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Stumbledaily memo: gaming:
Resources are thin as more need help for problem gambling
Unexpected gift to help center get through this year
Monday, Aug. 16, 2010 | 2 a.m.
Sun Archives
- Advocacy group says it’s OK for casinos to market to gambling addicts (7-21-2010)
- Help for gambling addicts is salvaged in final state budget (3-6-2010)
- Slashing of problem gambling earmark is more costly in long run, state is warned (2-23-2010)
- LV companies in denial about problem gambling (11-20-2009)
Sun Coverage
Local Gamblers Anonymous Meetings
See a map to find out about Gamblers Anonymous meetings in the Las Vegas Valley.
It’s been a tough year for the Problem Gambling Center, which is operating on 70 percent of its normal budget after state cutbacks and a recession-fueled decline in donations.
That, plus hundreds more people are seeking help at the gambling addiction treatment center.
But that’s not the only worry for the largest public, nonprofit walk-in center for compulsive gamblers in Nevada.
As the community slogs through its second and third stages of decline in the Great Recession, the Sahara Avenue office is witnessing an increasing number of elderly people — among the most vulnerable citizens — seeking help for gambling problems.
This year, 43 percent of the people seeking help have been over 51 years old. Historically, walk-ins over 50 represented closer to 30 percent, although that percentage has grown in recent years, Executive Director Krista Creelman said.
Last year, about 150 people completed the center’s intensive outpatient program, and about 1,000 were helped by the center’s staff through methods such as group counseling, family therapy and basic financial planning.
With more than four months left in 2010, the center is approaching last year’s numbers, Creelman said.
Many older people have depleted their retirement savings by the time they reach the center, she said. Bankruptcies and lost homes, always part of the impoverished landscape of gambling addiction, are common stories rather than occasional, worst-case scenarios for compulsive gamblers.
“We continue to hear from them that their retirement savings are gone and that Social Security isn’t enough to get them by,” Creelman said.
The increase doesn’t necessarily indicate that more elderly people are gambling. Nor does it reliably point to a trend among the gambling public or in the local economy, as many compulsive gamblers don’t seek help, while those who do have hit rock-bottom.
The increase might reflect the center’s 3-year-old senior outreach program, which includes presentations and one-on-one help at senior centers and in-home therapy sessions. The center arranges for disabled people to be picked up and driven to the center in handicapped-accessible buses.
Treatment experts are focused on individual problems rather than larger economic truths.
The influx of elderly, cash-poor residents yields some reasonable conclusions in today’s economy, Creelman said.
“I think people are hitting bottom quicker,” she said. “People don’t have the finances like they used to so they’re coming in for treatment more quickly.”
Most of the center’s $400,000 budget comes from donations from casinos and slot machine manufacturers, among the hardest-hit companies in the recession. Several cut donations “not because they don’t want to help us anymore but because they just don’t have the money,” said psychologist Robert Hunter, who runs the center’s treatment programs.
The center faces bigger problems next year when its two-year funding commitment from the state ends, and it must appeal to lawmakers for more money — a seemingly impossible task amid a growing budget crisis.
In the meantime, a surprise $50,000 check last week from the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers will help the center maintain its senior outreach program over the next few months.
It’s a shoestring existence that in some ways reflects the desperate, paycheck-to-paycheck reality of the center’s patients.
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Another "nanny state" program. You have a problem with losing money gambling? Quit! That's all it takes. You control you own life. If you can't control your gambling, move out of "Sin City." It is not a place for everyone especially drunks and addicted gamblers. Remember, the roads lead out of "Lost Wages" as well as in.
There are more problem gamblers because the casinos have tightened up their machines and games so much that players are forced to chase their losses with an even more voracious appetite.
I had 2 girlfriends recently. Both were addicted. One was a former Nun. I paid off all her bills-6 grand worth-but she went right back to the slots. With the economic downturn upon us, with jobs like timeshare reps and such gone, I can't imagine what she is doing to survive. Drained all her savings and her 401K.
I doubt any "program" could help them. But you never know. I told one of them that we needed to move to Atlanta, where the only gambling is the Lottery. But somehow, I'm sure, with the impending approval of Barney "Fwanks" internet bill, she would lose everything anyway. Really sad. She's long gone, thank goodness.
1st step to the road of recovery for gambling addiction is to leave Nevada.
Reestablish yourself in California and let them fund your rehab.
Leaving Nevada solves nothing, there are Indian Casinos EVERYWHERE.
