Born and raised in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Dr. Schwartz earned his bachelor's degree (a double major in anthropology and history) as well as his master's degree from the University of Pennsylvania before seeking his doctorate in US History from UCLA.

He became the youngest Ph.D. in recent memory from UCLA's history department, filing his dissertation and receiving his Ph.D. at the age of 26 in early 2000.  His dissertation, Suburban Xanadu, charted the evolution of the casino industry on the Las Vegas Strip from 1945-1978.  It is now a published book, the first of three currently available.

After completing his graduate studies, Schwartz worked in the surveillance department of an Atlantic City casino resort and taught casino history, communications, and hospitality courses as an adjunct professor, before coming to UNLV.

In addition to directing the Center, Schwartz teaches classes on the history of gambling, economic and social aspects of gambling, and writing.

Dr. Schwartz's books include
Suburban Xanadu: The Casino Resort on the Las Vegas Strip and Beyond
Cutting the Wire: Gaming Prohibition and the Internet
Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling.

He also writes regularly for Casino Connection and the Las Vegas Business Press.