The world casino capital is not born, but made. With all the consequences, in this special article we focus on the tourism aspect that this entails. With David G. Schwartz, affiliate professor of History and ombuds at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, we take stock of the historical circumstances that led to the legalization of casinos in the US state.
“Nevada first legalized casinos in 1869. In 1909, the legislature voted to criminalize commercial gambling - i.e., gambling games with a built-in house edge--while keeping social games legal. This prohibition was never entirely effective in stopping gambling, and in 1931 the legislature voted to re-legalize commercial gambling in order to stimulate the economy, as this was during the Great Depression.”
How did Las Vegas become, in the collective imagination but also in reality, the world capital of casinos?
“The image of Monte Carlo declined as the social norms of the Victorian era, during which it rose to prominence, faded. The growth of Las Vegas as a gaming destination intensified in the 1950s due to the success of casino resorts on the Las Vegas Strip, which offered gambling and many other attractions to visitors.”
In the collective imagination, Las Vegas casinos were, especially in the past, places of money laundering, crime and prostitution. Did it correspond and does it correspond to reality?
“Money laundering is possible in casinos, and crime and prostitution tend to follow money”.
What is the contribution that the Las Vegas casinos and those of Nevada in general make to tourism in the state?
“Nevada gaming is responsible for a large proportion of visitors to the state, particularly when one factors in those who visit casino resorts but do not gamble.”
Over the decades, other important gaming centers have become established, not only in the United States, let's think of Atlantic City, but also in the world, such as Macao. But in your opinion, can a comparison be made between the Las Vegas casinos and those of Macau or are the offer and type of customers totally different?
“All casinos offer gambling, although Macau obviously caters more to Asian gamblers due to its location in Asia. The customers all have in common that they want to gamble, dine, and be entertained, though there a host of cultural and social differences between them”.
How does Las Vegas remain attractive and how do you imagine its future?
“Las Vegas has remained attractive by consistently reinventing itself. Once, gambling itself was a novel lure. Then the proliferation of casinos throughout the United States took away that novelty, so Las Vegas casino resorts added more non-gaming amenities, particularly in the areas of dining and entertainment (and, more recently, professional sports) to give visitors a reason to fly past other casinos. It is difficult to forecast the future because broader national and global economic conditions are so important to how the city evolves, so I don't make predictions about the future.”
Finally, what do you think of the gaming offer of "old" Europe? To some extent are European structures known and able to fuel the collective imagination of Americans?
“I'm not a gambler myself so I can't speak to what might attract people to gamble in Europe. At this point, I don't know that Americans are consciously looking at Europe for gaming models, though at one point some casinos did promote themselves as "European-style."