User profile: 72maverick

The big danger that Vegas faces now is perception. In the public's eye, there has been a change. Corporate greed has resulted in tight slots and blackjack heavily tilted toward the house.

Once that perception is imbedded, its going to be tough to shake. What once was perceived as value and a fun vacation experience has turned into a perception of being hustled and fleeced.

Sure there will always be plenty of suckers, but if you lose 5-7% of your take, look what happens. The State's economy suffers, not to mention casinos bottom line.

Its not just the oil prices...

Take it from someone that has made 3-4 trips to Vegas each year for the past 25 years or so... the whole culture has changed on Las Vegas Blvd.

I blame the City, just as much as the corporations. I used to love to visit... It was almost like going to a spa or something. Clean, crisp desert air with a view of the mountains (BTW, is there a planning and zoning dept. in Las Vegas?) I could stand on my balcony and get a terrific view.

Now, its traffic congestion, construction noise, people hastling you on the street, 6:5 Black Jack, tight slots, poor drink service, the poor pit boss has no authority (can't even give you a pack of cigarettes).

You don't feel like a king anymore in Vegas, you feel like you've been fleeced. The common man feels that. Before, he could rationalize his losses based on service and treatment. Now he feels like a sucker. The Vegas Experience has turned into a "Hustle".

You lose a couple of grand and go home with another grand on your Visa card to cover your hotel bill. And then the corporate SOBs insult you and tell you have $18 in Comps or something like that... LOL, what a joke!

The problem is that the Casinos have driven their overhead sky high and are trying to get the gamblers to pay the tab when the gamblers weren't really interested in all the extravagance to begin with.

If you don't believe me, ask a dealer. Those are the ones taking it on the chin. People don't tip like they used to because comps go down and their costs go up (hotel, food, drinks) so they try to make it up on the tips.

Vegas better wake up. The goose that laid the golden egss is on its death bed.

Its not just the greedy corporate casinos,6:5 Blackjack and tight slots...

The Strip has become a concrete canyon. Its difficult to see the mountains anymore from a hotel room on the east side of the strip.

Its overdevelopment everywhere. Its uncontrolled mayhem. The traffic is unbearable and let's face it, prostitutes and low lifes are everywhere.

The city has done a poor job promoting the image of a clean, environment. Maybe that conflicts with their "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" theme which implies sex and sin... (I am not a bible thumper, its just that you get all kinds with that invitation).

Anyway, lets face it the strip is not a desirable place to be. The locals avoid it like the plague and the tourists are catching on!