Gaming and Casino Operations Management Commons^™

International Encyclopedia Of Gambling, J. Cory Tucker

Library Faculty Research

An update to the author's Gambling in America (CH, Apr'02, 39-4347). this excellent encyclopedia provides detailed information on the gambling phenomenon throughout the world. In more than 300 entries, this two-volume set covers a wealth of information on a wide variety of topics related to gambling.

Nation, Corporation Or Family? Tribal Casino Employment And The Transformation Of Tribes, Theodor Gordon

Occasional Papers

Since its modest beginnings in the early 1980s, tribal gaming rapidly developed into a $25 billion industry that generates over a quarter million jobs. However, the increasing employment of non-Indians in tribal casinos prompts new cultural and political challenges. This paper analyzes tribal and commercial casino trade publications in order to demonstrate how tribal casino employee relations play a significant role in transforming public policy and perceptions of tribal government in the United States.

Estimating The Impact Of Showroom Entertainment On The Hourly Gaming Volume Of A Las Vegas Hotel-Casino, Eunju Suh

Caesars Hospitality Research Summit

Along with the emergence of mega casino-resorts in the gaming industry, researchers have attempted to estimate the indirect gaming contributions of non-gaming casino amenities such as showroom entertainment and restaurants. However, the daily data of aggregate gaming volumes analyzed in previous gaming research did not allow exploring transient gaming volumes associated with casino amenities during a much narrower range of time periods (i.e., hourly). The current investigation addresses this limitation by proposing a model to examine the relationship between showroom headcounts and hourly slot gaming volumes for the hours falling adjacent to the show’s performance time. Considering a major investment …

Urban Dynamics In The Las Vegas Valley: Neighborhood Casinos And Sprawl, Pascale Nédélec

Occasional Papers

Las Vegas is well known for its urban sprawl. While the casino industry has played an obvious role in the development of Las Vegas, no systematic study has evaluated the exact nature of urban growth and the rise of neighborhood casinos. This paper argues that neighborhood casinos, contrary to tourist‐oriented casinos, are not urban forces that drive the growth of an urban area but reinforce the status quo of residential developments. Neighborhood casinos have nevertheless become a major asset in the economic and social building of residential developments and community life.

The History Of Baccarat, Theodore Whiting

Occasional Papers

The true origins of modern Baccarat are probably lost to history. The first time the game Baccarat (spelled Baccara) was mentioned in print by a contemporary observer was in the early 19th century. The written record that would document the origins and evolution of the game is, unfortunately, incomplete. However, a close examination of the available material reveals some interesting facts surrounding the history of Baccarat, including a much earlier date for its arrival in the United States, that validates its continuing study.

The Boys' Club: An Exploration Into The Social World Of A Las Vegas Casino Sports Book, Frederick W. Krauss

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This ethnography of the La Mesa Casino Sports Book explores the characteristics that frame the social world its regular patrons create. Specifically, I explain the characteristics of La Mesa’s sports bettors, the types of people who bet on sports, the mechanisms used to sustain participation in the scene, and how the sports bettors view themselves, their social world, and those outside of it. I argue that regular sports book patrons do not use the environment simply for sports betting. Rather, their complex interactional dynamics create a robust social world they come back to again and again to create a meaningful …

Las Vegas Visitor Demographics: Be Careful What You Wish For, Joseph Akinsete

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Targeting the correct customer is one of the most important components to owning and running a successful company. To have a great product that is marketed to the wrong customer, will result in lost profits and missed opportunities.

Over the last 20 years Las Vegas has seen two drastic changes in its target customer and visitor demographics. By the late 1980’s gaming revenue in Las Vegas was down as other areas in the country started to legalize gambling. In an attempt to stimulate visitor numbers the city was reinvented in the image of Disney. Themed hotels such as the Luxor …

The Powerful Mythology Surrounding Bugsy Siegel, Larry Gragg Ph.D.

Occasional Papers

Journalists, authors, filmmakers, and historians have been interested in Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel for over six decades. Collectively, they have crafted a cohesive mythological narrative of Siegel’s life one focused upon “rags to riches” success and his contributions to the development of Las Vegas, Nevada. Most attribute to Siegel the inspiration for not only the Flamingo Hotel‐Casino, but also for the glamorous, classy, flashy resort city Las Vegas became after World War II. This paper describes the development of the myth since Siegel’s murder in 1947 as well as how it has been sustained.

Not Undertaking The Almost-Impossible Task: The 1961 Wire Act’S Development, Initial Applications, And Ultimate Purpose, David G. Schwartz

Library Faculty Research

For a Camelot-era piece of legislation, the Wire Act has a long and unintended shadow. Used haltingly in the 1960s, when the Wire Act failed to deliver the death blow to organized crime, 1970’s Racketeer-Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) became a far better weapon against the mob. Yet starting in the 1990s, the Wire Act enjoyed a second life, when the Justice Department used to it prosecute operators of online betting Web sites that, headquartered in jurisdictions where such businesses were legal, took bets from American citizens. The legislative history of the Wire Act, however, suggests that it was …

The Burger King Revolution: How Las Vegas Bounced Back, 1983-1989, David G. Schwartz

Library Faculty Research

Most who have considered Las Vegas history have concluded that not much happened in Las Vegas gaming between the openings of the original MGM Grand (1973) and Mirage (1989). In fact, several structural changes during the 1980s had already reversed a declining appeal. Responding to three crises—competition from Atlantic City, a national economic downturn, and the MGM Grand fire—Las Vegas casino operators began to draw more extensively on a middle-class mass market. Capitalizing on the “Burger King Revolution,” Strip casinos drew more gamblers who, on average, played less, and slot machines displaced table games as the industry’s leading revenue producer. …