This is an amazing program that helps people at the end of their ropes and gives them the tools to not only quit but to start over and prosper.
There are thousands of ways for people to lose all of their money, including golf, boating, shopping, drugs, sex, stock markets, etc. Something is missing in these peoples lives, and maybe losing everything is the only cure. People who have lost "their" homes as a result of the pricing collapse were gambling just as much as anybody in a casino.
I doubt these programs do much good in any case. Most are feel-good programs telling people that it wasn't their fault. Programs like Gamblers Anonymous follow the same format as AA, and studies have shown that programs success rate to be lower than spontaneous remission. They will, however, get people addicted to meetings. Maybe that's all some people need to fill the void in their lives. In any case, GA is available for free -- I don't see why the State should be involved in funding these programs.
-------------------
"150 people completed the center's intensive outpatient program, and about 1,000 were helped by the center's staff through methods such as group counseling, family therapy and basic financial planning."
-------------------
Check if they've done any follow-up studies on those people, and how they measure success. Check if they have any control studies to show how many problem gamblers simply quit on their own, with no intervention.
I'll wager that you'll find this is just a group of counsellors who have found a passive way of making money, and have made no serious studies to determine if their work is doing any good. They're running cover for the State and the slot manufacturers, who for the low price of $400k can claim to be "doing something".
addictive personalities just dont 'stop' their addictions overnight; they need help. moving from vegas will not eliminate the problem as other venues exist nationwide. gambling addictions are destructive; houses, cars,boats, etc. along with family are all lost in no time. its an insidious disease and from what i gather in these posts, most people are ignorant about the addiction.
Yes...problem gamblers need help. But so do problem drinkers...problem druggies...problem unemployed...problem sick...problem welfare...and the list goes on. When and how does this all end? I fear that the list of problem seekers will continue to grow to the point of public weariness when we finally say "enough is enough" and refuse to fund, aid, assist or help those with problems. Has that time come? Not yet, but we're getting close. Then what will they do? I see no viable solution except banning all gambling...corporations as well as Indian; bringing back prohibition with severe penalties; death sentences for drug dealers; destroying tobacco crops; sterlizing chronically pregnant women or not providing welfare; and taking a non paternalistic approach to these problems. The Constitution does not provide a Right to Gamble, Drink, Take Drugs, Smoke, Get Pregnant etc. Maybe then we can get back to the more important aspects such as Bearing Arms, Voting, Free Assembly, etc. I would sincerely like to see individuals take responsibility and ownership of their problems--stop relying on charity. Besides, you came into this world with nothing--and you can leave with nothing.
getalife....
Your best post ever.
Kudos.
This has nothing to do with the fact you C&C.
Truly, you IDIOTS who denigrate those that have gambling addiction issues; ie...the FIRST POST;
YOU HAVE YOUR OWN ISSUES, and the least of them is IGNORANCE.
Economic disaster.
Suicide.
Murder/suicide.
Problem/Addictive Gambling Cause & Effect = personal disaster AND PROBLEMS IN YOUR OWN COMMUNITY... BY THE BOATLOAD.
Help for problem gamblers in Las Vegas should be FREE AND READILY AVAILABLE AND REAL.
And the Casino Industry should pay for EVERY PENNY OF IT.
Anything less is uncivilized...immoral...and ignorant....and in tune with Nevada's State Motto:
"We can't see the forest fer them thar trees"!!!
NutJob mantra:
"yer usin' my money fer that? well that's jus' dumb!"
Can't you Republicans think of ANYTHING, EVER, besides "your money"???
Hate to tell ya, kids... If it ain't comin' outta one pocket, it's comin' outta 'da udder.
dipstick:
I agree that some here have no idea what it is like to have an addiction (case in point- olygene's post - "problem unemployed...problem sick...problem welfare...and the list goes on" BTW - wtf is "problem unemployed and problem sick"? Gee, "addiction to their guns" wasn't mentioned).
Also, getalife's post is another good post. Peoples' ignorance of so many things is astounding to me. I guess they just bury their heads in the sand because these problems, whether it is gambling, being unemployed, do not effect them....yet.
