Las Vegas

Most people head toward Las Vegas with one thing in mind: gambling. (Well, maybe two things: gambling and show girls.) The one thing most people don't think about is the likely result of their trip to the city: losing all of their money. This is the secret of Las Vegas' success. Promise the world, and charge a mighty high price without actually delivering the goods. Las Vegas is a great dream machine, selling hope to the gambling millions.

Las Vegas sprang up out of the desert in the early part of the 20th century as a railroad stop, with a few hotels offering the occasional card game. After World War II, the city was radically transformed when California developers (and their partners in organized crime) began to build large gambling casinos. Vegas quickly became synonymous with big money and extravagant entertainment as the casino owners hired famous performers to draw visitors. One after another, flashy new casinos opened on 'the strip' and the city became America's great pleasure capital.

When you think about that pleasure, though, it seems a bit strange. The casinos are actually money machines, systematically taking money from the vast majority of visitors. The games are set up so that over time, the casino always wins. It's more than possible that the incredible entertainment put on by the casinos, featuring singing and dancing and elaborate magic shows, is there to distract visitors from realizing what is really going on.

In recent years, Las Vegas has transformed itself once again. The 'old' casinos from the 1950s and 1960s have been torn down and a new generation of more extravagant gaming halls has been constructed. The fantasy element has become more pronounced, and the current crop of casinos offer mock versions of Egyptian pyramids, pirate ships and even New York City. The illusion of winning remains, of course, and the city shows every sign of continued success.