Gaming and Casino Operations Management Commons^™

How Slot Machines Work -- And Why You Should Think Twice Before Playing Them, Anthony Frederick Lucas

Hospitality Faculty Research

A short summary of my recent academic research. The intent was to expose a wider audience to the findings. The U.S. Conversation was recommended by Mary Croughan, VP Research & Economic Development

Reflective Practice Series: Selected Instructional Models Using Synchronous Video Conferencing Software, Martin W. Sivula

MBA Faculty Conference Papers & Journal Articles

With the vast array of resources available to instructors, one would think that instruction and teaching would yield success for all learners. Now, well into the 21^st century has much changed in the classroom? Certainly, movable desks and chairs, advanced audio and visual equipment, and a plethora of all types of technologies which might be able to enhance training and education. Over the last several decades research on individualized instruction, cognitive science, educational psychology, and multimedia instruction (to name a few) have permeated the literature on instruction. With all the research and the vast array of studies on improving …

A History Of Play In Print Board Games From The Renaissance To Milton Bradley, Kelli Wood

Occasional Papers

This essay considers how a historical legacy of printed games dating back to the sixteenth century in Italy laid the foundation for modern board games like those produced by Milton Bradley. The technology of print and the broad publics it reached enabled the spread of a common gaming culture- one built upon shared visual structures in game boards. Modern board games, of course, relied upon similar rules and replicated the ludic functions of their Renaissance progenitors. But perhaps more importantly, they built upon and perpetuated entrenched narratives about how fortune and morality contributed to lived experiences, presenting their viewers and …

Education, Not Restriction, Is Key To Reducing Harm From Offshore Gambling, Sally Gainsbury, Alex Blaszczynski, Brett Abarbanel

Hospitality Faculty Research

Australian internet gambling policies have been refined and prohibitions on illegal gambling sites clarified in recent years. These offshore sites not only pose potential harm to consumers in the form of fraudulent and deceptive dealings, but also have long-term consequences through reducing the tax dollars generated by the licensed market. Our research takes a closer look at why gamblers use offshore sites, and the implications of this for policymaking.

Civil Rights Or Sovereignty Rights? Understanding The Historical Conflict Between Native Americans And Organized Labor, Colleen O'Neill

Occasional Papers

Unions have played important roles in Indigenous struggles in Latin America and in campaigns that fueled civil rights movements in the United States, including efforts to organize agricultural, hospitality, and health care workers. But, Native Americans have had less of a connection with organized labor. Indeed, in the current climate, labor and tribes seemed to be locked in an adversarial relationship. Tribal leaders see unions as a threat to their sovereignty. Unions, such as Unite-HERE and the United Food and Commercial Workers, clearly see their rights to organize as part of a larger civil rights struggle. Examining struggles between tribal …

Glass Ceilings & Leaky Pipelines: Gender Disparity In The Casino Industry, Toni Repetti, Shekinah L. Hoffman

UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal

While women account for over half the hospitality workforce there is a gap in leadership positions. This study evaluates 10,950 management positions in 972 United States commercial and Native American casinos, as of December 2016. The results show women hold 35.5% of manager and above positions. Women lead in departments such as human resources, public relations, and sales and events, but lag in casino operations management. This demonstrates horizontal occupational segregation. The results also indicate women represent 46.7% of managers, but significantly less of executive leadership. Women held only 19.4% of owner, president, and chief positions. This suggests vertical occupational …

Christianity And Gambling: An Introduction, Massimo Leone

Occasional Papers

Religions hold complex relations with games and, in particular, with gambling. The article focuses on Christianity. On the one hand, the history of this religion shows a tendency to condemn games as source of distraction from spiritual rectitude and to stigmatize gambling, above all, as opening to metaphysical randomness and, as a consequence, as challenge to the idea of divine omniscience. On the other hand, Christianity has also sought to reinterpret games, and even gambling, as possible occasion for moral improvement and as useful distraction from the hardship of monastic life. A theological perspective that reaches its peak in Thomas …

