Las Vegas is on a Roll
November 4, 2009
“How much do escorts cost?”
Over the course of writing articles and posts about Las Vegas, this has been another extremely frequent question I have fielded.
I’ve spoken to other writers and bloggers who almost never get this query, so I’m either offended or flattered that people think I know the answer. I haven’t quite decided which one.
I guess I’m just the type of guy who looks like he needs to pay to get laid.
The Planet Hollywood on The Las Vegas Strip
The Planet Hollywood on The Las Vegas Strip
The Planet Hollywood on The Las Vegas Strip
Another unique thing about this question is that it’s almost always in private email.
People have no qualms asking about the painfully idiotic “$20 trick” three hundred times a day in public, but they draw the line at admitting to paying for the pooty.
This proves that most people find it acceptable to appear retarded, but not horny.
What can I tell you … this is where we are as a nation.
The fact of the matter is that I don’t utilize the services of incall escorts. The primary reason for this is that there are no women in Las Vegas who will quote prices by the minute.
Were I to pay the average of three hundred dollars for incall service, it would equate to about $100 per second of actual coitus or the equivalent of $360,000 per hour. This makes escorts an exceptionally bad value for yours truly, and aside from Jamie, I’ve yet to find any female worthy of this rate.
I do, however, know a few girls in the business of providing companionship in Vegas, and this enables me to get most of my information about the trade straight from the horse’s vagina. I learned that the average rate these days is between $200-$600, but can go higher or lower depending on the supply/demand curve, weird requests, and even the time of day.
Your chances of getting the $200 visit (or even lower) are greater just after daybreak when most of the ladies are ready to call it a night and go home.
Obviously, I have absolutely no moral problem with the profession. The girls provide a more tangible service than most lawyers, and they don’t charge usurious interest like banks. Barring some kind of infection, what you see is what you get.
The girls I know generally want to provide a quality experience for a fair price.
Harrah’s has a very similar business model, with the exception of providing a quality experience for a fair price.
Anyway, the escort industry has suffered some public relations setbacks as of late.
While the “trick roll” has always been a risk with hiring unknown escorts, the practice is on the rise here in the valley.
According to an article in the Las Vegas Sun published today, in the first nine months of this year, Johns have had $1.4 million in cash and properties stolen from them in Clark County. This is almost double from the same time as last year.
Johns have been drugged, beaten by pimps, and have had their identities stolen by the women.
Not surprisingly, the most common targets of the “trick roll” are men who are both alone and intoxicated. Ironically, this is the very same demographic targeted by 6:5 Blackjack. Lonely drunk guys can’t catch a break anymore.
While the economy is shouldering most of the blame for this phenomenon, I don’t think it’s the only explanation.
In my opinion, another problem is that Las Vegas is seeing a greater influx of suburban and rural folks in the current downturn.
“Stop being an urban elitist prick, Rex. Just because people are from middle-class honkyville doesn’t mean that they are idiots or suckers.”
This is fair and true. Unfamiliarity with certain procedures typically confined to urban areas can be a problem, however. Think about it. If you find yourself in a strange town with two friends, one from The Bronx, and one from Reacharound, Wisconsin … and you get a craving for a vial of crack … who’s assistance would you seek first?
What if you wanted to find the best cheese?
What if you wanted to learn how to mangle the English language with a bizarre accent? Okay, this one would be a toss up, but you get the point.
It’s not a bad thing to be a rube. We’re all rubes somewhere.
I’ve never hunted an animal in my life, and if someone dropped me off in the middle of the woods I would die of exposure and malnutrition in five and a half minutes. I don’t know how to live off the land or tip cows for my own personal amusement. A country boy can survive, but unless I have an ample supply of bottled water … I can’t. We all have our own level of wussiness.
It’s possible on at least some level that our new visitors are more trusting, and are not quite as cautious and suspicious as people from more urban environs.
Again, it’s not a criticism, it’s just an observation. I like budget tourists. I may even like them more than wealthy tourists. There’s nothing wrong with having a modest bankroll.
However, the economy causing desperation by the escort industry coupled with the fact that some folks are kind of new to the Vegas thing due to its sudden affordability, might be slightly synergistic to the nearly 100% rise in trick-rolls … but neither of these issues even approaches the real cause.
