Yesterday the mayor of Las Vegas turned quite a few heads by unofficially suggesting that Sin City create a red light district for legalized prostitution.
Nevada state law prohibits prostitution in every county with a population over 400,000. Clark County and Washoe County, where Las Vegas and Reno are located, respectively, are the only two counties in Nevada where prostitution is barred by the state.
Only seven of Nevada's eligible 15 counties have legalized prostitution -- Churchill, Esmeralda, Lander, Lyon, Mineral, Nye and Storey -- but the closest brothels to Las Vegas are still an hour's drive away in Pahrump.
On a radio talk show Wednesday, Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman suggested that East Fremont Street be developed into a legalized prostitution zone, a "little Amsterdam," as he called it
Then at his weekly news conference yesterday, Goodman admitted that illegal prostitution would occur despite the best efforts of society to prevent it, suggesting the best course of action would be to control it by legalizing and regulating the sex industry – noting that it would be safer for both prostitutes and patrons.
The East Fremont Street district, where Goodman suggested the red light district be placed, has long been a thorn in the redevelopment plans of Las Vegas. The area is riddled with drugs and street prostitution, and while the Fremont Street Experience is well lit and generally safe, a wrong turn by a tourist could lead to trouble.
Goodman said a casino executive suggested the idea.
While Goodman declined disclosing the name of casino executive, the downtown casinos have been suffering in general, and much media attention has been given over the last year to the fears of casinos that felt they were losing revenue to strip clubs. Legalizing prostitution would be a way of combating that.
"The Bunny Ranch would love to have a Southern Nevada presence and Las Vegas is the place to be," Dennis Hof told the Las Vegas Review-Journal . "Would East Fremont work for us? You bet."
Hof said he would "invest large sums of money and create a top-of-the-line, yet discreet facility," with California’s “weekend-warriors” as his target market.
Goodman stressed Thursday at his news conference, that "as mayor, I'm not advocating it," though he also pointed out that public opinion has largely supported the concept.
It would take a state law for Clark County to have the option of legalizing prostitution. Clark County would then have to pass a law legalizing prostituiton - which won't be easy given the conservative tendancies of the city outside of its gambling interests.