Ninth Island, Las Vegas: Hawaiian Gaming Tourism And The California Hotel, Cynthia Van Gilder, Dana Herrera

Occasional Papers

Many people do not realize that Las Vegas, Nevada is home to a unique niche tourism: it is overwhelmingly the vacation destination of choice for residents of the state of Hawai’i, even affectionately termed the “Ninth Island.” Many credit the strong Hawaiian interest in Las Vegas to the fact that there is no legal gaming in the state of Hawai’i, however, data indicates that it is not just the opportunity to gamble that bring Hawaiian tourists here, but also the specifc amenities and experience offered at one particular hotel and casino, The California Hotel. Nicknamed “The Cal,” this establishment is …

A Quantitative Correlational Study Between Transformational Leadership Behavior And Job Satisfaction Among California Card Room Casino Employees, Lydell H. Hall

Dissertations

Purpose: This study had two purposes. The first purpose was to determine if there is a correlation between transformational leadership behavior exhibited by the leadership team and job satisfaction among California card room casino employees. The second purpose of this study was to determine if there is a correlation between transformational, transactional, or laissez-faire leadership styles exhibited by the leadership team and job satisfaction among California card room casino employees.

Methodology: This quantitative, non-experimental, correlational study involved utilizing two Likert-type scale survey instruments to measure leadership styles and employee job satisfaction. Data was collected from 127 card room casino employees …

An Exploratory Study In To The Money Laundering Threats, Vulnerabilities, And Controls Within The Uk Bookmaker Sector, With A Specific Focus On Fixed-Odds Betting Terminals, Kane Pepi

UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal

The purpose of this exploratory study was to generate an understanding in to the money laundering threats, vulnerabilities and controls found within UK betting shops, with a direct focus on the exponential growth of Fixed-Odd Betting Terminals. Qualitative research methods facilitated eight semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders linked to the gambling and/or money laundering sphere. This included the Gambling Commission, Campaign for Fairer Gambling, an ex-Head of Security and Safety at a major bookmaker, and five regular Fixed-Odd Betting Terminal users. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and coded for thematic analysis, subsequently resulting in the emergence of four interesting and …

Blackjack Player Choice, Superstition, And Calculated Odds Of Winning, Skyler Worley, Erykah Mcclendon, Avery Mielke, Ryan Speelman

Paper Presentations

Given the prevalence of gambling and preponderance of gaming options, efforts to curb problem gambling and promote responsible play for recreational players are of value. The current experiment analyzed choice behavior in the context of blackjack, the associated odds produced by these choices, and the influence of accurate rules (instructions) regarding gameplay. Results found novice players deviate significantly from optimal strategy and adjusted payout rates change as a function of this deviation. For these players, the predicted losses incurred following such strategies deviated significantly from the anticipated outcomes predicted by the odds that are commonly advertised. Next, participants viewed a …

Gambling On Revenue, Kelsey Tallent, Michael Davidsson

Paper Presentations

My findings from my study have concluded that median age and subprime credit population were actually significant for every test when I thought they would be the least significant. If the evidence suggested is true Sedgwick county has a population that is focused on the younger population with higher credit scores when income is insignificant so this tells us that the college aged people with parents that have high credit scores are fueling casino revenue. Wyandotte county can be seen as the exact opposite because it is focused on the older population with higher income and higher credit scores. Ford …

Glossary Of Business Evidence, Paul C. Boyd

MBA Faculty Conference Papers & Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Tales From The Slot Floor: Casino Slot Managers In Their Own Words, David Schwartz

UNLV Gaming Press Books

Slot machines have been, since the 1970s, an integral element of the modern casino resort. From the early 1980s, they have garnered the bulk of gaming revenues in Nevada and in most American jurisdictions that have legalized casinos since then, they also produce the majority of gaming win. For that reason, they are an incredibly important part of any modern casino resort, and their management deserves documentation and investigation.