The LVMPD has currently designated two, count ‘em two detectives to work trick roll investigations full time. For those of you who don’t have a pocket calculator handy, that’s one detective for every eighteen million annual visitors.
“Geepers Rex, at least the cops are trying, do you have a better idea?”
Of course I do … LEGALIZE IT.
Prohibition of anything with a high demand has proven to be a failure time and again in the USA, and it will continue that way forever. Where there is demand, a supply will crop up. That supply will be legal if it can be, but will be illegal if it must be. If it is illegal, people will get hurt and die.
Demand doesn’t simply disappear with the stroke of a legislator’s pen. Were the legislature to make masturbation a capital crime tomorrow, I promise you that not one single person in the state would stop bashing the bishop.
The exchange of sex for material wealth is as old as time itself.
In my opinion, the State of Nevada and Clark County are complicit in every, single, solitary trick roll in Las Vegas … and instead of throwing up their arms and feigning disgust at the practice, they should step up and take responsibility for it.
When publications such as the Las Vegas Sun get cops to go on record about the practice, would it not make sense to once ask “Since this is legal 40 miles to the West, why are people risking their lives for it here?”
There are 28 legal brothels in eight rural Nevada counties. Trick-rolls rarely happen in those jurisdictions.
Las Vegas could solve the trick roll problem overnight by simply legalizing the profession. Not only would it make both prostitutes and Johns immensely safer, but it would also bring a large amount of revenue to the city, and would probably increase overall tourist numbers as well.
Until this happens, prostitutes and Johns don’t deserve the black eye for participating in the world’s oldest profession … Las Vegas does.
Legalize prostitution today, end trick rolls tomorrow.
My name is Rex, and I approved this message.
Written by mike_ch on November 4, 2009 at 3:49 pm
Depends on what legalize it means.
Brothels? Yes.
Girls Directly To Your Room? Always going to be a bit of a rough area there. Having actual places designated as brothels that have to be licensed and allow for the community to speak up is fine. Allowing tricks to be turned anywhere (in the hotel, in the motel down the street, in the house next door to where I live) is a bit too free-wheeling.
I guess what I’m saying is that once legalized, prostitutes will face some amount of NIMBYism. Nobody wants to share a wall with a girl who is bringing guy after guy to her place all night long.
Written by SPRUNT on November 4, 2009 at 4:05 pm
Rex, I’d move to Vegas just so I could vote you into office.
Having prostitution illegal in Clark county while the neighboring counties are legal is completely assenine. It seems the county lawmakers prefer to keep their heads in the sand on the issue. They know it’s happening, they know they can make lots of money from it, they know they can make it safer for all involved, they know they can cut down on sex crimes… They know all this yet they let it remain illegal out of, what I can only think to be, religious morals. Fairly odd that a city that is built on the “vices” of drinking gambling can have such strict moral issues when it comes to legal prostitution.
At the rate things are going, we’ll be able to legally smoke a joint walking down the street before we’ll be able to go to an upscale brothel on the Las Vegas Strip.
Hey, Vegas! Lighten up! We already have one Utah, we don’t need another!
Written by marcianofan on November 4, 2009 at 5:46 pm
Not too hard (parden the pun) to figure out what an escort costs inLV but I’ve been wondering what a 1/2 and 1/2 would cost in pahrump from a lady under 50 with all her teeth left????
Written by BigRedDogATL on November 4, 2009 at 6:29 pm
I think they should turn the old Lady Luck downtown into a legal brothel. The name fits and it would be a good use for the property.
Written by marinofan on November 4, 2009 at 6:32 pm
Same question as above except I want one with all her teeth on the right.
Written by Rex on November 4, 2009 at 7:04 pm
The brothels vary so much it’s ridiculous.
I’ve heard of dudes dropping anywhere from $200 to $5,000.
You have to negotiate with the girl directly, and I’ve heard that you even haggle at times.
I am going to take a drive out to Pahrump in the near future and scope out some of the ho’ houses. I think you can just hang out in the bar without banging a chick, but I want to see for myself.
Mike_ch, what you describe above is not necessarily a prostitute, but could also be a simple slut.
What’s the difference between calling a girl to your room or picking up some skank in a nightclub?
I lived next door to a prostitute when I lived near the Convention Center, and she was extremely nice and was not a nuisance. The only time I heard anything was when she was arguing with her, uh, manager at 3am.
That was kind of a pain, but I would imagine that legalization would cut down on that aspect of the game.
