at gamblers’ disposal quicker

As society in general uses cash less and cards more, moving towards using cards at machines becomes more likely. It will be interesting to see these new systems tested.

People often ask me how to make money in a casino. The three best ways I can think of are 1) own it; 2) work there; 3) devise and market a labor-saving device.

Hopefully, the third time will be the charm for the New Frontier’s redevelopment. I seem to recall plans for a San Francisco-themed casino and a London-themed casino in years past. From the LV Sun:

As other casino operators announce plans to redevelop their older properties, New Frontier owner Phil Ruffin hasn’t had a lot to say about his long-awaited plans for his aging Strip hotel.

Ruffin says he’s not sitting on his hands.

The name of his planned megaresort will be Montreux, after the Swiss resort with a famous annual jazz festival.

Ruffin says he is close to announcing a financing package.

“These things take time,” Ruffin said. “It can take nine months to do an architectural plan and five months to come up with parking plans.”

“I’m trying to do something nobody’s ever done before, which is develop a resort without any help or partners. It’s very hard to do,” he said.

To capitalize on the resort’s brand, Ruffin said he’s also working on plans to bring the internationally known Montreux Jazz Festival to the new property, which is scheduled to break ground sometime next year and open by 2010.

The New Frontier would be closed and demolished before ground is broken on the Montreux.

The new hotel would have about 2,750 rooms, including about 750 suites, and cater to customers who patronize high-end properties such as the Mirage or Paris Las Vegas, Ruffin said.

Perhaps the most-talked about feature would be an “observation wheel” that would be positioned in front of the property and facing the Strip.

Las Vegas SUN: Montreux to replace the New Frontier

I was initially skeptical about the observation wheel, but after seeing it featured in Doctor Who, I can appreciate the aesthetic of it. And what better symbol for Las Vegas than a wheel which is always in motion yet still remains in place? I don’t mean that in a sarcastic way, either.

Further down in the article, an expert opined that going after the jazz niche could be a profitable marketing move. I’ve got to respectfully disagree, as much as I love jazz in particular and live music in general. The Blue Note, perhaps the best-known jazz club brand in the world, failed at the Aladdin just a few years ago. So I wouldn’t bank on jazz musicians and enthusiasts as being the driving force behind this project. Rather, as Ruffin suggests, it should be Paris- or Mirage-level visitors who want something high-end but not quite so high as Bellagio or Wynn.

I can see the Montreux brand being more effective as a general evocation of European style and sophistication, which includes cool stuff like jazz.

As far as bringing the Montreux Jazz Festival to town, I’m totally there.

And I’ll be sorely disappointed if the opening headliner isn’t Deep Purple, performing “Smoke on the Water.” If we were back in the 1990s, Ruffin would be planning a free show involving a smoke machine and an artificial lake. I think the wheel will be a better draw for today’s market.

At first, I thought that this news story might be a parody of get-rich-quick schemes. But unfortunately, it looks to be authentic. Judge for yourself, from Frost Illustrated:

“How do you get someone to change their mind about robbing someone, stealing someone’s identity or selling drugs for money?” asks S. Silas Patterson, author of the book, “An Ex-Cons Guide to Living and Winning (at Slots, Blackjack, Roulette and Craps).”

“You have to replace the money they’re making with a new income source, and that new source had better provide them with just as much (if not more) money than they were making otherwise why change?” answers Patterson. “So where can these men and women get that kind of money? From the casino, that’s where. I’m going to help repeat offenders, career criminals, ex-cons and inmates doing time get the money they need to live a crime free life through gambling.”

Providing a lucrative alternative for making money is essential to preventing ex-convicts from falling back into the trap of crime, said the author, who has some personal experience in the criminal justice system.

“It’s a sin; a downright dirty shame when you put someone behind bars for years then release them back into society,” he explained. “These men and women are not prepared for the harsh way the world is going to treat them. Odds are they’re going to rebel and when that happens, they will resume a life of crime in just weeks or months of their release. Its time someone does something about the ‘commit-acrime go-to-jail-get-out-commit-a-crime’ cycle. Who better to work with inmates and ex-cons than another ex-con?” Patterson asked.

