RSS FeedA foolish review of Roll the Bones
I’ve gotten another really positive review of Roll the Bones. This one appeared in the Motley Fool, and considers the book’s utility for investors:
The ruffle of shuffled cards, the muted rumble of thrown dice, the dings of slot machines. The sounds of gambling are all over, with casinos found within a reasonable distance of many Americans and mega-resorts all around the world. With the rise in Internet gambling, those sounds now include the click of a mouse.
Those sounds are not popular with everyone, of course. Throughout history, there have been many attempts to close down gambling of all kinds. The recent move by Congress to try to suppress online gambling, affecting companies such as CryptoLogic (Nasdaq: CRYP) and PartyGaming, is only the latest skirmish in a long war fought against those who wish to gamble. While this move could potentially hurt the profits of companies like CryptoLogic, it won’t eliminate gambling. No governmental attempt in history has been able to do that.
How do I know? Well, David G. Schwartz’s book, Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling, describes many such attempts throughout history. All of them ultimately failed. What is ironic, though, is that while governments have sometimes cracked down on gambling, at other times they have been a silent partner, raking in a percentage of the profits. Consistency is not in the cards, so to speak.
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The book itself is not an investing book per se. However, if you are considering an investment in companies such as Harrah’s or Motley Fool Hidden Gems pick Ameristar Casinos (Nasdaq: ASCA), it will make an entertaining and educational read.
Definitely check out those Hidden Gems–if the Motley staff is as good at picking stocks as they are at reviewing non-fiction, you’ll be rolling in the dough.
If you want to read two more reviews, try these:
Roll The Bones by David Schwartz - Book Review at Two Way Hard Three
and
Centuries of courting Lady Luck - Baltimore Sun
and
UNLV historian recounts the primeval urge to gamble at the Las Vegas Business Press
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