Written by Rex on November 4, 2009 at 7:05 pm
I think they should turn the old Lady Luck downtown into a legal brothel. The name fits and it would be a good use for the property.
Anything would be better than the current carcass that sits there like a huge middle finger to the whole north side of Downtown.
Written by shaver on November 4, 2009 at 10:21 pm
By the minuite, now that’s funny
Written by ColinFromLasVegas on November 5, 2009 at 7:38 am
Nice article, Rex. But, if you permit me, I would like to add onto some of it and your conclusions.
Your idea of what “trick rollers” do doesn’t define entirely how they want to operate. You are correct when they target lonely, drunk victims. But that’s not all. The “trick rollers” actually add another requirement in there. They want to make sure they get married guys who are in Las Vegas without their wives. The moment they find that out, they’re on them like white on rice. Because not only can they rip them off, without giving anything in return, but they are pretty much guaranteed to get away with it. Because they know those types of victims, for the most part, will not report it to the police, for fear they are identified in a police report that may make it somehow to their wives. That’s the ideal situation “trick rollers” look for. Because they know they can get away with it scot free. And that’s why the article in the Las Vegas Sun may have the dollar value wrong. It’s probably higher than $1.4 million. Because they can’t factor in those victims I outlined above.
Another thing is that “trick rollers”, the professional career criminal ones, are highly transient. They do their thing and then they move on. Once they fall into the radar of police, they usually move on to either Denver, L.A. and/or Phoenix or some other large city. Then the heat wears off of them here in Las Vegas after awhile, and then they come back to do the same thing. From my understanding, they work in cycles.
How this all fits in with your article is it don’t matter if prostitution is legal or not. There will still be those who are inclined to do this and they will do it regardless if prostitution is legal or not. In those 28 areas you identify where it doesn’t happen, you mentioned the reason. Those are rural areas. The “trick rollers” don’t go there. Because they know they can’t find the type of victims (in high volume) they are looking for there. The victims they are looking to prey upon (that have money) are only in the large population areas of Reno, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Seattle, etc. And Las Vegas is perfect. Especially when they prey upon the conventioneers.
So, I really don’t think legalizing it in Las Vegas will prevent “trick rollers” from operating. I think that it would encourage them to target here more often. Because now they don’t have to worry about illegal prostitution, all they would have to worry about is getting caught for stealing. And in the perfect environment of victims they are looking for above, then Las Vegas would be ripe for them to operate in and the problem would only get worse.
Not to mention it leads to other crimes. Just one example, a few years ago, there was a local young prostitute found dead on the 22nd floor hallway of Mandalay Bay. To make a long story short, she was a local wannabe “trick roller.” Apparently, the “john” was in the bathroom and came out and caught her riffling through his wallet from his trousers. He killed her by strangling her, tore her dress off and into pieces, flushed it down the toilet and he dragged her out into the hallway and left her dead, then checked out and went home. The end to the story was he was caught in Los Angeles and extradited back to the Las Vegas and subsequently confessed and convicted.
This is probably a drastic example, but you can see there really isn’t any surefire cure to the problem of “trick rollers” and stopping them from coming here. And besides, they are highly transient and move fast. Get a victim and move on somewhere else. It looks like LVMPD is trying their best to stop those situations with some of their new initiatives, but the jury is still out on their success.
Let’s face it. We live in “Sin City.” People come here with perceptions, perhaps flawed. And criminals flock here to take advantage of those misperceptions.
Kinda long, Rex, sorry. But just my take on it.
Written by SPRUNT on November 5, 2009 at 8:24 am
Colin, while I agree that legalizing prostitution and brothels in Las Vegas proper would not completely stop the “trick rolling” , it would definitely lower the instances of it occurring. With legalized brothels, they would be able to advertise and promote the safety aspect of it. Tourists would be told about “trick rolling” and that they can avoid it by using the legal brothels.
If a girl is going to “trick roll” you, they’ll end up changing tactics. They won’t be able to use the independent-contractor prostitute role because people will be informed about “trick rolling”. They’ll have to go with the “drunk chick at a bar looking to hook up because her girlfriends all ditched her” route. Probably a little more work but it will end with the same result: back to his room, stealing his stuff while he brushes his teeth. Maybe slipping him a “roofie” while doing one last shot in the room.
