For Online Gaming, Slow and Steady’s Just Right
In the three U.S. states where it’s legal, there’s been no bonanza yet—and no big scandal Read More
Green Felt Journal
A Fresh Study Sheds Light on the Habits of the Vegas Visitor
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority does many things well; one of them is to keep tabs on who is coming to Las Vegas, why they’re coming and what they are doing while they’re here. That kind of knowledge is important, because the average Las Vegas visitor is changing. Read More
The Language(s) of Gaming
Bingo Lotería made headlines earlier this month when it debuted at the Lucky Club in North Las Vegas. With four sessions a week, the English and Spanish-language game has a twist: One winner each session plays a bonus round based on the card-based Mexican game of Lotería. Read More
The Man Who Gave Regulation a Good Name
Nevada’s casino regulatory system is intimidatingly massive. The relevant sections of the Nevada Revised Statutes span more than 83,000 words—more than 150 pages, single-spaced. But that’s just the foundation: The Gaming Control Board and Gaming Commission promulgate regulations, technical specifications, policies, suitability findings, industry notices, and minimum internal control standards, which themselves run to Read More
Putting the ‘World’ in the World Series of Poker
Since the first tournament at Binion’s Horseshoe in 1970, the World Series of Poker has evolved from a nearly familial get-together of a few of the country’s top poker players to a global brand. And all it took was single transaction and relocation. Read More
Burton Cohen: The Man You Wanted Running Your Hotel
Since the passing of longtime resort executive Burton Cohen at age 90 earlier this month, we’ve had ample time to put his remarkable career into context. Cohen moved to Las Vegas in 1966 to supervise the reconstruction of the Frontier hotel. He subsequently helmed resorts such as the Desert Inn, Circus Circus, the Flamingo, the Thunderbird and the Dunes. Read More
Blackstone’s Cosmo Buy: A Bet on Las Vegas’ Future
The Cosmopolitan has finally sold. For $1.7 billion. To the Blackstone Group, a “premier global investment and advisory firm” that already has some significant interests in Las Vegas, including a share of Caesars Entertainment. And it might not be the last big transaction on the Strip this year. Read More
The Coming Social (Gaming) Revolution
Nevada’s casino industry has seen slot machines come—but is it now watching them go? On the chance that slots have worn out their welcome with a new generation of players, gaming manufacturers are looking at the potential of social gaming. Read More
The Online Gaming Debate: Not So Fast, Congress
As I write this, a bill that would recriminalize online gaming—even where U.S. states have sanctioned and regulated it—has been introduced into Congress. Should the bill pass as written, the online gaming industries of Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware, representing millions of dollars in investment and thousands of hours of regulatory effort, would Read More
Gaming’s February Numbers Tell a Tale—Just Not the One You Think
The Gaming Control Board released the February gaming numbers this morning, and at first blush the numbers looked catastrophic. Baccarat win down 41 percent. Total casino win down 20 percent. It seemed as if the specter of a double dip recession wasn’t quite dispatched with several months of improving results. Read More
That Old Vegas Mystique—Coming to a Wall Near You
Walls 360, a Las Vegas graphics start-up, may be an avatar of the Valley’s hopes as a tech incubator. But its latest product line is a testimony to the enduring appeal of the town’s past. Read More
Needs of High-Rollers, Government Leave Casinos in a Bind
Would-be high-rollers, take note: If you ever have a transaction of more than $10,000 at a casino, the staff there will gather information from you and file a report with the federal Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. You probably haven’t heard of FinCEN, but it’s a major player in our city’s biggest industry. Read More
Caesars’ Changing Empire
Two recent moves by Caesars Entertainment say a great deal about where the gambling industry is headed. Read More
What Does Bitcoin’s Downtown Presence Say About Las Vegas—and the Future?
When The D and the Golden Gate became the first casinos to accept Bitcoin (albeit only for non-gaming purchases) it was a sign of the way Downtown Las Vegas, by dint of geography and necessity, is pushing the boundaries of innovation in the casino business. Read More
New Partnership Between MGM Resorts and UFC Rewards Loyalty
One of the memories that people cherish about “Classic Vegas”—at least the one that they remember, whether they were there or not—is that it was the kind of place where everyone didn’t know your name, but they knew something more important: how you liked your whiskey or your steak. While that kind of personal Read More
