The Q&A about Gary Loveman (QoD 4/10/08) got my curiosity up about the rest of the book, Winner Takes All. What did you think about the whole thing?

Question 1: In our family of five, the agreed rule is if anyone wins the Megabucks or any large lottery, the winner gets 50% and the rest of the family splits 50%. Does that change the taxation structure, i.e. are the taxes reduced? Question 2: Your 4/13/08 QoD was about the megajackpots. How are the taxes paid if you take the 25 "installments?" I have heard the gov wants theirs right now.

The Missus, some friends, and myself are coming to Las Vegas at the end of May. I successfully lobbied our little group to stay downtown at the Golden Nugget to try something new. Now that I've convinced everyone to stay downtown, what would you recomend as the top things that we should do in order to get the most out of our Downtown Field Trip?

In light of the recent IRS investigations of PURE-managed nightclubs and the huge amounts of income they generate, doormen making hundreds of thousands of dollars is probably just the tip of the money iceberg. Why would the money-hungry casinos let outside entities such as PURE have access to any of the huge profits these clubs generate? I’m sure the hotels are more than capable of running nightclubs. Do you think they didn’t know how much money was involved, and now that they do, they’ll take back control? Or is a few hundred million dollars not enough to interest the casinos?

With the subtraction of the Stardust and New Frontier in 2007 and the addition of Palazzo and Encore in 2008, what is the net gain for hotel rooms on the Las Vegas Strip?

Question one: Could you please settle a small wager. On any Megabucks jackpot, I contend that the slot manufacturer is responsible for paying when a jackpot is hit. My friend is equally sure that it's the casinos responsibility. Who wins? Question two: Whenever I read about Megabucks being hit, the winner almost always opts for the lump-sum payout. But how much the winner receives is never revealed. Why not? And do you know how much someone might wind up with?

I recently read that Hooters was sold. Who bought it and what are their plans? Don't tell me no more orange shorts?

Gary Loveman, the CEO of Harrah's who just presided over the company's privatization, is considered a somewhat "maverick" kind of casino executive. Can you provide some background on Mr. Loveman and a insider's view on how he is perceived in the industry?

With the introduction of the new $5 bill, I take it that all the bill changers and bill readers need to be changed to accept the new money? How long does it take to change out each bill changer and what is the cost of doing this?

Is there a website that states the current numbers and kinds of slot machines and video poker games (as well as the available denominations of them) that each casino offers?