Casino [ptz]
formerly the Gaming Studies Weblog

Gaming Studies@UNLV | Casino ptz | Archives | Email

Thursday, December 11, 2003

NCAA wrong on college gambling

The NCAA and its advocates have been crying for years that student gambling is a major problem facing American colleges and universities today. Their proposed solution? Prohibit Nevada's sports books from accepting legal, state-regulated bets on college athletics. Apparently this, not the diagnosis and treatment of college students with gambling problems, will end addictive gambling on college campuses. Well, Richard LaBrie, associate director of research and data analysis for the Division on Addictions at Harvard Medical School, says the NCAA has overstated the prevalence of gambling by college students. From the Las Vegas SUN:

LaBrie's report contradicts assertions from the National Collegiate Athletic Association, which has pressed lawmakers to approve legislation banning wagering on college athletics. One of the arguments the NCAA has made is that illegal gambling is a major problem on college campuses.

LaBrie's research suggests otherwise.

In a study on addictive behavior by college students, Harvard researchers asked 10,275 students about their gambling activities. LaBrie said students were asked about bets made on professional sports, college sports, horse and dog races, casino gambling, lotteries and betting with bookies and participating in card, dice or other games of chance while at school.

Asking students whether they had ever participated in those activities and whether they had participated in the past year, month or week, researchers attempted to find any patterns of addictive behavior.

The most popular form of gambling, according to the report, was buying lottery tickets, which one in four students say they have done. The percentage of students saying they buy lottery tickets once a week or more frequently included 1.2 percent of the respondents.

Overall, 42 percent of the students said they had ever engaged in some form of gambling, with 2.6 percent saying they participated one or more times a week.
FULL STORY

The article references studies of drinking behavior on college campuses. In the last few years, there has been a growing awareness that many college students, including some underage, consume alcohol to excess. You think?
_______________________________________________________

posted by Dave at 10:02 AM

Borgata growing the market

Things are looking up in Atlantic City, thanks to the Borgata. From
The Press of Atlantic City:

November gambling revenue at the dozen casinos increased 9.1 percent, to $379.2 million, compared to the same month last year, the Casino Control Commission reported Wednesday.

The result, combined with a 9.2 percent gain in October, gave the industry its best back-to-back monthly performance in nearly eight years.

The new Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa drove the big gain with gross winnings of $44 million, maintaining its No. 2 ranking behind Bally's, which won $52.8 million.

Experts said it appears that the 5-month-old Borgata is drawing more new visitors to the city after mostly cannibalizing other casinos early on.

'Borgata seems to be growing the market. Hopefully, as a whole, Atlantic City will continue to expand in 2004,' said David Jonas, senior vice president of Atlantic City operations for Harrah's Entertainment.

Borgata led the city in table-games revenue at $16.4 million, pushing industry revenue up 12 percent. It ranked sixth in slot revenue; the industry's slot gain was 8 percent.

Four casinos managed revenue gains compared to last year, although overall revenue at the non-Borgata casinos declined 3.6 percent.
FULL STORY

Once the Tropicana expansion comes online next year, there will be several new attractions in AC to draw new visitors: the outlet shops in the corrdior area, the Borgata, remodels at Harrah's and Showboat, and the ECHL-champion Boardwalk Bullies.
________________________________________
posted by Dave at 9:46 AM

Wednesday, December 10, 2003

Giving credit where it's due?

News item: Caesars Entertainment issues a co-branded credit card with Mastercard. In doing so, they join a long list of businesses, sports teams, and educational institutions that offer such cards. The two major Las Vegas newspapers, though, had entirely different spins on the story.
The Las Vegas Sun reported the story fairly straight-up, quoting the redoubtable Park Place (soon to be Caesars) Entertainment spokesman Steve Rosen:

Gambler loyalty cards have become ubiquitous at Las Vegas Strip casinos in recent years and have led to increases in casino revenue as customers spend more of their dollars at participating casino chains.

Park Place Entertainment Corp. has taken the concept a step further by rolling out a company-branded credit card. Taking a page from popular frequent airline traveler and retail programs, the Caesars Entertainment MasterCard allows customers to receive 1 percent cash back on their purchases -- money that can be redeemed at company-owned retail shops, restaurants, shows and other venues across 15 Park Place resorts nationwide.

"It's just another way to give more back to the customer and hopefully increase their loyalty," said Steve Rosen, senior vice president of marketing for Park Place. "No matter where they go or what they do, the card will allow them to get a comp at any of our properties."
FULL STORY

The article goes on to detail existing features in the Connection Card, PPE's player loyalty program, that reward patrons for non-gaming purchases, and discusses the benefits of the card to consumers.
The Review Journal story, though, has an entirely different slant, instead presenting the introduction of the card as a dark day for problem gamblers and the industry itself:

"How clever of them," said Durand Jacobs, a clinical professor of psychological and behavioral sciences at Loma Linda University Medical School in California.

"They've got to know the customer base they'd be trying to attract are problem gamblers," said Jacobs, who is also former vice president of the National Council on Compulsive Gambling.