“My mission is to turn their attention away from their intended victim and point them toward a casino,” he said. “For example, the two men arrested and charged with allegedly murdering the two Virginia families. What if they had had my book when they were in prison the year before?

“Then there’s the man who allegedly beat that Washington D.C. newsman to death for his credit cards back in December 2005. What if my book were available to him before he allegedly committed this crime? If the men who allegedly committed these crimes had been taught how to get the money they wanted from the casino, maybe their victims would still be alive today. No crime committed equals no victim. No victim equals a reduction in crime, a reduction in recidivism and a safer America,” said Patterson.

Convicted felon fights crime through gambling

I checked out Patterson’s website, and he seems to be peddling yet another can’t-miss gambling system. Here’s a quote:

I’m going to help you get the money you need to live a crime-free life by teaching you a gambling method with a proven 92% win probability. What this means is that there’s a 92% probability you’re going to win verses an 8% possibility of losing. I’m not saying you can’t lose, I’m saying that the odds favor you winning.

From what I gathered on his “try it for free” page, Patterson thinks that thousands of ex-cons can stay out of jail by using a “don’t come” craps strategy. He claims this will let players win “92% of the time,” but in fact the don’t come bet has a house edge of 1.4%, so players will win 48.6% of the time. A slower way of losing money than keno, but hardly a ticket out of poverty. Yet Patterson says that, by following his system and placing four bets an hour, players can make $48,000 a year.

There are a series of endorsements, including one from an AC blackjack dealer, a guy from Torrance who may be making nearly a half-million dollars a year, and a therapist with a BA. Although I haven’t read the book so I can’t be completely sure, I’ll offer an endorsement of my own:

“Trying to get rich by gambling is a really bad idea.”
– David G. Schwartz, Ph.D., Director, Center for Gaming Research, UNLV

If this site is a joke, it’s a good one. I can’t imagine anyone paying $6000 and 30% of expenses to have someone advise them on gambling. Just a note–if you are shopping for a speaker on gambling, casino, or Las Vegas history, I work much cheaper than that, and provide a stimulating visual presentation and talk that is an ideal post-lunch entertainment for your convention group.

I couldn’t find any really riveting news items to post about, except this shocker: the Riviera’s announced sale might not go through. Those of you who have been following the Riv story know what an absolute surprise that is. I get the feeling that this isn’t going to end soon.

With a dearth of news, I thought I would post today on something everyone from Vegas will know, but those reading from around the world will not. Last Saturday, April 8, officially marked the start of the not-quite-endless Vegas summer, as this was the day when millions of home-owners looked at the balmy weather and decided that they would fill their pools this weekend. Frolicing in the pool temporarily displaced visiting payday loan places as the number one Las Vegas pastime this weekend. Even those without pools of their own got in on the act, as apartment and condo complex residents likewise flocked to their tiny artificial oases. Of course, my complex is a bit behind the times, as the gate to the pool area had a big, inviting sign which read “POOL CLOSED” that didn’t stop me from spending some quality time soaking up the sun and reading Elif Shafak’s The Saint of Incipient Insanities.

Thus began what will probably be about five weeks of pleasant Las Vegas weather. Usually around mid-May the temperature climbs above 100, and people start wondering why they moved to Vegas in the first place. Sometime in July, I’m going to sit by the pool and re-read The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldtrich, just to have a better appreciation of PKD’s vision of the future, globally-warmed earth.

I’ve been having trouble accessing this site yesterday and today, so I guess everyone else has as well. To compensate (and because I thought this was interesting when I found it in the stack) I’m going to offer some free advice. And it’s not even from me, but nationally-recognized casino expert Henry Tamburin. His book “The Ten Best Casino Bets” lists, you guessed it, the ten most statistically advantageous bets to be found in the typical casino. It’s by no means a long book, clocking in at 80 pages with summary, index, and recommended reading.

I’m only going to list the top 5 bets, and I’m not giving any of Tamburin’s analysis or explanation: if you want that, and bets 6-10, buy his book. In any event, Tamburin says the five best bets are:

1. Blackjack
2. Pass line/Come with Odds (craps)
3. Don’t Pass/ Don’t Come with Odds (craps)
4. Bank Hand (baccarat)
5. Player Hand (baccarat)

You have been enlightened. If you look at the book, you might enjoy the “psychology of gambling” section (4 pages) that suggests going to the casino expecting to win. But it gets points off (in my book), for using the worn-out cliche “Disneyland for adults.” Gambling has been around for 40,000 years or so, casinos for about 500, and Disneyland for 50. It’s all a matter of perspective.

