24/7: Living It Up and Doubling Down in the New Las Vegas

The premise behind this novel is simple. Random House publishing gave Andres Martinez $50,000 to spend in Las Vegas. Martinez proceeded to lose most of it.

If you find that concept interesting, God help you. I would find it more interesting to hear about someone winning $50,000. This book was a commercial success, which I find deeply disturbing. One thing compulsive gamblers don't need is a poster boy to make their petty and debilitating addiction glamourous.

The book is written in that affected, everything-happening-at-once sensory overload prose that seems fashionable at the moment. It becomes grating quickly.

The information in this book is of no use to a serious gambler. There are no insights of any value about gambling or gambling theory. The book is aimed at the mass-market and it panders to popular prejudices about casino gambling.

Random House keep pulling this stunt. (A few years back they did the same thing in England with a clueless gambler called Jonathan Rendall who also lost all the money he was given). They seem to be wagering some kind of puritanical war against the gambling industry.

Perhaps the next series they do will be on what happens when you give a third-rate hack $50,000 to spend consuming alcohol in various bars.