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Posted by on Oct 8, 2024 in Blog | 0 comments

The End of the Tropicana

 

 

I woke up this morning and wrote this article in remembrance of the Tropicana for casinos.com. The famous now defunct casino will be imploded tonight on what’s known as the graveyard shift. How appropriate.

When it comes to Las Vegas and history, not much remains of the grid of famous boulevards and their original landmark locations that continue to blur the increasingly impersonal and dehumanizing latticework of where we live, work, and play.

The Hacienda — gone.
The Aladdin — gone.
The Sands — gone.
The Desert Inn — gone.

Now, those names are just congested streets.

And late tonight, the Tropicana too shall bite the dust, its crashing fall taking our memories along with it to be carried away by the wind.

Thanks to casinos.com for the platform to remember and share. And thanks to the Tropicana for serving as the host of so many memories.

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Posted by on Jun 5, 2024 in Blog | 2 comments

Then and Now: “The Gambler” 1974 vs. 2024 (Caesars Palace Las Vegas)

 

THEN AND NOW:
MOVIE: “THE GAMBLER” (1974)
CAESARS PALACE LAS VEGAS

On the 50th anniversary of the release of The Gambler, I walked through the iconic circular casino pit at Caesars Palace late last night, where the ecstatic crescendo of Axel Freed’s gambling “high” takes place. One of the most intense movies about gambling ever filmed, the 1974 lesser-known cult classic isn’t shown often. Not to be confused with embarrassingly dreadful 2014 remake starring Mark Wahlberg (read my review HERE), the earlier version starring James Caan in the title role contains a riveting portrayal of addiction and self-destruction, boosted by an outstanding supporting cast — including Lauren Hutton, Paul Sorvino, Burt Young, M. Emmet Walsh, and James Woods (in his first film role).

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Posted by on Apr 17, 2024 in Blog | 0 comments

My Article on Cyber Security and the Threat to Casinos and Gamblers

 

 

On Sunday night, TV news magazine 60 Minutes ran a feature on cybersecurity and hacking.

The most high-profile attack recently was last year’s dark web ambush and data breach targeting casino mega-giant MGM Resorts.

Here’s my article on the attack, and the fallout which continues to impact all casinos, and remains a potentially catastrophic threat.

Thanks to casinos.com for publishing this news item / op-ed.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE

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Posted by on Apr 1, 2024 in Blog | 2 comments

Every Picture Tells a Story: Imperial Palace — Las Vegas (1997)

 

 

EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY:
IMPERIAL PALACE CASINO / THE AUTO COLLECTION — LAS VEGAS (1997)

The Imperial Palace has an fascinating, albeit scandalous past. A construction mogul named Ralph Engelstad bought the property in 1971 which included a small hotel called the Flamingo Capri. He invested his own money, expanded the hotel to 19 stories, added a casino, opened up an antique car museum, and ignited multiple firestorms later in his life when he was exposed as….yes really, it’s true….a Nazi admirer.

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