ECONOMY

Feeling the Pinch

Nevada's brothels hit hard times

By Jessica Ramirez | Newsweek Web Exclusive
Jun 16, 2008 | Updated: 5:23  p.m. ET Jun 16, 2008

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  • Posted By: sexworkersanonymous @ 04/26/2009 4:23:45 PM

    I read your article about the brothel tax - and just wanted to add my two cents. The reason why the state rejected the idea was because this wasn't about a tax at all. The brothels have been trying to convince people that they can rescue our budget by contributing tax dollars. kThey use publicity stunts like this one recently to try and convince people why they should be allowed to expand into Clark County. Their porpaganda is that if they were allowed tto run brothels in Clark County - they would contribute more tax dollars. What they fail to point out is the tax money lost. In Pahrump where they are now - they paid $300,000 in taxes last year. However, Kal Kan and other large companies moved their businesses out of state because they did not want to be in the same county as the brothels - which cost the state $800,000 in taxes last year. This doesn't even factor in the businesses that specifically told Pahrump they would not open a business in the same county as a brothel. We have companies not having conventions in Vegas right now because of the perceived concept that brothels do exist now in Vegas. To actually open one is going to cost even more convention business. Amsterdam shut down their red light district where brothels were legal because it was proven to increase the amount of sex trafficking, illegal prostitution, drugs, money laundering and violent crimes. This puts more of a strain on the money for our police departments. For every dollar they might contribute in taxes - brothels cost the state/county they are in about $8.00.

    Jody
    www.tapsdirectory.org

  • Posted By: Kristen Foster @ 02/13/2009 4:48:16 PM

    Celtic-
    Every man should realize that they will have to face a commitment eventually. A relationship should not be thought of as, spending all your money, time, and effort on a woman. A relationship should be respected in the aspects of companionship. A man is never expected to always pay for things. And a woman should not be expected to fulfill all her man's fantasies. The women that are caught in the prostitution industry are most likely challenged with (like Stophate said) childhood problems, or poverty issues. Celtic, if you have a sense of pleasure taking advantage of women, or even children, obviously you have problems too. Yes, some women have accepted the lifestyle of prostitution, and sadly they like it, but that does not make it right for men to take advantage of their weaknesses. I agree with Stophate, women should be respected just as much as men. And prostitution should not be legal anywhere. The industry makes a impact on women and children that is unforgettable and should not be ignored.

    Also...I am a 17 year old high school student that thinks people like Celtic are scum.

  • Posted By: bladerunner @ 06/19/2008 12:06:17 AM

    I agree, we pay for the nookie, taking a women out for dinner, movies, etc. Its about time the females who make all this good money pay for mthe meal once in while, take us out. Let them pain for the pleasure being with the guy. Equal rights, equal pay, equal EVERYTHING. I like the idea of just paying for it, getting it over and not wasting time with the other amount of time wasted with chics. I think choice is good. I just wish that the extreme right in this country would finally come out of the closet. They pay for it, while their fake wives stay at home getting some from the neighbors. Life would be a lot better for all if we could just be honest. Closet games are for children. We are suppose to be adults, but that is very questionable for some.

    • Posted By: Stophate @ 12/09/2008 12:14:36 PM

      This whole board of comments is very troubling to me. I agree it is unfair for a man to pay for everything, therefore I pay just as often, or split the check If you think the same, then you need to find a women who believe in sharing for meals, dates, etc. Do you honestly pay for every date you go on with a woman? Also, are you really paying for the sex? Do you not wish to have any type of meaning relationship with a women in your life? Or do you prefer men? I don't care which one it is, as long as you realize that women are human beings and deserve respect to.

      By now you all should know that women who prostitute themselves are not in it for the love of sex. Most of these women have very messed up childhoods. Its a very sad situation for everyone indeed. Also...I am a radical liberal, and not a conservative christian, if you are wondering

  • Posted By: vox populi @ 06/19/2008 12:14:27 AM

    i would rather spend my time and money with a great woman that i can have a real relationship with. that is much more satisfying, but thats just my opinion. if some choose to do this well good luck to you. as for these women that are in this business, well i hope the best for you ladies as well.

    • Posted By: CelticBrewer @ 07/16/2008 2:14:20 PM

      Let's see... why do men pay for prostitutes? 1) They don't get any at home, or their significant other doesn't do the things they want -or- they can't get any because of their age, looks, personality, or disability. 2) They want sex without the BS, commitment, and/or responsibility involved with a relationship. 3) They want to fantasize that they have the sexual power in the "relationship". 4) They want to do "dirty" (perceived degrading) things to a woman that they normally wouldn't do to someone they love. 6) They aren't sexually attracted to their partner anymore. ...I'm sure I can think of other reasons.

