Of the Rat Pack, Ashtrays, Cocktail Napkins, and Grateful Losers: The Making of the Las Vegas Experience as a Historical Process in the 20th Century

Authors

Paul Franke, International Max Planck Research SchoolFollow

Editors

D. Schwartz (Ed.)

Document Type

Occasional Paper

Publication Date

2-2017

Publication Title

Center for Gaming Research Occasional Paper Series: Paper 39

Publisher Location

Las Vegas, Nevada

First page number:

1

Last page number:

9

Abstract

This paper explores how Las Vegas casino executives have successfully produced a unique gaming experience. From the 1950s onwards they were able to use architecture, entertainment and business practices to link games of chance with a specific consumption experience for players. It will examine what sets the Las Vegas consumption experience apart from other gaming locations, what it consisted of, and how it was produced by the casinos. It also investigates how people between the 1950s and 1980s perceived and consumed the Las Vegas experience. Drawing from these observations the paper argues that the special of Las Vegas in gaming history stems from the fact that it represented a unique way how games were experienced and played.

Keywords

Casinos; Casinos--history; Consumption (Economics); Entertainment; Nevada--Las Vegas; Gambling -- history

Disciplines

Gaming and Casino Operations Management | Hospitality Administration and Management | Tourism and Travel

File Format

pdf

Language

English

Repository Citation

Franke, P. (2017). Of the Rat Pack, Ashtrays, Cocktail Napkins, and Grateful Losers: The Making of the Las Vegas Experience as a Historical Process in the 20th Century. In D. Schwartz (Ed.), Center for Gaming Research Occasional Paper Series: Paper 39 1-9.
Available at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/occ_papers/39