- Hardcover: 386 pages
- Publisher: Bantam Books (Jan 2000)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0553095021
- ISBN-13: 978-0553095029
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 15.5 x 3.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 817,465 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
Las Vegas was a mob town built on restlessness and hunger, on glitter, greed, and the firm belief that anyone can get lucky once. But in the last decade Las Vegas has had its own change of fortune, transforming itself from a gambler's fun house to one of the country's top family vacation spots. Now Pete Earley--the investigative journalist and award-winning author who stormed Leavenworth in The Hot House--takes us inside today's colossal theme casinos, in a fascinating look at the life, death, and fantastic rebirth of the Las Vegas Strip.
With 320 days of sunshine, 500 churches, 27 golf courses, and no state income tax, Las Vegas is the ultimate boomtown. And at the heart of the boom are the new "entertainment superstores" known as super casinos. How do they run? Who are the business titans responsible for these extravagant showplaces? And why was the gaudy Vegas of the Rat Pack era remade in the first place?
Pete Earley traces this evolution by taking a probing look at the checkered history of Las Vegas--when moguls, mobsters, and the world's top entertainers came together to create this ultimate monument to American excess. This fascinating book reveals the real stories of well-known power brokers like Steve Wynn, Vegas legends like Howard Hughes and Bugsy Siegel, and the gripping rise and fall and rise again of the entrepreneurs behind one of the largest gaming corporations in the nation, the colossus Circus Circus, to which the author was given unique access.
Earley's trademark you-are-there style brings us front and center as "whales" win and lose hundreds of thousands of dollars in a few seconds. We see grifters try every trick in the book to beat the odds--while eye-in-the-sky cameras record all the action. We go behind the scenes to meet the blackjack dealers and hookers, the heavy hitters and bit players, the maids and chefs, security officers, cabbies, and showgirls who are caught up in the mercurial pace that pulses at the heart of this astounding city.
This lively, probing book lays forth the real Las Vegas and shows how and why it has become the biggest draw in the country, offering adult and family entertainment like no other in the world. The result is an intriguing, often troubling look at a uniquely American city founded on greed--and a nation that built its own mad Mecca in the desert.
This is the new Las Vegas--no longer the stomping ground of the Rat Pack, but just as fascinating, just as energized, just as cutthroat. What, and who, is behind it all? Earley was offered unique access to one of the largest gaming corporations in the nation (Circus Circus), and through his investigation of other major gambling enterprises, he shows how the Strip of yesterday has transformed itself, with multi-faceted, themed mega-complexes offering adult and family entertainment like no other in the world.
Wall Street analysts call Las Vegas "the biggest cash cow in America"--its 1999 revenues were a staggering $27.2 billion. SUPER CASINO tells how it came to be the biggest draw in the country, while catching the voices of those large and small--bosses, shift managers, dealers, cashiers, showgirls, hookers, cabbies, tourists, and of course, the players--who make it run today. -->
With 320 days of sunshine, 500 churches, 27 golf courses, and no state income tax, Las Vegas is the ultimate boomtown. And at the heart of the boom are the new "entertainment superstores" known as super casinos. How do they run? Who are the business titans responsible for these extravagant showplaces? And why was the gaudy Vegas of the Rat Pack era remade in the first place?
Pete Earley traces this evolution by taking a probing look at the checkered history of Las Vegas--when moguls, mobsters, and the world's top entertainers came together to create this ultimate monument to American excess. This fascinating book reveals the real stories of well-known power brokers like Steve Wynn, Vegas legends like Howard Hughes and Bugsy Siegel, and the gripping rise and fall and rise again of the entrepreneurs behind one of the largest gaming corporations in the nation, the colossus Circus Circus, to which the author was given unique access.
Earley's trademark you-are-there style brings us front and center as "whales" win and lose hundreds of thousands of dollars in a few seconds. We see grifters try every trick in the book to beat the odds--while eye-in-the-sky cameras record all the action. We go behind the scenes to meet the blackjack dealers and hookers, the heavy hitters and bit players, the maids and chefs, security officers, cabbies, and showgirls who are caught up in the mercurial pace that pulses at the heart of this astounding city.
