Last time I was in Vegas was around 2005. I was talking to the cabbie about when my parents used to go to Vegas in the late 60’s and how they talked about the cheap hotel and food prices. Fast forward to ‘05 and nothing was cheap.
The cab driver told me that the mobsters who ran Vegas in the 60’s and 70’s knew how to draw visitors with low prices so that they would gamble more. The next generation of mobsters got greedy and decided to soak visitors coming and going.
Once Las Vegas was a special place. Now, not so much, Indian Casinos are all over. No great acts to see. No special things. They just rested on their memory. They must, and will, re-invent themselves. My advise for Vegas...
1. Increase police presence and get the homeless off the streets. 2. Get some new acts and special effects shows, like FX was. 3. Get some good cheap hotels with good cheap foods for families. 4. Put in a sort of Disneyland for kids—a theme park—special Patriotic—upbeat—Like Dollywood. 5. Get a new TV show filmed in Las Vegas—like Hawaii Five-O was to Hawaii. 6. Put in an upscale Brothel.
7. Lower the drinking and gambling age to 19. 8. Bring in A real Circus—like a revamped Ringling Brothers Barnum and Baily—a circus with animal acts—now banned in many states. 9. Put in a high speed train, a 400 MPH elevated train from LA to Las Vegas—a 30 minute ride. Futuristic and fun. 10. Put in a clothing optional resort and casino—lots of Europeans love to gamble naked.
The cab driver told me that the mobsters who ran Vegas in the 60’s and 70’s knew how to draw visitors with low prices so that they would gamble more. The next generation of mobsters got greedy and decided to soak visitors coming and going.
By the mid 1990s, you could argue that Vegas was an attraction in itself. Lots of really elaborate themed hotels (like the Luxor, Paris, NewYork, NewYork, Treasure Island, etc). So they tried to sell it more as a family (G-rated) destination and, to some degree, de-emphasize gambling. And prices started to creep up.
The cab driver told me that the mobsters who ran Vegas in the 60’s and 70’s knew how to draw visitors with low prices so that they would gamble more. The next generation of mobsters got greedy and decided to soak visitors coming and going.
By the mid 1990s, you could argue that Vegas was an attraction in itself. Lots of really elaborate themed hotels (like the Luxor, Paris, NewYork, NewYork, Treasure Island, etc). So they tried to sell it more as a family (G-rated) destination and, to some degree, de-emphasize gambling. And prices started to creep up.