Dec 6th, 2008 · Elko, Nev., started the big bands and the big shows long before the glitz and glam of Vegas. Today, the Commercial Hotel and Casino is still open in downtown Elko, but the live entertainment is gone except for few diehards making a cacophony of digital slot machine music.
Dec 4th, 2008 · Hundreds of people live under the casinos, in a hidden matrix of storm drains. Local journalist Matt O'Brien has been exploring them for five years. A tour of the tunnels goes through urban art galleries and gritty homes, and includes an introduction to some of the "silver miners" that inhabit this underground Skid Row.
Nov 19th, 2008 · The Navajo Nation opens its first casino Wednesday in Arizona. It's the first of six casinos the tribe is planning in Arizona and New Mexico. There are concerns among the Navajo, that they waited too long to get into the casino business. Daniel Kraker reports for Arizona Public Radio.
Oct 30th, 2008 · Harry Kakavas is suing a casino in Melbourne. During a 14 month gambling spree, he lost nearly a billion dollars. Kakavas claims that at a time when he was already banned from every casino in Australia, managers at the Crown Casino deliberately lured him back to their baccarat tables, even offering a line of credit. He's charging them with breach of state gambling laws.
Oct 28th, 2008 · The nation's gambling palaces are setting their course for hard times. In Atlantic City, N.J., officials repealed a smoking ban less than two weeks after it took effect. Officials say they don't want to hurt the economy by driving smokers away from the tables. You may hurt your lungs: but you're helping your country. In Las Vegas, the Flamingo is asking two entertainers to do their part. Donnie and Marie Osmond have extended their variety show for two more years.
Oct 27th, 2008 · The gambling industry has long been considered immune to downturns in the economy. But in southeastern Connecticut, two large casinos are feeling the pinch. One has laid off 700 workers, and the other is delaying an expansion that was to employ 1,200 construction workers.
Oct 16th, 2008 · Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal, who died this week, was a critical player in bringing the business of sports betting to Las Vegas. His life was the basis for the character played by Robert DeNiro in the movie Casino. Nicholas Pileggi, who wrote Casino, says at his peak Rosenthal set the odds in Las Vegas.
Aug 18th, 2008 · Officials in Atlantic City like to boast that the New Jersey vacation spot is within a day's drive for a third of the U.S. population. But that fact isn't translating into booming business this summer. From souvenir stands on the board walk to the casinos and hotels, high gas prices and the soft economy are taking their toll.