Unexpectedly, Las Vegas hit by downturn

[CMF Newsman]

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Sue Garrett, in Las Vegas for a birthday party earlier this month, went to what she considers extraordinary lengths to hold down the cost of her trip.

"We decided to sit through one of those blasted timeshare presentations to get a free hotel room," said Garrett, who lives in Los Angeles. She turned down the timeshare but earned herself and her husband a stay on the Las Vegas Strip for her trouble.

Similar stories are heard all over Las Vegas these days, where resorts are discounting and even giving away room nights just to attract enough people to keep their roulette wheels and slot machines spinning.

Vegas barreled through previous U.S. economic recessions with no problem, but the current slowdown -- marked by home foreclosures and then high gasoline prices -- has had a much bigger impact on the gambling mecca than economists expected.

news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080923/bs_nm/us_lasvegas_casinos;_ylt=AoZAzIUIDkGWOal46E3RufwDW7oF

[coffeeshooter]

If the mobsters go broke we probably are in a recession, I don't care what anybody says.

** sarcasm

[el Gusano]

If the democrats hold a recession and we refuse to participate, does a tree fall in the woods?

Seriously, our tourism wasn't down this year, but where the tourists spent their money certainly was. The hoity-toity RV park was mostly empty (about $80 per night), while the no-frills, no-hookup RV parks were full. People went fishing, but didn't eat at the 5 star restaurants.

[LimitedRecourse]

With airlines charging for everything including oxygen, is it any wonder that nobody flies to Las Vegas?

[Tookie]

If they hadn't made it into another theme park, I'd go back.

[TNBear]

As gambling is one of the few-perhaps the only-vices I have no interest in whatsoever, if Lost Wages dried up and blew away it would not impact my life in the slightest.