Gambling: Don't Bet On It by Rex Rogers
Casinos use all sorts of marketing schemes to entice gamblers to risk as much money as possible. They offer inexpensive or even free alcohol, which encourages drunkenness, and thereby a decreased ability to make wise decisions. Everything in a casino is perfectly rigged for taking money in large sums and giving nothing in return, except for fleeting and empty pleasures. Nevada's Gaming & other state's lotteries attempt to portray themselves as a way to fund education and/or social programs. However, studies show that gamblers & lottery participants are usually those who can least afford to be spending money on lottery tickets. The allure of "getting rich quick" is too great a temptation to resist for those who are desperate. The chances of winning are infinitesimal, which results in many peoples' lives being ruined.
Gmag, C&C?? I am confused brother.
I prefer Scotch to Crown & Cola, besides it's too early, hit me at about 4:30.
I don't buy the "casinos just don't have the money" one bit. Come on! Helping addicted gamblers, the last thing on the priority list. Hey, "cash your paycheck here!"
You really should have to be income-certified and issued a card you swipe to gamble, that limits your losses to some fraction of income.
It would devastate the gaming industry, but that's the only sure way to stop gambling addiction at leagalized establishments -- a cool site; Balkingpoints ; incredible satellite view of earth
Frankm507, youare so right. the casinos don't have the money because they don't want to help their custmers. Harrahs is the prime example with Terrance K. Watanabe. They could have and should have addressed his obvious addiction but they ignored the signs and continued to covet his business and had the audacity of trying to recover ill gotten funds from the degenerate gambler.
When casinos are losing money, it's in the news. It's bad news because the economy seems to be down.
When the casinos win a lot , then everybody seems to be happy. But, wait a sec, ....where does this money come from? Somebody has to lose this money to the casinos, correct?
Even if we assume that it's only the "rich tourists'" money that's lost to the casinos and these tourists are flying or driving back home happily, then it's still somebody's money that needs to be lost before the casino can win it.
In a perfect casino world, and that's probably what Las Vegas falsely was trying to become, there are zillions of players , with each one of them losing a small amount happily, just big enough to make it a large cake for the casinos but not hurt each individual. This, however, is only illusion and will never happen.
The fun gamblers play nickle slots and stop before it's too late. Such gamblers are not generating enough profits for the casinos. Most big revenues come from problem gamblers that overplay their bankroll and financial situation. Even the rich tourist dropping hundreds of thousands in the VIP sections of the high end resorts may have a serious gambling problem. However, it's not in the statistics of your great city as he's from anywhere else in the U.S., or, hopefully for you, from a different country as far away as possible.
Nothing costs nothing, and whatever somebody wants to win, somebody else has to lose. There is no money factory that can make money out of nothing.
To the citizens of Las Vegas with gambling problems, the only good advise I could give is to look for other hobbies. Outdoor activities, reading, making music, anything that keeps you busy and away from gambling. That's the best cure. Find new interests, stop frequenting casinos, even if dining options there are usually very tempting and affordable. Get a new life, leave everything behind. And to the ones that dedicate their lives to the world of games, the only good advise is this: play the right games, and play them right. Or quit.
Greetings from Switzerland
Excuses, excuses, excuses. The Devil made me do it! No sense of responsibility for one's own actions here. Some have assumed I have no idea of what an addiction is. In my lifetime, I have broken an addiction to a poisonous practice: smoking cigarettes. I didn't expect anyone else to do it for me and it was extremely difficult. That was more than 40 years ago. So, quit name-calling, stiffen your back-bones and take control of your own lives. It's not always somebody elses fault!
Easier said than done, lvfacts. There are those that have only $20.00 in their pockets. Not enough to pay the bills so they gamble in hopes of winning enough to get them out of the hole. Unfortunately, it is these people that the local casinos prey upon.
lvfacts, I never blamed anyone, I just needed help redirecting my behavior.
I think GA is a way of keeping people needy but that's just my opinion. The Problem Gambling Center was enough to help me along my way.
jaquekeno: Yes, it is easier said than done. I did not quit the first time I tried. Like Mark Twain put it: "Giving up smoking is easy; I've done it hundreds of times." It takes the person really wanting to do it for it to happen.
getalife: I'm all for GA & AA; people helping people. While I understand and agree that a certain amount of governmental oversight is necessary, I object to government bureaucrats (elected or unelected) getting involved in every aspect of our lives. Look at how both the Republicrats & Dumbocrats have screwed things up over the years. Being cynical, I can't trust either of them to do the right thing unless it benefits them, their cronies, families or contributors personally or politically.
Seem to me problem gamblers have to much time on there hands,(Stay Busy).Its hard to quit gambling
but it will get easier in the long run.