FULL STORY

About half of the article is filled with alarmist predictions that Park Place Entertainment will now take the next step and seek approval to allow credit cards to be used in slot machines--two entirely different issues. Amid warnings of soaring consumer debt and problem gaming, the article does not mention that, just yesterday, Park Place announced an aggressive program to bar problem gamblers.

Buried near the bottom of the article are the sensible thoughts of Carol O'Hare, who I would guess knows a bit more about problem gambling than most of the alarmists quoted:

Carol O'Hare, executive director of the industry-funded Nevada Council on Problem Gambling, acknowledged the new card is a marketing scheme designed to bring people into the casino.

"(But) I'm not sure it's any better or worse than any other scheme casinos would use, just being tied to a credit card," she said.

So the facts of the story are: the card is meant to build brand loyalty, and it follows similar cards issued by airlines and other companies. To me, there is no real moral, ethical, or economic difference between someone paying for their hotel room at the Flamingo with a Caesars Entertainment card and their paying for their airfare with an American Airlines card. So why the Chicken Little treatment? Some observers, I guess, are just preconditioned to regard anything that a gaming company does as inherently bad.
The deeper issue that takes up most of the RJ article, use of credit cards in slot machines, is itself one that deserves thought. You don't have to be a futurist to see that people are generally using cash less than they did in the past. I don't remember the last time I paid cash at a grocery store--using my ATM there is more convenient and usually faster. For that matter, the guy ordering in front of me at Diamondhead Teryaki Grill last night used his credit card to pay for his plate lunch. It's not too hard to imagine that, within twenty years at the latest, we will use cards for most of our purchases. When that happens, the concept of using a credit or debit card in a slot machine will be far less alarming and will probably be demanded by consumers. If people are disciplined enough not to overspend their planned limits, using a card to deduct gaming losses and credit gaming wins is actually safer than cash--there is far less risk of someone getting rolled in an elevator or casino restroom after cashing their chips in if the money is simply put on their card.
______________________________________
posted by Dave at 9:51 AM

Tuesday, December 09, 2003

Word from the NCRG conference

The National Center for Responsible Gaming, a group that develops programs to fight gaming addictions, has just completed its annual conference, held this year at the MGM Grand, the world's largest casino hotel. Nobody finds this at all ironic, which I find a bit amusing. In any event, the conference addressed extremely serious issues of the prevalence and treatment of problem gaming. From the Las Vegas SUN:

Scientific research sometimes produces elusive or even contradictory results, which may not be politically expedient for either gambling supporters or foes, Howard Shaffer, associate professor and director of the Division on Addictions at Harvard Medical School, said at the fourth annual National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) conference in Las Vegas.
State policymakers grappling with gambling addiction and casino regulation must weigh both the costs and benefits of gambling and must also analyze scientific research available on gambling problems, said Shaffer, whose research on alcoholism later led to one of the first studies on the prevalence of gambling addicts in the United States.
'Public health perspectives are balanced,' he said. 'We have to look at the costs and benefits (and ask whether) the benefits exceed the costs.'
FULL STORY

There is also a more complete story that details the NCRG's mission here: Group works to become a player in gaming decisions.
___________________________________

On the road to Mandalay (Place)

I got to check out the new Mandalay Place shopping mall...er, retail corridor, between Mandalay Bay and Luxor. I can't find any info online, even at the official Mandalay Bay site, so my description must suffice. There seem to be an assortment of rather high-priced boutiques, including a barber shop that charges $25 for a shave. I tried to cajole two cowboys in town for National Finals Rodeo to go inside for a shave, but they said they could shave at their room for free.
The highlight of the Place, for me, is The Reading Room, which I believe is the first serious bookstore in a casino resort. They have some interesting titles, and they will soon be offering Suburban Xanadu as part of a "local authors" section. So if you are in Las Vegas, check out this experiment in casino retail. Hopefully it will start a trend. After all, with all of the great literature about gaming, it's surprising that no one's tried this before. Or maybe it's just the Strip reversal of the old "keep them in the casino all day" dictum.
_____________________________________
posted by Dave at 7:49 PM

Gaming Studies@UNLV | Casino [ptz] | Archives | Email

I am the maker of rules, dealing with fools/I can cheat you blind

What is Casino[ptz]?

In a sentence: "A weblog featuring news, notes, and opinions from the world of casinos and gambling."

Casino is self-explanatory; ptz refers to a surveillance camera that can pan, tilt, and zoom, thus offering the operator a better perspective and more detailed shot.

Casino [ptz] was maintained by Dave Schwartz, coordinator of the Gaming Studies Research Center at the University of Nevada Las Vegas.

As of now, Casino [ptz] is not being updated. Instead, you can find Dave's wit and wisdom on his own website, www.dieiscast.com. \

Go there now, for casino carpets and more.

The opinions expressed are those of Dr. Schwartz and not those of UNLV or any of its students, staff, or faculty.

If you have any questions, please direct them to Dave at dgs@unlv.nevada.edu.

---------------------------------

You can't win money here, but you can take a quiz or two.