      Also, when it comes down to it, visiting a prostitute is usually cheaper than being in a relationship. Between dinners, movies, driving/gas, flowers, gifts, attire, etc... not to mention the time and effort....

  • Posted By: mikiec @ 06/18/2008 6:01:32 PM

    Their problem is I can go to other countries and have a women for a week, for what I would pay for an hour at the legal brothels in Nevada and have no worries about having safe sex. The women who work out there have to realize they do not have the only vagina in the world and just like any other business you have to price your goods accordingly. Cut the prices and make up the differences with more customers served.

    • Posted By: alifol@msn.com @ 06/18/2008 10:53:03 PM

      YOU are a TRULY disgusting human being! I really hope you re-think your view of women, especially those who are in the business of selling their bodies. Nobody wants to be a prostitute and don't think when you go to a third world country to perpetrate your evil that those women are any less human. And don't think that you are victimizing them any less. Even where prostitution is legal it is morally criminal. Those women have been abused, drug-addicted and harmed their whole lives. If you think they enjoy any of it you are wrong: they are either high or acting. Get a life!

      • Posted By: mikiec @ 06/19/2008 2:10:53 AM

        I've got a life. One that doesn't go around preaching to others about how to live their life. The women in the trade I know are all in it because of the money. Not one of them works for a pimp. Not one of them has a gun pointed at their head making them sell their bodies. They truly enjoy sex, because they have not been raised in a society that wants to equate sex with something dirty. None of the women I know are drug addicted or have been , or are, being abused physically or mentally. The women are in the trade to better themselves economically. They make more money in a week than they could earn in a month working in some office or other like job. So before you open your big mouth, open your closed mind. There are other people in the world who do not hold your views on sex and/or the sex trade. It is only morally criminal in your mind probably because of some religious dogma perpetrated on you during your formative years. From your remarks, I would say you don't know that many real women in the trade. None I know meet your description.

        • Posted By: asteroid77 @ 06/25/2008 12:47:36 AM

          Uh, how do you know? You don't know that you haven't slept with an underaged girl (or maybe you do), since statistically speaking the vast majority of foreign prostitutes are underaged. Also, how would you feel if there was a mass market in postitution for male prostitutes? What if your wife/girlfriend started seeing them? What if men were whored just as much as women? Would you be singing the same trite little tune? The reason why women get so angry about prostitution is because it is seen as synonymous with selling WOMEN, you stupid troll.

          • Posted By: CelticBrewer @ 07/16/2008 1:58:12 PM

            you're the stupid troll. How would I feel about male prostitution? Sign me up! Making in a day what I make in 2 weeks at my white collar job while doing something I really enjoy? That's a no brainer! When it comes to prostitution, it's men who got the raw deal. Of course, I don't agree with forced prostitution or pimps; but the nevade or amsterdamn regulated sex industry is fine.

  • Posted By: jsmartin_02 @ 06/19/2008 12:06:00 AM

    How dare you! This article that is supposed to broadcast the news who the hell is interested in that! I am offended my this, the idea this article should be offensive to all women and men! Any women that would sell her body for money has serious mental issues. This is an act that should be between two people in love, and yet we have turned it into a play thing! No wonder the world is going to ***, we are teaching the next generations that sex should be used to gain monetary value and not to respect our bodies any more.

    Where are the role models; where are the people who actually have morals standing up and telling our children that its okay to sell our bodies and our souls!

    Shame on you Jessica! You make me sick!

    • Posted By: steve02001 @ 07/02/2008 6:57:33 PM

      Chill, there is a reason it's called "the world's oldest profession," and that's because its been going on foreever. Uptight people like you keep saying the same *** and the rock just keeps rolling; loosen up and pick a ho.

  • Posted By: justanotherguy1999 @ 06/18/2008 11:19:00 PM

    i have to comment on alifol's comment - it is ppl like u that i worry about getting elected to some government position - who are u to say a person is wrong for paying for sex? who are u to say that all women do not want to be paid for sex? if that was so then there would not be prostitution - not all of them are abused or hooked on drugs - and who are u to say that it is morally criminal? what gives u the right to pass judgment on the rest of society? and what society does or does not do?

    • Posted By: Itiswhatitis @ 06/19/2008 12:12:50 AM

      Re: justanotherguy1999 ...hmm.. you should change your name to "just another moron". Who are you to say anything about a woman at all..or criticize another woman for her opinion about women... aren't you a "guy"? Sorry, you have to pay for sex but just know they are getting paid... if they were loving being used they would do it for free and then you'd get lucky. Maybe someday you'll grow up and have a daughter.. let's hope you have enough decency not to pimp her out. As far as government goes.. there have been plenty who have played and paid. This is not about approving this or not.. there are two sided to everything. Now that I think about it.. maybe you're so defensive because you're getting it from both sides, hope you're getting paid on the back end! Peace!