The fact is some people are pronged to addiction, what I am really tired of reading is that the Casino's are always at fault for having "tighter machines" it would seem that no matter what happens in Las Vegas it's always the casino's and their tight machines that are causing all of the worlds drama. 911 Blame Tight Slot Machines / Hurricane's let's blame the tight slot machines Governors cheating why this too must be because the slot machines are tight......
read my last sentence in my post at 6.43 am; it was true then and its still true now.
It's all the "tight" slot machines fault for sure ! (I'm being totally serious)
If I can just hit on this inside strait here I promise I will donate to the Problem Gambling Center.
rogue, excellent use of sarcasm.
I never, NEVER, gambled in casino's
btw, that's why my moniker is getalife; I have one now.
Gary Primm once told me he became a rich man because of the south bound I-15 traffic.
Gary told me it was the folks that lost what they had in their wallets on the strip, would head home to California, have enough time to replay the hands they lost, think they were smarter now, and stop at Primm and empty their banks accounts attempting to win it all back!
It is a sickness folks!
I made that inside strait,now i'm puttin it all on 13 black so I can really make their day!
Mr. and Mrs. Franklin Gibbs, three days and two nights, all expenses paid, at a Las Vegas hotel, won by virtue of Mrs. Gibbs' knack with a phrase. But unbeknownst to either Mr. or Mrs. Gibbs is the fact that there's a prize in their package neither expected nor bargained for. In just a moment, one of them will succumb to an illness worse than any virus can produce, a most inoperative, deadly, life-shattering affliction known as "The Fever".
Franklin and his wife Flora go to Las Vegas because she won a competition. He detests gambling, but his wife is excited about their vacation. Franklin is given a coin by a drunk man at the casino, who makes Franklin use it in a slot machine. He wins and tells his wife that they should keep the money and not lose it back like the other people.
As they depart, Franklin believes he hears the slot machine calling his name. He continues to hear this as he tries to sleep. As he imagines his winnings piling up, he decides to try his luck, telling his wife he cannot keep "tainted" money, and that he is going to get rid of it by putting it back in the machine. Later, Flora goes to the casino and finds him playing the machine obsessively. Addicted, Franklin has lost a great deal of their money. When Flora tries to coax him to stop, Franklin declares that he has lost so much, that he has to try to win some of it back. He becomes enraged when she presses for him to leave, declaring that the machine is "inhuman", that it "teases you, sucks you in." Others observe that he has been playing the machine for hours.
cont'
Eventually, the slot machine takes his last dollar and breaks down. Franklin begins yelling and attacking the machine to give him back his "last dollar." He is taken out of the casino screaming. Later in bed, Franklin tells Flora that the machine was about to pay off, but deliberately broke down so that it wouldn't have to. He then hears the machine again calling his name. He sees it coming down the hallway to their room, "chasing" him, but Flora cannot see it and believes that he is going crazy. When the machine continues to follow him, repeating his name over and over, "Franklin, Franklin, Franklin!" he backs up towards the window, his hands over his ears, finally crashing through the glass and falling to his death. The police stand over his body, noting that his wife had stated that he had not slept in 24 hours. A casino manager comments that he's "seen a lot of 'em get hooked before, but never like him." The last scene shows Franklin's last dollar rolling up and spinning out flat near his outstretched, dead hand. The camera pans over to the direction where the coin came from and there sits the slot machine "smiling" at him.
Mr. Franklin Gibbs, visitor to Las Vegas, who lost his money, his reason, and finally, his life, to an inanimate metal machine variously described as a one-armed bandit, a slot machine, or in Mr. Franklin Gibbs' words, "a monster with a will all its own". For our purposes, we'll stick with the latter definition, because we're in the Twilight Zone.
Ironically, many Casinos are broke too -
"Gambling -- where the sleazy and greedy come together."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fever_(...)
Casinos should be taxed to pay for those with gambling addictions not the taxpayer.
shuttdlrl
Let's play this hand together and then think about how come there are so many losers in Las Vegas:
7h-5d-Ks-8s-9c
The game is deuces wild. Of course, the full pay version. 100.76 per cent payback.
I was at the Palms the other night and there was a guy playing next to me, apparently a "pro". He played so fast and was making phone calls besides. Actually, I would think he was a good player.
As this hand mentioned above came up I asked him whether I shall keep the inside straight draw or go for a complete re-draw. This guy said: "Never draw to an inside straight". You would miss the opportunity of hitting a Royal Flush or 4 deuces, that's what he added as an explination.
