I was born in a small town in Nevada, not far from the glitz and neon lights of Las Vegas, but our little corner of the desert was quiet. The hum of the casinos and the rush of slot machines were part of my background noise growing up, like the wind across the sand. My parents were school teachers, and they always emphasized the importance of learning and staying grounded. But for me, something about the mystery of casinos—their allure, the way they drew people in, the lights, the energy—fascinated me. It was a world where luck danced with strategy, and human nature was on full display, in all its complexity.
After high school, I moved to Vegas, not because I wanted to gamble, but because I wanted to understand the psychology behind it. I studied journalism at UNLV, but I spent just as much time exploring the labyrinth of casinos—observing, learning, taking notes on everything from the seasoned poker players to the tourists throwing their last few dollars into the slots. I wanted to get inside the mind of a gambler, to understand what made people take those risks, and most importantly, what the house was doing to keep them coming back.
My writing career didn’t start in casinos, though. Like most aspiring journalists, I took whatever gigs I could find. I wrote about fashion, food, and even did a stint at a local real estate magazine. But it wasn’t until I started covering stories about the casino industry that I felt like I’d found my niche. There’s something about the intersection of business, human behavior, and chance that drew me in, and I quickly realized I had a lot to say.
Writing about casinos wasn’t just about reviewing games or giving advice on how to beat the odds—it was about exploring the culture of gambling, the history behind these institutions, and the real stories of the people who step up to the table. I started writing articles for local publications, then moved on to bigger platforms. My voice was always conversational—less about the dry facts and more about the stories that unfolded behind the scenes. I think that’s what connected with readers. They didn’t just want to know what to play—they wanted to know why they were playing.
Over time, my articles have evolved to cover everything from the rise of online casinos and the advent of virtual reality gambling to the psychology behind loyalty programs and the dangers of rigged games. I’ve interviewed everyone from high rollers to dealers, casino CEOs to addiction counselors. The more I wrote, the more I realized that gambling is as much about human nature as it is about money. Every article was an opportunity to dig deeper into what makes us tick.
I’ve been fortunate enough to travel around the world, visiting famous casinos and speaking at conferences, but I never forget where I came from—just a curious girl in the Nevada desert, staring wide-eyed at the lights of Las Vegas from a distance. And while I’ve never considered myself a gambler, I can say this: life, much like the games in a casino, is full of risks. Some you win, some you lose, but it’s the story behind each hand that really counts.
Today, I continue to write, not just for publications but for people who want to understand the world of casinos in a different light. I don’t glamorize it, but I also don’t shy away from the thrill it brings. It’s a world full of contradictions, much like life itself, and I’ll never run out of stories to tell.