David G. Schwartz
Gaming historian
Affiliate professor, Department of History
Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs
Expertise: History of Gambling, Gaming Statistics, Casino Surveillance and Security, Gaming Technology, Casinos and Social Media
Biography
David G. Schwartz is a gaming historian. Currently serving as UNLV's associate vice provost for faculty affairs, Schwartz was the longtime former director of the Center for Gaming Research at UNLV, a hub for scholarly analysis of gambling and gaming issues. The center is part of University Libraries and boasts the largest repository of English-language materials on gambling and has an unparalleled repository of books, journals, and primary materials for gaming research. The center also maintains casino corporate archives including the Harrah’s Entertainment, MGM Resorts, and Boyd Gaming Corporate Archives, gaming-related manuscript collections such as the Sands, New Frontier, and Binion’s Horseshoe collections, and a growing number of collections obtained under the Problem Gambling Pioneers initiative, which collects and preserves the papers of the pioneers of the problem gambling treatment and advocacy movement.
In addition to his work at UNLV, Schwartz is an active consultant. As vice president of research and analytics for Santo Gaming he assists the Las Vegas-based gaming management and consulting firm with a range of projects.
Schwartz is the author of three books about gambling, including Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling, Suburban Xanadu: The Casino Resort on the Las Vegas Strip and Beyond, and Cutting the Wire: Gaming Prohibition and the Internet. He currently writes the biweekly Green Felt Journal column for Vegas Seven magazine and was named gaming and hospitality editor of Vegas Seven.
Education
- Ph.D., American History, University of California, Los Angeles
- M.A., American History, University of Pennsylvania
- B.A., Anthropology and History, University of Pennsylvania
Related Links
David G. Schwartz In The News
January 23, 2020
Japanese officials have delayed naming the sites for three future resort-casinos.
Casino.org
January 15, 2020
The statistics come from the state’s Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE). The vast majority of the money wagered was facilitated via the internet, with $3.83 billion bet at mobile sportsbooks.
January 14, 2020
Atlantic City's casinos won almost $3.3 billion from gamblers in 2019, helped by surging sports and internet bets as the seaside resort continued to rebound from a mid-decade meltdown that saw five casinos close.
January 14, 2020
Atlantic City’s casinos won almost $3.3 billion from gamblers in 2019, helped by surging sports and internet bets as the seaside resort continued to rebound from a mid-decade meltdown that saw five casinos close.
Articles Featuring David G. Schwartz
Campus NewsMarch 2, 2018
A U.S. Supreme Court a decision that would grant New Jersey the right to offer sports wagering would be a net positive for Nevada—as well as Boyd’s Gaming Law program.
Campus NewsDecember 8, 2015
National Archives grant helps University Libraries' Special Collections Division preserve archival collections on expansion of gaming in America from 1970 to 2010.
Campus NewsOctober 27, 2015
Five national scholars will study aspects of gaming and gambling during residencies at the University Libraries Center for Gaming Research.
ResearchOctober 15, 2015
The discoveries made in the Libraries' Special Collections challenge the way that people think of Las Vegas and its place in the American landscape. Here's a taste.