Later on when I was in front of my computer, I analysed the hand and the computer confirmed what I thought: Drawing to the inside straight is a close call and you should do that therefore.
Since there are so many similar situations in life compared to this deuces wild hand, there are so many quick and broken down losers in life, as well as winners. Some people play on hunches, and others go by percentages. The casinos also go by percentages, and so are the professional poker players. Everything else don't work. So, the broken gamblers seeking help from GA should rather ask themselves how to get themselves out of the hole by first stop playing bad. Play your cards right in life, and it will be your reward. That's how I see things.
Have a great day
From Switzerland
Help is just what it is -- help. The person still have to realize the enslavement of delusional thinking in his very own belief system.
What drives one to gamble?
Internal belief "to have more" and not satisfied with what is already available.
If you short of money to pay bills, adjust your expenses. If that doesn't meet your reality, then look to inner resources -- creativity you can offer as a value.
If instead you are guided by the greed of "lust for luck" -- you are on the hook, thinking constantly that you are just one card away form the "royal" and the chase begins...
If I owned a casino and was a malevolent spirit, I would make sure that everyone would hit a royal in my casino at the first visit. Because it would be a safe bet that the vast majority of those tasted the glory of a "royal" would leave their houses and life savings with me.
Look at the inner causes first and then get help.
Harley, that was an excellent episode from the 60's series 'The Twilight Zone.' Many of Rod Serlings episodes were quite prophetic. I remember the episode about a CEO eliminating so many jobs via automation that one day he came to work only to find that HIS job was being eliminated and then it came home to roost how his employees felt when he eliminated their positions. Remember, this was back in the 1960's. I lost my first job thru automation when I was about 10 yeasrs old and bowling alleys went to auotmatic scoring, eliminating the need for 'scorekeepers.'
Dipstick --
"Addictive personalities just dont 'stop' their addictions overnight; they need help."
People stop addictive behaviors on their own all the time. Controlled studies frequently show that people left on their own will, after a period of time, have more progress than those who get help. People in the "help" business don't like to acknowledge it -- but it's there.
"It's an insidious disease and from what i gather in these posts, most people are ignorant about the addiction."
I agree that addictions can be insidious -- but what does that have to do with objectivity, scientific method, or analyzing the value of intervention? About 2-3% of the population are psychopaths -- do you want to try and help them as well? You might as well try. No good deed ever goes unpunished.
The disagreements I'm reading here aren't about knowledge or ignorance, they're about knee-jerk reactions to complex problems, and where to properly place responsibility.
@Jaquekeno
The TZ episode you're referring to is titled, "The Brain Center at Whipple's" - A factory CEO replaces human workers with machines. (episode #153 5/15/1964)
Have a copy of just about every Twilight Zone episode -- here's a few suggestions regarding the gambling/Vegas theme:
"The Prime Mover" - Ace Larsen discovers his business partner has the ability to control objects with his mind. The pair head to Vegas to win big.
"A Most Unusual Camera" - Chester Diedrich and his wife Paula, after burglarizing a curio shop, end up with a camera that takes pictures of events five minutes into the future.
"Mr. Bevis" - An eccentric loser gets a new life from his guardian angel, but there is a price to keeping it.
There's also a couple VERY entertaining Alfred Hitchcock presents episodes of similar subject matter:
"Mail Order Prophet" - Marshall and Klugman are two self-described "cogs' in a faceless corporate machine. They dream of riches, independence, and telling-off their cranky boss. But the way they meekly submit, you figure they'll remain just pipe dreams. Then Marshall starts getting anonymous letters making predictions that prove uncannily accurate. Soon, he's making bets based on the predictions that pay off, and his dreams begin to look real. So what's the deal here. Who's the anonymous "prophet", and does he have the kind of psychic powers he appears to have. He better because Marshall is now "borrowing" from company funds.
"Man from the South" - In this story, an old man named Carlos offers a boastful American boy his Cadillac if the boy can strike his lighter ten times in a row. The catch is that if the lighter does not light ten times in a row, Carlos will cut off the boy's left little finger. On the eighth striking of the lighter, a woman comes in the room and throws Carlos to the bed, claiming that he is mentally disturbed. He has taken forty-seven fingers from various people and has lost eleven cars. She had won everything Carlos owned long ago, including the car, and as she reaches for the car keys, the narrator sees her hand has only a thumb and one finger.
