Mark Mills writes to ask…
I guess I'm naive but isn't prostitution illegal in Las Vegas? Doesn't the law say it's legal only at a farther distance from state lines?
I get that it happens everywhere but it sounds like a cop could make dozens of arrests an hour. Are the police paid off or are there so many hookers that police can't dent their numbers?
My understanding is that it's legal in the state of Nevada but up to each county to ban it if they wish…and most wish. It's banned in Vegas or anywhere else in Clark County but if one drives far 60-90 minutes, one can find legal brothels in other counties.
The cops are not paid off. Within Clark County, it's one of those things where the law looks the other way as long as it stays among consenting adults and doesn't involve more overt crimes or minors or drugs. They police it when it becomes a nuisance or when someone complains they've been victimized or made uncomfortable.
At times, some of the casinos have let it be known that the ladies are welcome on their premises as long as they confine their solicitations to one specific bar and don't cause trouble. It's kind of a service to their customers. It is said that if you were a "whale," (a gambler who bets huge sums and usually loses) and you told your casino host that you wanted them to get you a girl for the night, some (not all, certainly) casinos would arrange that.
And that's about where my expertise on this topic ends.
Some years ago in Vegas, I was hanging out one evening with a group of stand-up comedians including a couple whose names you might know. They were playing whatever the comedy club at the Riviera was then called. This was back when it was run by Steve Schirripa, a few years before he hit in big on The Sopranos. Steve gave us all comps to the Riviera coffee shop after the last show that evening and we were sitting there eating free steaks when one of the comics proposed we all get into his van and drive to the next county for "window shopping."
He had in mind an area where there were three or four brothels close to each other. He explained that each had a little bar and you could go in and ask for a "lineup." All the ladies who worked there and weren't busy with customers would appear in a line wearing evening gowns or considerably less. You could look them over, pick out the one you liked best and go back to her "office" to discuss terms of employment and enjoyment. Or you could say, "Thanks, I may be back" and leave without making a purchase.
The latter is what he wanted to do — look without buying at each establishment. I'm not sure if this is because he was faithful to his wife or just cheap…probably both. But he just thought it would be fun to check out the whores and then maybe discuss which one each of us would select if we did make a selection. I couldn't think of very many things in this world I would less want to do. Maybe actually making a selection would be less desirable but not by much.
So I didn't go. One of the comedians who did described it the next night as the single most depressing experience of his life. And later, he said it made him feel worse about going on auditions.
Yes, yes…I understand why such places exist and why some men are glad they do. And I guess I think it oughta be legal everywhere for those who need the money and those who need the arousal. Supposedly when Australia made prostitution legal, albeit with many laws and restrictions, sex crimes went down and tax revenues went up.
But that's just for people who would find that appealing. Personally, I always thought the best part of sex was the thought that some woman I found attractive liked me enough to do that. A prostitute can do anything for you except give you that feeling.
