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Would you rather gamble or see a show in Las Vegas?
Results so far:
| Gamble | 32% | 168 votes | Total: 524 votes | |
| Show | 68% | 356 votes |
Gamble
by Anthony Megna
Created on: February 18, 2010 Last Updated: May 23, 2012
I'd much rather gamble than see a show in Las Vegas. Naturally, it depends upon the show, and if it was someone or something that I really wanted to see of course I'd take the show. But as a rule, Las Vegas is the number one gambling destination in the world. Why? Because you really won't find better odds anyplace else.
Let me cite some examples of why Las Vegas gives the gambler the biggest bang for his or her buck. On the Las Vegas strip, every hotel has a casino, but did you know that if you go off the strip to the "locals" hotels you will find much better odds? I know this because I live in this city, and my local casino has odds on it's machines that are close to 99%. Why is this? Because the competition in Las Vegas is fierce! Hotel/Casinos are always trying to outdo the other. It is competition that keeps prices stabilized, and it is competition that allows gamblers to enjoy some of the best odds on casino games in the world.
"Okay, but I'm only going to be in Vegas for a few days, so why does it matter what the odds are"? Because when dealing with the gambling budget, every dollar counts. For instance, if you are a slot machine player and you see the "payback" on slots at 96% as opposed to 99%, that is a $3 difference. For every $100 you circulate or play in the machine, theoretically you "profit" $3. Of course, when theorists talk about the long run, that is statistically on average what you should save. It doesn't mean you can't walk up to a machine, hit for a bit money right off the bat or within a few hands, and beat the odds. You can and people do! That is why Vegas is Vegas! Everyone is on a level playing field, and everyone theoretically has an equal chance.
I guess I have the luxury since I live here, of going to see a show when I really want to see it. I don't have the added pressure of my flight leaving, or being in town only one more day. I can afford to be patient, and my entertainment dollar will go to something where I might get a return on it. There are ways to profit in this town, where one can take further advantage of the competition between the casinos, but that is for another article. Suffice it to say, I'd rather gamble than see a show....
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Show
by Patrick Sills
Created on: February 21, 2010 Last Updated: July 28, 2010
That bright place in the middle of the southern Nevada desert known as Sin City has another nickname that nearly rhymes with its actual designation: Lost Wages. Obviously, there is a reason. Vegas is without question the gambling capital of the world, and save for literally pulling wads of cash out of your wallet and setting it on fire with a Bic lighter, there is perhaps no better way to quickly part with this commodity than by gambling.
Isn't it great to put five quarters into a slot machine and receive twenty dollars in exchange? You’ve just made a 1600% return on your investment! The casino has you where they want you. In the hopes of continuing to profit from these machines, you will feed them more quarters and almost always end up losing money in the end. This is how these places make their revenue. To examine this in another way, don’t you think everyone would be gambling if it were so easy to beat the casino? These places wouldn't be in business for very long if everybody who gambled won, would they? The gargantuan profits realized by casinos; both in Vegas or anywhere else, are exactly the reason such places can afford to serve free drinks and offer cheap meals and/or hotel rooms to patrons.
On the other hand, Las Vegas is a great place to go for live shows. There is perhaps no other city in the world that offers such a vast variety of entertainment all in one central location. The biggest names in show business can be found here; along with some that are not so big. From singers to big rock bands and country acts to stand-up comics, spectacular illusionists such as Criss Angel, live stage plays, burlesque shows, circus acts, and Elvis impersonators, Las Vegas, Nevada is the place to see them all. If being taken back to around 1960 grabs you, there is even a group of guys who impersonate the classic Rat Pack of Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, and Dean Martin.
The shows are certainly not cheap by any means. However, unlike with gambling against astronomical odds, the money you part ways with is well-spent, and the experience of seeing a live show in Vegas is one that will last a lifetime. Somehow, it's difficult to believe that losing a hundred dollars to a slot machine or a blackjack dealer in fifteen minutes flat would stir up the same memories.
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