Suburban Xanadu

by David G. Schwartz

Urban gambling, linked to poverty, crime and corruption, was once considered a blight on US cities. Gambling then followed the exodus of Americans into the suburbs after World War II and now, at the beginning of the 21st century, most Americans live within a four-hour drive of a casino. What explains the success of places like Las Vegas? The self-contained casino resort removes gambling and its social problems from cities and provides Americans with the comfort of gambling in a setting matched to their suburban lifestyle. In a detailed look at the growth of the earliest casino resorts to the "pleasure palaces" and riverboat casinos of today, "Suburban Xanadu" locates the rise of the casino resort in suburbanization and the significance of this development for today.

256 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2003

Reviews

[Garrett Cash · Rating 4 out of 5]

A history of and sociological examination of the casino resort in America, Schwartz's book tackles a unique angle of Vegas and gaming history with notable perception and insight.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely well written, but maybe a bit too scholastic for the average reader. You have to be really interested in the history of Las Vegas for this to keep your interest.

[Marti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Of all the Vegas books I've read, this is the most well-written. Fascinating look at the American psyche re: gambling and why Vegas developed as it did.