Paying More to Gamble

Years ago, the state of Nevada had some reputations that don't apply much any more.

It used to be where a couple could get a quickie divorce and then almost immediately get married to someone else.  Many states now have no-fault divorce laws, so getting divorced is far easier than back in, say, 1950.  Marriage chapels were once all over the place, but seem to be less common today.

Then there was the reputation of getting cheap lodging and good, inexpensive meals at casinos.  The idea was to entice gamblers using some not-quite loss-leader pricing.

I remember stopping off at Harold's Club in Reno where the hotel gave me a small roll of nickels for the slot machines.  I'm not a gambler, but just for the hell of it did use up their nest egg along with some of my own.  Then quit and went up to the restaurant at the hotel's top floor for a nice roast beef dinner.

All that was when Nevada was just about the only place in the country where gambling was legal.  Then it was legalized for Atlantic City, New Jersey.  And now almost every Indian tribe of consequence has a casino, so serious gamblers don't really need to go to Nevada to lose their money.

One way Las Vegas fought back was in the form of huge hotels with architectural/decorative themes.  For instance, there's the Excalibur that caters to families with its knights-of-old theme.  The Luxor next door was ancient Egyptian, though the decor has been dialed back.  The Venetian even has a canal with singing gondoliers.  The Paris evokes Paris, though it too backslid a little.

Some casino hotels have large shopping areas.  Planet Hollywood's is rather average, but Chrystal's in the City Center complex is very upscale.  Venetian, Palazzo and Caesar's have a mix from mid-line to luxury.  The Bellagio and Wynn's have small, luxury shopping areas.  And so it goes.  The same applies to restaurants.

The latest move to making every aspect pay is parking.  My late wife had a las Vegas time-share and we'd be in town Thanksgiving week.  We'd drive to the Bellagio and drop the car off at the valet parking, paying a few-dollar tip on its recovery. We could have self-parked in a casino garage for free, but this was more convenient.

I last was in Las Vegas in 2015 but returned briefly a few days ago.  Now the Bellagio charges hefty rates for valet parking and fees not very much less to use the garage.

I suppose top-echelon gamblers get some "comps" on this.  But I now find the town too expensive for casual visiting.  You have to go there with the idea of at least semi-serious spending even if you aren't into gambling.