I’m posting unexpectedly late today, because my servers apparently had some problems. I’m glad I waited because I got some more info on the story of the day.

In recent years, online gambling companies have become increasingly integrated with the rest of the business world. Several have their stocks traded publicly. Some buy iconic grilled cheese sandwiches. While there are relatively few terrestrial casinos with online operations (Sun International and MGM Mirage both had highly-restricted online casinos, but these soon closed; to my knowledge Lassetter’s casino in Alice Springs, Australia is the only terrestrial casino with live online gaming today), some online gaming groups have been looking to diversify into bricks-and-mortar casinos.

Monkeybet.com, an online casino/sportsbook/poker room, has announced that it is getting into the Las Vegas casino game, with the intent of buying land on Paradise Road and opening a casino there. From the press release:

MonkeyBet.com, a leading online poker, sports betting, and online casino gambling destination is making a move into Las Vegas. Tentatively scheduled for a grand opening in early 2008, MonkeyBet has completed negotiations to buy a parcel of land at 4600 Paradise Road to build its Las Vegas resort and casino. This event is historic, as this will be the first online casino to open a casino in Las Vegas.

Jeff Fuller, VP of Business Development for MonkeyBet.com stated, “I spent 15 years working on the strip, and the location we have chosen is very hot as we’re right next to the Hard Rock Casino. Both the Hard Rock and the Palms have proven that serious adults, looking for the best gambling, restaurants, nightlife and entertainment prefer this type of location.”

Mr. Fuller continued, “MonkeyBet’s Las Vegas location with cater to the young and middle aged adult. We will have the biggest clubs, the largest sportsbook and the largest poker venue in Nevada. We will host our own major poker event to compete with the World Series of Poker. Our casino will take the best aspects of culture and urban living from London, Tokyo, New York and San Francisco, and combine these elements to make a unique Las Vegas gambling destination.”

Mr. Fuller concluded, “MonkeyBet is really a brand that will expand to many business spheres. With over 100,000 customers in less than two years in operation, we know that this brand has legs. In parallel with the Las Vegas location, we are also investigating the development of the first truly national chain of sports bars and sportsbooks in the UK, where punters will be able to watch sports from around the world while betting on sports from terminals located in the pub. Stay tuned.”

I was a little skeptical of this for a few reasons. First, the wording is ambiguous–negotiations have been “completed,” but has the property been purchased? I could announce that I have completed negotiations to buy a controlling interest in MGM MIRAGE from Kirk Kerkorian, and be entirely truthful, if I ask him if I can buy his company and he says no–the negotiations are over. Plus, there is the regulatory issue. Online gaming is illegal in the United States, and the Nevada casino companies that haltingly entered into the online arena severely restricted their customers to countries where it was unambiguously legal. If these long-established companies get no leeway from regulatory authorities, it isn’t likely that a newcomer, whose entire business to date is based on online gaming, will.

So I emailed the company’s PR contact and received a reply. I’ll reprint my email and the reply here, and you can judge for yourself:

DGS: “It was not clear from the press release–has Monkeybet.com applied for a Nevada gaming license? If so, what is the disposition of the application?”

MB (a few hours later): Our legal team is working on it. It all looks good. We have a few options as we are 10% owned by an established gaming company in the UK(that owns casinos in Blackpool).

Thanks for the interest, and tell your friends about MonkeyBet.com

According to Google Maps (enter the address “4600 paradise road las vegas NV 89109″), the site isn’t exactly next to the Hard Rock, but is instead a low-rent commercial complex down the block and on the opposite side of Paradise–coincidentally, a few hundred yards or so from my office.

I’ll keep you posted as this develops. But of course, if it does develop, mainstream media outlets will pick it up and keep you even better informed. So what I mean to say is that, if this story is legitimate and an online casino company truly does build a licensed Las Vegas casino, I’ll post the articles describing it and add in humorous references to Planet of the Apes (even though I know chimps, orangs, and gorillas are not monkeys) and asides on whether an infinite number of monkey pit bosses supervising an infinite number of dealers would be able to devise an equitable system for early outs.