FWIW: Favorite TZ episode "Kick the Can" - The senior residents of Sunnyvale decide that the secret to youth is acting young, and in particular playing a childhood game called "kick-the-can." (Ernest Truex)
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As long as the casinos induce the Vegas citizens to clear their paychecks directly in the casinos on Fridays for free, and in addition to that, offering free alcoholic beverages on top of that, the strategy is absolutely clear to me: Nobody cares about a person with a possible gambling problem.
The casinos calculate that one out of every 10 or 20 people clearing his/her paycheck will go and play the machines. And then there's a certain probability that this person will lose his/her entire paycheck. Nobody cares.
Well, in a way, casinos can't be blamed for this strategy, the people clearing their cheques are old enough to know what's good for them, and what isn't.
On the other side, if there's somebody with a possible gambling problem and this person knows that going into a casino could be dangerous for him/her, then going there "just to clear the paycheck" is potential murder. It will be extremely difficult for such a weak person to escape from the spider web once it's trapped into it. And the casinos know about that.
During my countless visits I have become aware of this "strategy" by the casinos often enough. It's so obvious what they're aiming at, and these long lines in front of the cashier's cage on Fridays are an indicator to me that there's something going on that's not good.
In a free market, without any rules , this may be ok, but then there shouldn't be these "pseudo helping programs" available. These brochures sitting somewhere by the cage are nothing but an aliby for me. And we all know that inside of the casino there is no such thing as a "gamblers anonymous helping point". The casinos are not interested to do so, although, they must offer help as a part of the rulings, given out by the Gaming Control Board, of course.
The only way out of this mysery, if somebody really faces gambling problems, in my eyes, that's leaving sin city. Otherwise he will not find happiness anymore. Las Vegas is a city made by and made for gamblers. Pure and simple.
Attention please, this is just off the print...
Philippines are also working on a huge gaming and entertainment complex. As well as Vietnam , and the already opened 2 mega resorts in Singapore. Japan is also preparing for gaming, catering mostly to toursits.
What this means, is clear: Asian gamblers will probably keep on travelling to Las Vegas. However, what used to be 2-3 visits per year can now easily turn into a 1 visit-per-year. And that's what Vegas will feel in the future.
Most major casino corporations have arleady become aware of this by building their resorts in the Far East. More resorts to come.
The consequences for Las Vegas citizens and workers may be substantial, if not disastrous. Over-supply in the Nevada gaming market, high unemployment, housing slump, just to mention a few of the possible (and most likely) consequences.
The reason for this change may also be the hassle of the long trans-continental flights , and now, the NEW HASSLE BY THE US IMMIGRATION. From the news I just heard that the US immigration for non US citizens will cost 14 dollars per person. Probably plus tax. This new regulation will become effektive in September. And this is not much to my liking. To the contrary!
Just like the Hotel Resort Fees, or baggage handling fees, set up by airlines (just if a vacationer will go on vacation without suicase!!), the US government is no trying to generate some extra cash by milking the tourists.
I can tell you only one thing: 14 dollars may not be much for many, but it's certainly something for families that go on vacation for 1 week or so. 5 or 6 people, that's close to 100 dollars, immigration fee, just like entering a zoo. Will we be entering a zoo or what? Hey, this is just ridiculous.
And what the consequences of such manouvers may be is probably not clear yet. Many visitors may really become fet up by such rules and regulations, and decide to go elsewhere. Just like many Europeans do no longer visit Greece for the hassle in that country. Tourists like to be welcomed with a smile, and not with a police whistle and a entering fee. To make this point clear. We bring the money to the country we're visiting. And we should be treated with a certain kind of respect, just like the people visiting our country will be treated with respect.
It was necessary to shuffle in this subject, although it doesn't have much to do with the main topic of this article.
Greetings from Switzerland
You figured that out Boris? We, here in Las Vegas, have seen the writing on the wall for several years and that is why the locals market is dead and the Strip will lose its lustre in the next few. Even when a new resort opens up, there is little adjustment in the unemployment figures as what is hired at the new joint is eliminated at the old joints. Las Vegas used to be a town with easy employment. Now it's no new jobs, no new people coming to Vegas for those jobs, no new businesses to accomodate those extra residants, no growth whatsoever. Instead, we will see the dominoe effects of a declining industry, with declining jobs, declining business and declining standard of living. Welcome to Las Vegas Nevada, the biggest little city in decline.