      • Posted By: alifol@msn.com @ 06/19/2008 12:25:34 AM

        Thanks itiswhatitis!

        • Posted By: asteroid77 @ 06/25/2008 1:10:12 AM

          To add to this, a large number of customers of prostitutes are in the government! How harshly do you think they will regulate this stuff? Remember Eliot Spitzer?? Before he was caught he posed as an enforcer against prostitution.

    • Posted By: alifol@msn.com @ 06/19/2008 12:33:18 AM

      Who am I? I am a researcher who has been studying human trafficking and other forms of sexual exploitation against women for years. And, coincidentally one of the locations I have worked on extensively is Nevada. The average age a girl enters prostitution in the US is 13. Once in the chances of turning one's life around are abysmal. Why? Because of pimps, drugs or a complete evisceration of any self esteem, to the extent it existed in the first place. So the next time you are buying someone's body, rememver that she was probably a child when she became a prostitute. And if she wasnt a child she was a desperate young person who didn't have, or didn't feel she had any other options. Like every rule, there is the occasional exception, but it is extraordinarily rare. As for who I am passing judgment on, it is not the rest of society; you've got that all wrong and just goes to show how warped you must be. Prostitution may be the oldest profession in the book but mainstream society does not accept it as a legitimate trade, which is why Nevada is the ONLY American state where it is legal!

      • Posted By: Badlands1790 @ 06/19/2008 11:19:17 AM

        alifol, there are no pimps in legal prostitution. If there was, it would not be legal. I'm just LOLing because you treat this prostitution as if it is not regulated by the government at all. The gov't has to keep a hawk's eye on these institutions. There is a fine line between legal and illegal prostitution. Whether it is a legitimate trade is not relevant; keeping things legal where a government can keep an eye on them is great as opposed to prohibiting them/pretending they're not there and letting a dangerous black market develop.

        • Posted By: asteroid77 @ 06/25/2008 1:07:12 AM

          That's assuming that the black market and normal market are related in an inverse fashion. They are not. In fact, oddly enough, an increase in the regular market stimulates the black market (as spillover demand seeks a cheaper outlet). This, as you can guess, leads to the 'bad' prostitution that alifol mentions. And like it or not, prostitutes start young--13 is older than ages seen in parts of Asia. Sweden has actually had great success curbing prostitution and human trafficking by making prostitution legal, but rendering illegal the purchase of prostitutes' services. This keeps hookers out of jail, empowers them, and leads to a decline in the 'industry' as johns avoid arrest.

        • Posted By: asteroid77 @ 06/25/2008 12:41:51 AM

          Yes, the government loves us. They do such a great jon on everything!!!

    • Posted By: asteroid77 @ 06/25/2008 12:55:25 AM

      Total troll. Anyway, women do get paid for sex in lots of ways (traditional marriages, modeling, traditional dating, porn, and of course actually selling it). The problem is that men don't get paid for sex. If they did, women would be making more money (to pay for sex) and men would have to look alot better--no more beer bellies!!

  • Posted By: rmatossian @ 06/24/2008 1:31:04 AM

    This article was relevant to me. Just so you know, I just subscribed to Newsweek, so that should make up for Maddy77 canceling her subscription. I went to a Nevada brothel about 20 years ago. The price was $100, and the service was OK. I just went to Nevada for the first time since then and I thought about going to a brothel or getting a hooker, but the prices were so high! Way beyond what I expected, even after factoring in the inflation rate. One even came up to me in the hotel casino, kind of cute, but too expensive. I bought a magazine for under 10 bucks, which did the trick (so to speak),

  • Posted By: heraish @ 06/18/2008 7:29:41 PM

    In bad times like these its better to work on the relationships with one's wife to get extra sex.

    • Posted By: victorianideals @ 06/19/2008 4:40:02 AM

      That is always a good idea no matter what the economic climate is like. I am sure it is a much better alternative to her asking, "what the heck happended to the rebate check were were supposted to get.? I'm going to call right the IRS right now and demand to know where our check is, honey!"

  • Posted By: theoriginalmissz @ 06/18/2008 6:02:34 PM

    Most men don't last long enough to get their monies worth instead they are saving up for BIGGER things that last longer like boats, fishing poles and cars. Who really is that desperate to want nasty poon used by thousands. Can't understand the attraction?

