Question:

Recently, I chatted via e-mail with one of the editors of a Las Vegas magazine. I told her I was not renewing my subscription as they never had anything in the magazine about gambling. She said that "for the local residents, it is not a consideration." Her magazine covers food, society, activities and everything else Las Vegas life offers, but not gambling. Who's kidding who? Is she correct that the typical Las Vegan almost never gambles? I don't believe it! Your comments on this, please.

Michael in Dearborn, Mich.

Answer: Thanks for the question, Michael.

While I think the editor in question probably overstated the concept, I will say that it is probably less of a consideration for most locals than it is for tourists.

Although I don't actually live in Las Vegas, I know lots of people who do (including my parents) and I can tell you that most of them spend at least a little bit of time in the casinos. Whether it's because they get offers of free giveaways or cheap meals at the neighborhood places, or when they are showing off the town to visiting friends and relatives, or just because they have nothing better to do, a lot of residents in the city find themselves in front of a slot machine or gaming table at some point or another.

Also, because many of the movie theaters, bowling alleys, and a lot of restaurants and other entertainment are found in casinos, locals often have to at least pass through them to get where they are going and will stop by a video poker machine just because it's there.

Of course some gamble more than others and some don't do it at all, just like tourists.

But unlike tourists, the bulk of their time is obviously not directed toward gambling. It's just like any other city's big draw. Tourists probably see more Broadway shows in a visit than the average New Yorker does in a year, and I almost never go anywhere near the Hollywood attractions of Los Angeles where I live.

I think it is incorrect to suggest that the typical Las Vegan almost never gambles, but I also don't think it's wildly inaccurate to suggest that for most residents it isn't a major factor in their lives.

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