Time passes pretty quickly in Las Vegas. Well, I guess in the objective sense it passes just as quickly as everywhere else (though relativity theory might say otherwise). But in this city, things get old fast. Here’s a small case in point:

Doing some research for an article I’m writing about the evolution of Las Vegas nightlife, I’m checking out old city guides to see what people did after dark in the past. While looking at Fodor’s 91 Las Vegas guide (you get one guess when it was published), I happened across this item:

Highlights for First-time Visitors
Caesars Palace and the statues
Circus Circus
Liberace Museum
Downtown Las Vegas at night
Sam’s Town
At least one Vegas show

Funny that the Mirage didn’t make the list. But it gives you an idea of how far Las Vegas has come since 1991. Under “Nightlife,” the “Dancing” section suggests four clubs: Chaz (1650 E. Tropicana), Cleopatra’s Barge (in Caesars Palace), the Shark Club (75 E. Harmon Ave), and Tramps (4405 W. Flamingo Rd.). Today, there are well over a dozen clubs, metaclubs, lounges, and ultralounges to choose from.

If anyone has any info on Las Vegas nightclubs/danceclubs in the 1980s and 1990s, contact me–I’m having fun doing the research on this article, and it’s always good to get a different perspective.

UPDATE: A few hours later, and I found this gem in Fodors 91:

Las Vegas for Free
Circus Acts at Circus Circus
Clark County Library. One of the best libraries in town, Clark County is on the south side of Flamingo Road, a little more than two miles east of the Strip. It’s a modern general library with current reference materials.
James R. Dickinson Library. The special-collections department of this library of the University of Nevada Las Vegas has the best gathering of materials about Las Vegas and gambling that you’ll find anywhere.
Popcorn at the Slots A Fun Casino
Shrimp cocktails at the Lady Luck Casino and Hotel

Again, not a word about the Mirage volcano or white tiger exhibit. The pirate battle at TI and fountains at Bellagio were still in the future, just like the light show at Sam’s Town.

For those who don’t know, the James R. Dickinson library was the predecessor to Lied Library, and the Center for Gaming Research, where I work, is part of Special Collections at Lied. So for me, not only to I get to see one of the top free attractions in Vegas every day, I actually get paid to do so.

I’m not going to boast too much about it, considering the next item on the list–free popcorn. Popcorn is one of the cheapest things around, so saving the dollar or so by getting it free really wouldn’t make me want to go to a casino. BTW, they still have free popcorn–the saltiest I’ve ever tasted–in Cripple Creek casinos, at least last time I was there. I think they still have it at Slots, too, but I’m not sure. Yet another sign of how much things have changed.

It 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 sell carpet, I still get quite a few calls about it. And people still get upset that I can’t sell them carpet.

Anyway, the latest place trying to catch Vegas in a bottle is Kazakhstan. From the BBC:

Authorities in Kazakhstan say they are talking with investors about building a gambling and entertainment complex near the commercial capital, Almaty.

President Nursultan Nazarbayev said he had long thought of building a sort of Las Vegas on the vast empty steppe outside the city.

Officials say a new complex would help to control the growth of casinos and gambling in Almaty itself.

Kazak authorities have long been uneasy about gambling growth in major cities.

Almaty residents fret about the effects on children, or about old people pouring their pensions into slot machines.

Almaty now has nearly 40 casinos. Their colourful neon lights make some of the most impressive displays in a city which has been transformed in recent years.

But President Nazarbayev has said he wants to move the casinos and the hundreds of smaller gambling businesses out of the city entirely, to the shores of Lake Kapchagai, a huge reservoir 80km (50 miles) away.

That is in the vast dry steppe, a landscape not unlike the deserts which surround Las Vegas, but with a beach as well.

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Kazakhs pondering ‘desert Vegas’

If Las Vegas had a beach, imagine how well it would do. Of course, there’d be the matter of how to replace the tourists from California (which would have to be sunk into the ocean to get beachfront property off the 215 beltway).

I probably posted this just so people could imagine their own Borat jokes. Still, it’s yet another example of gambling being harnessed for development.