    • Posted By: victorianideals @ 06/19/2008 3:52:05 AM

      Well, unless you are a woman, you really wouldn't know how many times it has been used and you probably are not going to let a man before you close the deal in any case. Is the frequency of use really the issue, or the number of users? It seems there is a difference between "making love" and "having sex" and this topic is all about "having sex". Don't you think the women in the sex trade know the difference? Their ideas of love and sex are probably crystal clear and not twisted by victorian ideals (and victorian ideals are a very recently thing if you look back about 3 or 4 generations).

  • Posted By: metravel65 @ 06/18/2008 5:56:35 PM

    Two hundred and fifty dollars for services and 450 a gallon is not a bargain in today???s world. For the same service in Germany is 20 euro and chech its 30 euro

    • Posted By: oldefarte @ 06/18/2008 7:08:15 PM

      Good grief! During the Bush Administration, America outsourced fully 25% of its manufacturing capacity and now THIS guy wants us to outsource prostitution, too? No, I say, let's keep it "Maid in America". Remember, the job you screw yourself out of may be your own (or your mother's).

      • Posted By: victorianideals @ 06/18/2008 11:54:33 PM

        Finally, something interesting in newsweek. I believe the USA can compete with Europe and Asia well in this area. Show of hands for those that think they don't already pay for it? This is an honest open version of a time honored service that truely benefits your fellow man.

        • Posted By: mikiec @ 06/19/2008 2:14:35 AM

          For $250, you are not going to get a sniff of anything in the legal brothels in Nevada.

          • Posted By: victorianideals @ 06/19/2008 3:39:52 AM

            Love your comments Mikiec. Whatever the cost, I hope they get every dime the maket will bare because they deserve it (some of the hardest worken women in the world and least appreciated.) Whatever the cost, it must be cheaper than a house, car, and 2.3 x college tuition.

            By the way, why aren't all the other personal services also considered "morally criminal"? In some cultures playing with your hair is more sacred than the other nasty bits, so why are bad barbers let off the hook with only a short tip?

  • Posted By: timrogers @ 06/19/2008 12:30:01 AM

    Brothel customers never get so hard up they can't afford a few moments of back room business. I am sorry to hear the ususal clients are staying away for financial reasons. What better sign that the economy has tanked? When whores get short of money for loven you know hard working Americans are facing hard times without a safety net, or a condom.

  • Posted By: Itiswhatitis @ 06/18/2008 11:57:38 PM

    hmm.. you should change your name to "just another moron". Who are you to say anything about a woman at all..or criticize another woman for her opinion... aren't you a "guy"? Sorry, you have to pay for sex but just know they are getting paid... if they were loving being used they would do it for free and then you'd get lucky. Maybe someday you'll grow up and have a daughter.. let's hope you have enough decency not to pimp her out. It's obvious this article touches a nerve with you and threatens your source of sickness.. actually we have had many like you in government positions and we all know where that's gotten us.

  • Posted By: justanotherguy1999 @ 06/18/2008 11:18:05 PM

    i have to comment on alifol's comment - it is ppl like u that i worry about getting elected to some government position - who are u to say a person is wrong for paying for sex? who are u to say that all women do not want to be paid for sex? if that was so then there would not be prostitution - not all of them are abused or hooked on drugs - and who are u to say that it is morally criminal? what gives u the right to pass judgment on the rest of society? and what society does or does not do?

  • Posted By: smokinjoe1953 @ 06/18/2008 10:46:11 PM

    the only difference between nevada and the rest of the usa is they chose to legalize and regulate and tax the sex for cash industry. the rest of the cash strapped states might want to look to nevada for insight. whether or not they want it the sex industry is in every state in this country.

  • Posted By: Maddy77 @ 06/18/2008 10:36:04 PM

    Posted By: jaime@bhdrl.com @ 06/18/2008 9:03:41 PM
    Comment: Brothels are a valid part of the economy, whether you approve or not. From an intellectual and economical point of view this is very interesting. Plus if you are stupid to think that sex doesn't sell, Newsweek isn't helping your inteligence.
    Notice the spelling in this comment. I rest my case.

  • Posted By: lynn_minmei @ 06/18/2008 10:23:04 PM

    Does the author work for a brothel? Because who really gives a crap how the Vegas gutter-trash is fairing when families are having to choose between gas to go to work or food. WRITE ABOUT SOMETHING WORTHY OF NEWSWEEK AND NOT TMZ!

  • Posted By: olderwiser @ 06/18/2008 10:20:10 PM

    They should have invited that governor Spritzer out there. He paid big for these services. Nobody would go broke at those prices.

  • Posted By: lynn_minmei @ 06/18/2008 10:17:13 PM

    Oh how will our country's CEOs and politicians survive??? What a useless article!

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