Editorial
Sin City!
Monday, 15 September 2008 06:13 Last Updated on Tuesday, 03 February 2009 05:55
Las Vegas didn’t happen upon the nickname Sin City by chance. The popular gambling town we know today started life back at the turn of the 20th century as a stopover in the middle of the desert for pioneering travellers to the West.It later became popular as a railroad town, but soon earned a reputation for gambling as its central main street, later to become known as “The Strip” housed several small-time gambling establishments and brothels. Travellers were certainly treated to a good time in Sin City!
With none of the gambling restrictions that are in place today, Las Vegas became the perfect place for entrepreneurs to open ever more sophisticated gambling houses, or casinos as they were later to become known. Shady businessmen rubbed shoulders with out and out gangsters as the new casinos were built with the promise of a perfect way to launder ill gotten gains and make even more money from its enthusiastic visitors.
Today, a first time visitor to Las Vegas is treated to the spectacular night time light show as the many casinos vie with one another to outshine and out- dazzle with incredible displays of lighting, fountains and other glitzy attractions. They host top performers in some really first rate shows to draw in an ever growing army of gambling tourists. All is geared to attracting people into the casinos and onto the roulette and craps tables, into the slot halls and involved in the card games.
Las Vegas is a town built around gambling and is all about that and only that. If the casinos were to all shut down tomorrow, the town would likely die a swift and merciless death as the vast residential estates that have grown up around The Strip house workers completely reliant on the casinos either directly or indirectly for their income.
It’s a fact that over 30 million tourists descend upon Las Vegas and its casinos each year and with this inundation of free spending visitors come an additional 5,000 new permanent residents each month. All are intent on taking their slice of the gambling city’s promise with them. Few actually do, but that doesn’t dampen the spirits of those prize and pleasure seekers with high hopes, open wallets and a carefree attitude.
While Las Vegas can no longer claim to be the biggest centre for gambling in the US, that honour now going to Macao, it is still the most famous and well known of all the gambling towns and cities in the world.
