The state of Nevada gives you a pretty wide berth when it comes to where you put your slot machines. Mostly they are in age-restricted places like casinos and bars, but you can also find them in family-friendly supermarkets and airports. At the Reno-Tahoe Airport, you can literally buy a Happy Meal just feet away from the slots. I don’t know what that means, but I guess it means something. And I recommend the Mexican place there over the McDonald’s any day–the made-to-order nachos are certain to fill you up and rival the best restaurant offerings.
That’s a very long intro to this piece from the LV Sun about putting slot machines in strip clubs:
Strip clubs are, in the eyes of Nevada gaming regulators, not like restaurants, convenience markets or grocery stores.
And we’re not talking about the obvious differences. The three members of the Gaming Control Board say they don’t care whether the women working at the clubs are wearing tops.
They do care when entertainers, typically contract workers rather than company employees, solicit customers for sex and drugs or encourage violation of local “no touching” ordinances.
That’s what happened at Topless Girls of Glitter Gulch, a downtown strip club whose attempt to get a slot machine license was shot down by the Gaming Control Board this month after gaming agents making a visit to the club were solicited for prostitution and drugs.
“The activities … were egregious and obvious,” board member Randy Sayre said.
Which begs the question: if these places aren’t suitable for gaming licenses, should their liquor licenses be revoked as well? It shouldn’t take the GCB to determine that some strip clubs are obviously soliciting patrons for prostitution and drugs.
From a consumer standpoint, of course, none of this makes much sense, and I understand why tourists don’t understand that they can choose either slots with a beer chaser or nude girls, but not both at once.
I don’t think putting slots in will do the strippers any favors–a lot of 20s are going to be going into the bill validators instead of g-strings. Maybe stripping and gambling are two things that are better left apart.