This lively, probing book lays forth the real Las Vegas and shows how and why it has become the biggest draw in the country, offering adult and family entertainment like no other in the world. The result is an intriguing, often troubling look at a uniquely American city founded on greed--and a nation that built its own mad Mecca in the desert.
This is the new Las Vegas--no longer the stomping ground of the Rat Pack, but just as fascinating, just as energized, just as cutthroat. What, and who, is behind it all? Earley was offered unique access to one of the largest gaming corporations in the nation (Circus Circus), and through his investigation of other major gambling enterprises, he shows how the Strip of yesterday has transformed itself, with multi-faceted, themed mega-complexes offering adult and family entertainment like no other in the world.
Wall Street analysts call Las Vegas "the biggest cash cow in America"--its 1999 revenues were a staggering $27.2 billion. SUPER CASINO tells how it came to be the biggest draw in the country, while catching the voices of those large and small--bosses, shift managers, dealers, cashiers, showgirls, hookers, cabbies, tourists, and of course, the players--who make it run today. -->
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First Sentence
Forget the gangsters: Moe Sedway, Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel, Tony "the Ant" Spilotro. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
Forget the gangsters: Moe Sedway, Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel, Tony "the Ant" Spilotro. Read the first page
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Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Being a Las Vegas fanatic (go there yearly if I can) this book was a brilliant insight into the beginnings of Sin City. It starts way back when Vegas was just a dusty track in the middle of the desert, and goes on to today. It recounts the beginnings of many of the casinos, tells the inside story, how the mob ran Vegas in the 'bad' old days and gives neat little snippets of casino staff and patrons. Also gives you a few tips on what to play and not to play....not that it did ME any good last time we were there. But I do recommend this book very highly! Excellently written and very easy to read and enjoy!
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I've been to Las Vegas (Lost Wages) three times now and wanted to get underneath all that glitters and learn a lot more of the history and goings-on there. I often graze-read and usually have several books on my bedside table, however I read Super Casino over three days (a record for me!). I found the mix of stories and perspectives fascinating and left me yearning to get back to Vegas as soon as I can. I had no idea how much the Luxor has changed in its short history despite having stayed there twice. Well worth buying.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the busiest hotels in the world - Vegas hotels! Looks at how they are run to ensure a perfect guest experience... details security teams employed to keep the guests under control.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Compelling stories about Las Vegas casino life
Earley provides the reader with a fascinating insight into how the mega resorts on Las Vegas Boulevard are run. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Melvin
Engrossing and entertaining
Very well written and while it tells the tale of an incredible city, it's never sensationalistic in it's tone. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Phil
Insightful on the age of the super casino
Just finished this book and I can't speak highly enough about it. If you're interested in the modern super casino world of Las Vegas and their inner workings then you'll love this... Read more
Published 22 months ago by uncle_moe
everything you need to know !!!!
the book started with the current casinos and how a few games are played.I was dissappointed as i bought the book to tell me about the HISTORY of Las Vegas. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Sarah
Super Casino
If you are interested in the history of Vegas this is the book for you
Published on 19 Mar 2010 by Lynn Curd
Awesome book....
Awesome book on Vegas - particularly the 50s and 60s chapters. Corrects lots of myths and is so well written, you can really get into it and imagine yourself there! Read more
Published on 13 Mar 2009 by James Greenwood
A Tawdry Look at Life and Vacations in Vegas
Seldom has so much writing talent been so misdirected in a project as occurred with this book. Mr. Earley sought out every seamy angle he could about Las Vegas, past and present,... Read more
Published on 12 May 2004 by Donald Mitchell
Fascinating!
A great book about Vegas and the goings-on inside the Luxor and other casinos. Great stuff
Published on 6 Dec 2000
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