Quizzes

Test your knowledge with two quizzes I have devised for your enlightenment and entertainment.

1. Do you know gambling?

If you've read this weblog, I'll bet you do.

Take the...

Gambling quiz

(view the Scoreboard)

This quiz features ten questions about gambling, mostly in casinos.

2. Do you know casino history?

Take the...

Suburban Xanadu quiz

(view the Scoreboard)

This quiz features ten questions taken from the pages of Suburban Xanadu.

If you've read the book, the quiz should be a snap.

Or, take the quiz and see what you are missing.

-----------------------

Read about strange slots and more.

Classic posts

Bashing the Donald

Betting on cheating

Las Vegas bites!

What happens in Vegas...

Porn or advertising?

New Jerseyans talk funny?

Mystery Creature from Maryland
Update: Mystery solved

Seven questions

Dave's book quoted in Parliament

Bird gets Trumped
(Fuzzy Zoeller unleashed)

Merger update, 7/04

A game called hope

Casino blocking monument?

Slots, urban design, and destination dreams

BJ by the sea

News of the Inane

Dogs not playing poker

My book is a buzz word

Mega merger mania

Stripped of dignity?

Of sleaze and goldmines

The Real Addicts

WSOP thoughts ('04)

Sweet Georgia busted

Secret to a long life

Don't be afraid, the clown's afraid too

Failed casino marketing

Out of this world?

It's a Hard Rock Life

Hastert blasts casinos/2 tiger tales

Russian Regulation?

--------------------------

In Memoriam

Claude Trenier

Shannon Bybee

Si Redd

--------------------------

These bloggers are in the Casino[ptz] club.

Other blogs

Alberta Gaming Research Institute Library

Bill Barol's Blather

Love and Casino War

Online Casino Legalization Blog

Poker Babe's
Game Journal

Presence of Mind

PokerProf's Pokerblog

Email Dave if you want him to add your blog.

--------------------------

Who is Dave Schwartz?

Dave Schwartz is the coordinator of the Gaming Studies Research Center at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, which means that he spends most of his time at work doing three things:

1) Extending and improving the collection of books, journals, and primary materials about gambling known as the Gaming Collection.

2) Working on digital initiatives, such as this weblog and the GSRC site, that facilitate the understanding of gaming research and gaming issues.

3) Answering questions about gambling from media and researchers, or directing them to the answers.

Atlantic City, NJ-you can see Dave's home in this photo, but he won't say where.

Before coming to UNLV, Schwartz worked in the Atlantic City casino industry as a surveillance officer. He is also the youngest person known to have received a Ph.D. in History from UCLA.

Schwartz is the author of Suburban Xanadu: The Casino Resort on the Las Vegas Strip and Beyond, which is an intelligent, accurate account of the creation and legacy of the Las Vegas Strip. Click on the link for more information about this best-selling book, or just buy it from amazon.com.

--------------------------

In his own words:

"To answer the biggest question I get, no, I don't gamble. I know the odds and, having spent more hours than I care to remember watching people gambling, it doesn't excite me at all. So why do I study gambling? Because the industry and the interactions fascinate me.

"Las Vegas is an interesting place to live, and my job gives me a good window on the city. In a typical day, I might go from talking about gambling books with a system player to answering a question from a reporter from a major newspaper to meeting with casino executives. So I think I can bring a unique perspective on the industry and the people who make it work."

To learn more about Dr. Schwartz, go here.

----------------------------

The unofficial Casino[ptz] mascot

It's the mystery mammal, of course. Dave is currrently developing a "Mystery Mammals" cartoon idea. Hey, if "Father of the Pride" works, maybe animal cartoons will become the next big thing.

------------------------------

Just because

Dave just likes these images, and hopes you do as well.

You'll find strange non-sequiturs in many Las Vegas casinos, but none as heart-warming (literally) as this dragon. He once belched flames and terrifying townsfolk, but now he stands watch over some nickel progressives.

It's always important to remember your roots. Dave has chosen this image to constantly remind him just where he came from. It is a heraldic crest gone wrong.

Oh yeah, Dave also likes to see his name in lights. This is a genuine, non-photoshopped image...or is it?

Casino carpet is almost (but not quite) abstract art. This is from a real casino floor in a real Las Vegas Strip casino. Guess where and win a prize!

Here are some closing thoughts from Orff's Carmina Burana, "Fortuna, Imperatrix Mundi" (Fortune, Empress of the World):

O Fortune,
like the moon
you are changeable,
ever waxing
and waning;
hateful life
first oppresses
then soothes
as fancy takes it;
poverty and power,
it melts them like ice.

Somehow I don't think you'll find that in any casino advertisements. But Carmina Burana would be a great casino show, particularly sectons 2 and 3, which deal explicitly with gambling, drinking, debauchery, and sex.

The opera is almost an adaptation of the 13th century version of "what happens in Vegas (or, in this case, Beuren), stays in Vegas. Certainly it has all the elements of a great revue extravaganza.

people have panned, tilted and zoomed since July 2004.