Gang violence is on the increase in certain neighbourhoods. There is an urgent need for a fresh perspective that offers insight into gang structure, organisation and offending behaviour to explain this increase. Using the findings from an extensive ethnographic study of local residents, professionals and gang members in south London, and drawing on his vast experience and knowledge of the field, Simon Harding proposes a unique theoretical perspective on survival in violent street gangs. He applies Bourdieu’s principles of social field analysis and habitus to gangs, establishing them as a social arena of competition where actors struggle for distinction and survival, striving to become ‘players in the game’ in the ‘casino of life’. Success is determined by accruing and retaining playing chips – street capital. Harding’s dramatic and compelling insights depict gang life as one of constant flux, where players jostle for position, reputation, status and distinction. This perspective offers new evidence to the field that will help academics, students, practitioners and policy makers to understand the dynamics of gang behaviour and the associated risks of violence and offending. Simon Harding is currently a senior lecturer in criminology at Middlesex University, UK. He draws on 25 years of experience in research, public policy and project delivery as a crime reduction and community safety practitioner.

Gang violence is a continual problem in urban neighborhoods around the world. But most of our understanding of the violence and its causes comes through the lens of policing and crime control, with little attention to the role played by the structure, organization, and social makeup of a gang. The Street Casino offers new insight on that front, drawing on an extensive ethnographic study of gang members and community residents in South London. Simon Harding uses this new data to propose a new theoretical perspective on survival in violent street gangs, a constantly fluctuating life built on the accrual of ?street capital.”

This cautionary tale explains how the murky and complex world of mortgage finance caused a global market meltdown—and offers new insights on how to create a stronger world of banking and mortgage finance. Years after the economic crisis of the late 2000s, Americans still want to know what went wrong—and why. Black Box Casino: How Wall Street's Risky Shadow Banking Crashed Global Finance provides an accurate and understandable explanation, compiling and interpreting mountains of evidence to provide clear analysis and insight into the crisis that traumatized people and institutions around the globe. The book provides a thorough, in-depth examination of the multiple contributing factors. The author goes back as far as 15 years before the crisis to show how the well-intentioned idea of providing home ownership prompted a government led effort to steadily weaken credit standards. He assigns partial blame on regulators that were unaware of growing levels of risk, ignored mounting evidence of a housing bubble, and failed to grasp the unintended consequences of certain regulations. The origins of the overload of subprime collateralized debt obligations that led to concentrated risks on the balance sheets of many large banks around the world are also explained.

In 1956, two Bell Labs scientists discovered the scientific formula for getting rich. One was mathematician Claude Shannon, neurotic father of our digital age, whose genius is ranked with Einstein's. The other was John L. Kelly Jr., a Texas-born, gun-toting physicist. Together they applied the science of information theory—the basis of computers and the Internet—to the problem of making as much money as possible, as fast as possible. Shannon and MIT mathematician Edward O. Thorp took the "Kelly formula" to Las Vegas. It worked. They realized that there was even more money to be made in the stock market. Thorp used the Kelly system with his phenomenally successful hedge fund, Princeton-Newport Partners. Shannon became a successful investor, too, topping even Warren Buffett's rate of return. Fortune's Formula traces how the Kelly formula sparked controversy even as it made fortunes at racetracks, casinos, and trading desks. It reveals the dark side of this alluring scheme, which is founded on exploiting an insider's edge. Shannon believed it was possible for a smart investor to beat the market—and William Poundstone's Fortune's Formula will convince you that he was right.

US Indian Reservations Casino Gaming Investment and Business Guide - Strategic and Practical Information

DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Top 10 Las Vegas will lead you straight to the very best the city has to offer. Whether you're looking for the things not to miss at the Top 10 sights or want to find the best nightspots, this guide is the perfect pocket-sized companion. Rely on dozens of Top 10 lists--from the Top 10 museums to the Top 10 events and festivals. There's even a list of the Top 10 things to avoid. The guide is divided by area, each with its own photo gallery and clear maps pinpointing the top sights. You also can view each location in Google Maps if reading on an Internet-enabled device. Plan each day with our itineraries and see the sights in individual areas. You'll find the insider knowledge you need to explore every corner with DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Top 10 Las Vegas, now with a sleek new eBook design. DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Top 10 Las Vegas--showing you what others only tell you.

There isn’t a person who had anything to do with the gaming industry in Las Vegas—or the world for that matter—that doesn’t recognize the company name of Paul-Son Dice. But how many know the name of the man behind Paul-Son, Paul S. Endy Jr.? He was known by many names, including Mr. Paulson, the old man, a mover and a shaker, a bull in a china shop, and Mr. Endy. But to me he was known as my father, and I would like to share the story of his life and the legacy to the gaming industry he left behind. Dear Eric, I went to work at the El Cortez in 1965. By 1967, I became the Casino Manager and started doing business with your dad. I became his oldest and largest customer. Over the years, through several more hotels, I gave Paul-Son Dice and Cards over 90% of my business --- gaming tables, dice, chips, etc. Your father was a true pioneer in the gaming supply business. He, myself and my father, Jackie Gaughan, are all in the Gambling Hall of Fame. Your brother, Tom, and I were close friends and my son, John, worked one summer for your company. Eric, best of luck on this endeavor. I am sure if your father were still alive today, he would be proud of you. Michael Gaughan South Point Hotel Dear Eric, As a Las Vegas resident since 1964 and Mayor for 12 years, I had the pleasure of knowing your father Paul Endy Jr. both personally and professionally. I remember having breakfast with him and the other “movers and shakers” at Papa Gars which was right around the corner and across the railroad tracks from Paul-Son Dice and Card Company. Your dad reminded me of a “Bull in a China Shop” and was able to get things done today, not yesterday and sealed with a handshake. I consider him as a gaming legend and one of the “good old boys” whose fundraising efforts for both UNLV baseball and Westcare were commendable. Thank You for continuing his gaming legacy. Mayor Oscar Goodman Mayor of Las Vegas from 1999-2011 Eric, Your Dad was a real Casino Gaming Legend and a great human being! I remember when your father was inducted into the gaming Hall of Fame in 1996, an honor very well deserved. I will always cherish the time your Dad and I spent together and the commitment we both had to fundraising for charitable causes. I am so proud that you are continuing his legacy by writing his biography. Wayne Newton Mr. Las Vegas