In 2016 and 2017, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Center for Gaming Research, in cooperation with the Oral History Research Center, conducted an oral history project focusing on slot managers. …

Influence Of Perceptual Factors Of A Responsible Gambling Program On Customer Satisfaction With A Gambling Firm, Brett Abarbanel, Lisa Cain, Kahlil S. Philander

Research & Economic Development Faculty Research

Using data collected from customers of a Canadian provincial government-owned gambling firm, this study explores the relationship between gamblers’ perception of the organization’s commitment to responsible gambling programs and satisfaction with the firm. Results of a principal components analysis suggest that many value based judgements are closely related, and a multivariate regression model suggests that perceived adequacy of responsible gambling programs and perceived firm motives are predictive of customer satisfaction scores. We conclude that corporate social responsibility, and in particular, a commitment to responsible gambling programs, are closely related to customer satisfaction with gambling firms.

The Impact Of Casino Revenue-Sharing On Tourism Efforts In Niagara Falls Usa: 2006-2016, Anthony L. Astran

Public Administration Master’s Projects

This qualitative case study examines the intersection of a Native-owned casino, revenue-sharing with its host community, and the impact of tourism marketing efforts vis-à-vis funds provided to the community’s tourism agency. Specifically, this report studies downtown Niagara Falls USA from the time period between 2006 and 2016, and seeks to determine whether and how funds from Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino boosted tourism marketing efforts by Niagara Tourism & Convention Corporation (NTCC). Background research and a series of elite interviews with city officials and tourism agency leaders uncovered overall positivity in terms of growth in Niagara Falls USA’s tourism efforts …

The “Singapore Model” In Gaming: Applications In South Korea, Young Gi Lee

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The gaming governance system in Singapore is a very well-known and internationally renowned model. Singapore began to launch their gaming regulation system in 2005 by establishing a national framework on gambling prior to opening two integrated resorts in the country in 2010 (Winslow, Cheok, & Subramaniam, 2015). In contrast, the South Korean “model” is much less renowned. Though there have been discussions about introducing full-scale integrated resorts, the government currently allows South Korean citizens to gamble in only one property - Kangwon Land (Research, 2016). However, Kangwon Land’s situation is controversial in South Korea, with concerns about problem gambling issues …

Entry Fees As A Responsible Gambling Tool: An Economic Analysis, Kahlil Philander

UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal

Entry fees or levies have received increased interest as a responsible gambling tool and have been implemented or proposed in an increasing number of jurisdictions. Using comparative statics, this study applies economic theory to understand the distributional consequences of entry fees on players with and without gambling related problems. Overall, it appears that there is relatively weak theoretical support for entry fees’ use as responsible gambling tool as they primarily distort the demand of more price sensitive recreational gamblers. This creates a potentially large dead weight loss in the economy, and likely increases the share of revenue from players with …

Comparing The Professionalization Of Pro Gamblers And Pro Video Game Players, Mark R. Johnson

Occasional Papers

This paper explores the lives and practices of professional gamblers and professional video game players. Although both sets of individuals earn their incomes through games and other broadly “playful” practices, the work identifies four significant differences in their careers and what the “everyday” of these individuals looks like. Firstly, in terms of the nature of “skill” required to progress in these careers, and how these players reflect on and understand their own skill; secondly, the role of money and “money management” in their lives, and the different rhythms of financial gain, and potentially loss; thirdly, the observation that whereas almost …

The Pr Of Csr For The Casino Industry: A Review Of Challenging Corporate Social Responsibility: Lessons For Public Relations From The Casino Industry, Andrew B. Gustafson

UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal

This is a review of Jessalynn Strauss' recent book, Challenging Corporate Social Responsibility: Lessons for Public Relations from the Casino Industry. Through an analysis of Casino’s CSR practices, Strauss raises some serious concerns about this alignment between CSR and PR, and provides reasons to doubt whether SCR done for strategic bottom line interests rather than purely ethical reasons will consistently accomplish what the casinos set out to achieve.