Monthly Archives: September 2006

Rolling on the Strip

September 28, 2006 8:33 am

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to have your name in lights on the Las Vegas Strip–literally–I’m happy to say that I can tell you that it feels pretty good. Mandalay Bay has put the ad for the October 7 International Launch Event in the rotation for the LCD marquees, and, thanks to the magic of digital photography and YouTube, you can see it even if you’re not on the Strip:

Thanks to everyone at the Reading Room, Gotham Books, and Mandalay Bay for making this signing happen. If you are in Las Vegas on October 7, you should definitely put this on your itinerary. And those of you living in Las Vegas, please come out to support a local author and a local bookseller.I’m not sure where the afterparty will be, but I’m leaning towards the Carousel Bar at Circus Circus, if only to enjoy the town’s only rotating bar. We’ll probably end up just doing something at Mandalay Bay, though.

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Wynn Atlantic City? Really?

September 27, 2006 12:04 pm

There’s been speculation for months, but it seems that it’s gone to the next level: Steve Wynn has been physically present in Atlantic City, apparently talking turkey with politicos. From the Star-Ledger:

Steve Wynn, the man who was anointed king of the casino industry after he remade Las Vegas in the 1990s, wants to roll the dice on Atlantic City — again.

Wynn had a private audience Friday with Gov. Jon Corzine and state Sen. William Gormley at the Tropicana Casino and Resort in Atlantic City, and was later spotted walking along Atlantic Avenue with the powerful Republican senator from Atlantic County. The casino mogul was in town to advance his latest plan for a casino.

Corzine welcomed the idea of Wynn’s return to New Jersey, three government officials said, but he did not go into too much detail about the plans. Instead, Corzine told Wynn that Gary Rose, the governor’s economic development czar, would lead the discussions.

A call to Wynn’s office was not returned. Gormley, the casino industry’s top political ally, said Wynn is “a very nice guy. It was very nice to see him.”

“Obviously, people would like to see people like Steve Wynn in New Jersey,” Gormley said. “I would say it was a very positive meeting about New Jersey.”

Wynn’s return would further help turn Atlantic City into a tourist destination, attracting more of a younger crowd than quarter-toting seniors. While the opening of Borgata three years ago has brought signature restaurants, retail outlets and shows geared to a younger crowd, a Wynn casino would catapult the seaside resort into a higher level, analysts said.

“The Borgata has made it so that everyone realizes there is high-end demand there, that it exceeds what Borgata can provide,” said CIBC World Markets analyst Mike Liebman. “If he would build a Wynn Atlantic City, it would be phenomenal — the type of (venue) Atlantic City needs.”

It’s no mirage: Vegas’ Wynn again drawn to Atlantic City

People who read regularly know what a good idea I think this is. Atlantic City is a natural site for a Wynn casino, particularly because of the goodwill he’s still got banked there. People still talk about working for him twenty years ago, and he would be swamped with job applications from the start.

Even though they say they aren’t talking about Bader Field, I think that this is the only site that makes sense for him. He’s not going to get anything in the H-Tract (AKA Renaissance Pointe) near the Borgata or the future City Center East. The MGM Mirage parcel would have been the site of Beau Rivage, which Wynn planned in the late 1990s but never built in Atlantic City.

Bader Field gives Wynn two things: space (and lots of it), and a great location–he’ll get everyone driving down Albany Avenue (the Black Horse Pike) or taking the infamous Exit 2 off the Expressway. Actually, it’s not infamous, but it is my exit.

Bader Field is also surrounded by water (Lakes Bay, to be precise), which in Wynn’s design world is a plus. I can definitely see Wynn taking that natural water feature and doing something spectacular with it.

Take a look at a map, and you’ll see what I mean. For example, Google Maps shows exactly what I’m talking about: Bader Field area.

Imagine the main hotel tower somewhere around where the two runways intersect, with the casino in front of it, and public areas (restaurants, etc), behind it, facing the bay. You would basically have what Wynn did at WLV by building a mountain and water feature): an open but enclosed private space for guests.

I don’t know whether the Sandcastle (the baseball stadium) would stay or go, but even if it was left there, you’d have plenty of room for retail, showrooms, and parking. For example, if you scroll north, you can see that the Borgata would fit pretty easily in the parcel

The more I think about it, the more Bader Field makes sense. This could be a landmark project not only for Atlantic City, but for the entire casino industry.

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Posted in atlantic cityTagged

Acting addicted

September 26, 2006 2:58 pm

I’m hardly one to make light of problem gambling, but this story is ridiculous. From Ananova:

Russian actors are being paid to pretend to be destitute beggars in a government scheme to discourage people from gambling.