Legalizing brothels will not completely stop “trick rolling”, but it will allow the LVCA, and whoever else, to openly inform tourists how to be safe about their prostitution choices. That’d be a better use of their budget than some asenine new slogan for Vegas http://is.gd/4NZkY
Written by Ed on November 5, 2009 at 9:09 am
I see it both ways, while legalizing prostitution won’t completing stop trick rolls they will give the clients options. Johns will have the choice to pratonize a legal brothel instead of taking his chances with the independents. It allows for a safer “business transaction” that’s somewhat supervised.
Written by Frank on November 5, 2009 at 9:42 am
Colin, I agree that $1.4 million has to be low. After all, a healthy kidney is $50k on the open market.
Written by Double Down Now on November 5, 2009 at 10:27 am
They’ll never legalize prostitution in Vegas because of all the convention business they’d lose. You think conventioneers’ wives and female convention goerswould still choose Vegas over NY, LA, or Chicago knowing what their husbands and boyfriends would be up to? Plus, most guys can still get prostitutes in Vegas if they really want to!
Written by Rex on November 5, 2009 at 10:36 am
You think conventioneers’ wives and female convention goerswould still choose Vegas over NY, LA, or Chicago knowing what their husbands and boyfriends would be up to? Plus, most guys can still get prostitutes in Vegas if they really want to!
If they can get hookers anyway, the illegality really does nothing to ease the minds of their wives and girlfriends.
Written by Double Down Now on November 5, 2009 at 11:33 am
If they can get hookers anyway, the illegality really does nothing to ease the minds of their wives and girlfriends.
Yeah but makin’ it official would DEFINITELY put Vegas at a disadvantage. Think of the pressure that would be put on the people who decide which city to hold the doctors’ or another white-collar convention at given the puritanical nature of most of our citizenry.
Written by philipj on November 5, 2009 at 12:51 pm
There is need for more pix of ladies in nice shirts, very short shorts, and well tanned long legs. A real shortae of these stimulators is in effect.
Written by philipj on November 5, 2009 at 12:53 pm
Thank you, your posts have been very short on pictures of ladies in short shorts with well tanned legs.
Written by SPRUNT on November 5, 2009 at 2:45 pm
“Yeah but makin’ it official would DEFINITELY put Vegas at a disadvantage. Think of the pressure that would be put on the people who decide which city to hold the doctors’ or another white-collar convention at given the puritanical nature of most of our citizenry.”
I don’t think it would be a disadvantage at all. The majority of the world (aside from the Vegas enthusiasts) thinks that prostitution is already legal in Las Vegas.
Written by heavyldn on November 5, 2009 at 4:11 pm
I agree with SPRUNT…almost everyone I talk to is surprised that prostitution is NOT legal in Las Vegas…so that would have already factored into Convention plans in past years. As long as I am not accosted by “hooker share” salespeople I say simplify life and legalize it. And yes…I would keep an eye on my husband, lol.
Written by Steve on November 5, 2009 at 4:27 pm
The exchange of sex for material wealth is as old as time itself.
Yeah. It’s called marriage.
Written by Rex on November 5, 2009 at 6:09 pm
Colin,
I hear you.
I am sure you’re right about legalization not being a complete panacea, but nothing ever is.
The world is an imperfect place.
Will legalizing prostitution eliminate all bad people from the world? No.
Will it end all prostitution related crime? No.
People drive drunk all the time, and booze is perfectly legal (as are cars).
give an asshole anything, and they will do bad things with it … and the world is full of assholes.
I do, however, think that making it illegal causes FAR more problems than it solves.
Trick rolls will never be prevented, but they will be greatly reduced.
How many mobsters do you see shooting each other over booze these days, and how many people are going blind by drinking Bathtub Bourbon?
Written by ColinFromLasVegas on November 5, 2009 at 7:37 pm
Yes, I see your point, Rex. In other words, whether it’s illegal or not, you’re still gonna have “trick rollers.” I guess it would be safer for conventioneers/tourists that come here and operate within the guidelines set up for legalized prostitution, in that it would protect not only the “johns” but the “hooks” too. Makes sense.
As you can tell, I look at it from a law enforcement angle. And looking at it from that angle, if prostitution is legalized and set up properly in Clark County, I am VERY, VERY sure that Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department would be very grateful and consider it a blessing. Because it would make their job just a smidgeon bit easier, not having to enforce all facets of prostitution, only the hooks that will still probably operate outside the regulations that would be set up.