They will tell passers-by how they were once rich executives who lost everything after becoming addicted to gambling.

Vladimir Platonov from Moscow city council said the plan would see the actors sent to stand outside casinos dressed as beggars.

The move comes as fears grow that the city could be overrun with gambling addicts after a recent ruling by the Moscow Supreme court overturned a law that casinos could only be built outside the city.

Under the scheme, which Moscow city officials claim is a world-first, actors will be selected at a special casting in front of a city council committee.

It is unclear how much the actors will be paid but it is thought they will be given at least the average monthly wage in Russia of £200 to work five evenings a week.

Some will even be given an instrument, such as an accordion, to turn the story into a sorrowful lament.

Ananova – Actors dress as tramps to fight gambling

There’s a range of things governments can do about problem gambling. They can ignore the problem. They can require casinos to post problem gambling helplines in their ads. They can mandate that casinos fund problem gambling programs. They can force casinos to institute “cooling off” periods by setting limits on playing time. Or they can just not legalize and regulate gaming industries.

Some of these things are of dubious constitutionality, and many would intrude on what most Americans would regard as their right to privacy. But they are far more sensible than the Moscow Plan, if it is more than the Russian equivalent of a bogus April Fool’s story (the one official quoted, Vladimir Platonov, apparently really is on the Moscow duma, but I have no other verification).

I just can’t imagine how someone could propose this with a straight face. I’m no problem gambling expert, but I’m reasonably confident that if we held a symposium of experts, public officials, and the general public and kept them pent up for 40 days and 40 nights, they’d never come up with anything this whacked out.

Hiring actors to protray gambling addicts? Lamenting the scourge of gambling while playing the accordian? If this happens, someone’s got to upload video.

Of course, you could just conduct a study of problem gambling prevalence, do outreach with at-risk groups, and attempt to raise awareness of available resources. But that isn’t nearly as effective as having extras play singing hobos, I’m sure.

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Posted in gambling & cultureTagged , , , ,

Rolling in the East

September 25, 2006 4:17 pm

Here’s today’s Roll the Bones update: the long-anticipated East Coast book launch event has finally been announced:

WHAT: Official East Coast launch event, Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling
WHEN: Sunday, October 22, 2 pm
WHERE: Foxwoods Resort Casino
WHO: Author David G. Schwartz will be reading from his book, answering questions, and signing copies

Those of you in the New England/New York/Mid-Atlantic area who were bummed out over not being able attend the Global Launch Spectacular in Las Vegas (October 7, 2 p.m., at Mandalay Place) now have another option.

Seriously, thanks to Foxwoods for hosting the signing. The book opens with the Mystic Massacre and eventual birth of Foxwoods, so it’s the most appropriate place for a signing I can think of.

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‘Gambler’s Book’ for sale

September 25, 2006 10:06 am

This was in Friday’s RJ, but I didn’t get to post it until today. It’s pretty big news (for the gambling book crowd, anyway), from John L. Smith‘s column:

Gamblers Book Shop owner Howard Schwartz, a legend in the traditional gaming information business, says he’s ready to sell his amazing store after 27 years. Schwartz, 66, purchased it from its original owners, John and Edna Luckman, who started the book shop and publishing company 42 years ago.

The store features nearly 3,000 titles and has an inventory of almost 100,000 books.

“I’d like to pass the baton of colorfulness and integrity to somebody who would really continue this on,” Schwartz said.

reviewjournal.com — News – JOHN L. SMITH: Bodog.com founder finds Bahamas conference isn’t worth gamble

Howard (no relation) is such an institution here in the Las Vegas gambling community that it’s hard to imagine the city without him running that store. If you know Howard, you know what I mean.

I don’t know if he’s got a buyer lined up. If not, I can’t think of a better purchase for a hotshot poker whiz who’s got some money to invest in a store that is, itself, part of Las Vegas’s gambling history.

Best of luck to Howard, and best wishes for a happy future for the Gambler’s Book Store.

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Posted in gambling & culture, life in vegasTagged ,

Tiki heritage

September 22, 2006 4:26 pm

American Heritage has a great article on the Tiki fad.

How sex, rum, World War II, and the brand-new state of Hawaii ignited a fad that has never quite ended.

In December 1931 a somewhat adrift 24-year-old washed up in Southern California, looking for something to do. A native of New Orleans, he was named Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt. Curious by nature and something of a protobeatnik by choice, he had spent the previous months vagabonding on the cheap through some of the globe’s more humid locales: Jamaica, Australia, Papua New Guinea, the Marquesas Islands, and Tahiti. By the time he got to Los Angeles, his money had run out.

Gantt made do in the Depression economy through his wits and odd jobs—working in restaurants in Chinatown, parking cars at commercial lots, and doing a bit of freelance bootlegging in the months before Prohibition ended. Sociable and charming, he befriended such Hollywood personalities as David Niven and Marlene Dietrich and through them found occasional work as a technical adviser on films set in the South Pacific. Directors evidently were impressed not only by his knowledge of the region but also by his collection of South Pacific artifacts, which could be borrowed for set props…..

AmericanHeritage.com / Tiki

Why did I post this? I’m putting the finishing touches on an exhibit showcasing the history of casino restaurants, and I’ve used a few great tiki menus. For an encore, I’m going to visit the Aku Aku statue in Sunset Park (it used to be in front of the eponymous restaurant at the Stardust) and post some pictures. But that is a project for another day.

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Posted in haphazard worldTagged ,

Speaking out

September 22, 2006 11:03 am

Since I’m one of the 56% of Internet users who take pictures with a digital camera, I’ve decided to jazz up my professional speaking information page. Click the link to see how:

Professional speaking by David G. Schwartz

Basically, what I’ve done is distilled the mountains of material I have about gambling history into five snappy, entertaining talks that are perfect for most groups meeting in Las Vegas.

I tried to bring home the visual appeal of the talks (I use some pretty neat images) by including pictures with each talk’s summary. Hopefully this will spark some interest and help me connect with more groups.

So if you know someone who’s putting together a conference here and needs a fun, educational speaker, contact me.

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Posted in what's new

Gambling and uploading videos

September 22, 2006 10:39 am

You Internet users are keeping yourselves busy. When you’re not playing video games, you’re scrounging for new friends on myspace and facebook or listening to podcasts. You’re also gambling and uploading videos. Don’t take my word for it–read the report from Parks Associates:

Viewing and creating video have become significant activities for U.S. Internet users, with 31% watching online videos at least monthly and 8% uploading clips to Websites such as YouTube, according to Parks Associates’ Digital Media Habits.

This new study shows the majority of monthly “video uploaders” are young, predominately 18-24 years old, with men only slightly more likely than women to upload video. Further, the total number of uploaders is comparable to the number of monthly online gamblers.

“We’re witnessing a phenomenon that will have recognizable cultural and social effects across the country,” said John Barrett, director of research for Parks Associates. “Anything you do can be recorded and uploaded, where it is readily available to your boss, your family, your church. Ready or not, the camera’s now rolling.”

Parks Associates Newsroom: Video Uploaders almost equal in number to Online Gamblers

Maybe there’s money to be made in a website that combines gambling, social networking, and uploading videos? A one-stop shop of sorts for the digitally absorbed.

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Posted in gambling & cultureTagged

RTB launch news

September 21, 2006 3:46 pm

As if you needed another thing to download, I’ve got a press release for my October 7 launch event now available:

RTB_launch_release.pdf

Remember, it starts at 2 at the Mandalay Bay’s Reading Room. Come down, support a local author, and meet people–you’ll be glad you did.

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Posted in life in vegasTagged

Farewell to 6A

September 21, 2006 3:13 pm

This is a huge story for Nevada gaming, but I haven’t heard much about it until today. Currently, Nevada casinos are basically self-regulating when it comes to reporting large financial transactions, but all of that is going to end. From the LVRJ:

Something uniquely Nevadan and historic is about to end today.

No, it’s not the ability to get a marriage license 24 hours a day in Clark County. (Where would Britney Spears go the next time she gets liquored up and decides to get married at 5:30 a.m.? Who are we to deny her, or anyone, the right to be stupid by not offering 24-hour marriage licenses?)

Without fanfare, without regrets, the Nevada Gaming Commission today is expected to repeal Regulation 6a, a gaming rule designed to ferret out money launderers. Reg 6a, as it is fondly called, requires casinos to track cash transactions of $3,000 and more and report to the Treasury Department anyone whose cash transactions exceed $10,000 in 24 hours.

Doesn’t sound too sexy, but Reg 6a violations cost MGM Mirage $5 million in fines in 2004, so the regulation obviously had some kick to it. And MGM Mirage wasn’t alone in getting dinged with fines; that was just the largest ding.

The regulation that Nevada fought so hard to obtain in 1985 so the federal government wouldn’t intrude now is going gently into the good night, all because of the Patriot Act. The federal government wants the ability to track cash transactions across state lines, and Nevada was the only state doing its own job of tracking such transactions.

reviewjournal.com — News – Nevada gaming to give up piece of autonomy in name of terrorism fight

So come next summer (July 30, 2007 is when 6A gives way to Title 31, the federal regulation), things will be handled a little differently on the casino floor.

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