It would free them up to do other things.
Like lay in wait for you to go by and chase you down for speeding so they can put multiple bullet rounds in your trunk.
And another added benefit is you wouldn’t be ripped off from buying a middle age hook that charges $200.00 an hour, but you’d be able to talk her fare down and only have to pay the pro-rated minutes you’d use her for. I think that comes out to $14.99 or so. Something like that. (smile)
Written by FoolsGold on November 6, 2009 at 5:47 am
Left a dead hooker in a casino? Ofcourse he was prosecuted. Its a casino town and you can’t do anything that hurts the casino. Thats why hooking is illegal, the money has to go to the casino, not the hookers. Its an ancillary diversion. Some of it has to exist as a “draw” for lonely drunk guys with wallets. If the casino didn’t get the money, the girl will.
Whats needed is a return to being a Dedicated Woman, that is no theft, no drugs. Credit cards and drivers licenses can be lying around the hotel room as can a stack of chips, but the hooker takes only what was agreed upon and gives what was agreed upon.
All these “not an agency” taglines usually mean one thing: agency!
Anytime its two hookers, the chances of a man being robbed escalate. It used to be just women in bars who had to watch their drinks, now its men, too since getting him woozy and steering him up to his room is so profitable these days.
For years there has been a Players Card that is used in Las Vegas. The man’s true name is known, so too are his number of trips to Vegas, amounts spent and, ahem, his “special interests”. In return, the lady will be rather young, have all her teeth, not be drunk or drugged up in any way, will not rob or paw through the man’s suitcases or room safe.
I guess its the difference between a Locals Casino and The Evil Empire.
The difference between 3:2 and 6:5.
Men have to stop sqawking about not having 100x odds at the craps table and sqawking about not having 3:2 at the blackjack table … and then happily giving in to an encounter in the hotel. Vegas is a town where you spend money: you tip generously at the gambling tables and you get good service in return. Its the same way with other services in Vegas. Tip generously and wisely … and you get good “service”.
Written by jinx on November 6, 2009 at 8:08 am
Good article and discussion as usual. One point to the counter argument that brothels are the only way to go, I would tend to disagree, all you have to do is look up North to see where Canada has legalized prostitution for outcall services only (removing the incall aspect and bad neighbors) and it’s not like things are running rampant up there.
Written by FL on November 7, 2009 at 6:15 pm
The girls trying to get our attention downtown last trip (at hotels that were not the Golden Nugget) definitely look like they would have been pleased for something below the $200-$500 range. Hadn’t noticed that downtown before…even when we left my friends wife alone for a while in a nice dress, casino management came up to her and asked if she was there with anyone! She was half insulted, half complimented.
I’m thinking it’s misleading to call it legalized in Canada. Seem to recall the law focusing on other elements than the act itself…”communicating for the purpose of..”, “living off the proceeds of….” so sure, telepathic agreements with ladies who donate the funds to charity are untouchable, but there’s a big difference between police not using their resources to aggressively prosecute it versus above board legal.
Written by jinx on November 10, 2009 at 1:23 pm
In a number of areas of Canada, it’s licensed. There are rules around how you can solicit and such, however bottom line is it is legal, and not forced to be out of brothels.
Written by Ron from Mi on November 20, 2009 at 8:52 pm
The State of Nevada needs to legalize the trade for both Clark County and Vegas. I know there are some people, whether they’re Nevadans or elsewhere who detest gov.t regulations peroid, but if rules are layed out and resonable comprimises are made that are comprehensive and understandable, without comprimising safety or health and to reduce harassment from law enforcement, you would not have this pimping/rolling problem. Only the violators will be caught; long term or short term, if it was legalized.
Making it 100% illegal does not do any justice for any visitor who comes to town.
I said this at the begining of the year; but no one ever listens….or even care.
In Windsor, Ontario, Canada (across the river from Detroit,) call girls and prosititution are very legal (and legally sanctioned by the local authorites in that city.)
Yet, over in Detroit, several srip clubs along 8 Mile are trying to save thier business frrm some City hall members who want to ban the sale of alcoholic bevarages in the joints the own.
And this is in the U.S.A.; the “land of the free, and the home of the brave.”
…yet a Canadian city allows such freedoms to happen…..
….odd..
If only people would listen and learn……….