I have gone to Las Vegas for over 30 years, at least once a year, usually twice. My wife and I have gone for over 20. In the beginning, we would find a local air/hotel deal which usually was under $200. We would bring a few hundred dollars and fly to our fantasy land. The casinos had all sorts of coupon books and giveaways. We never failed to get comps when playing the table games for an extended period. Everyone from the cocktail waitresses to the Pit Bosses were friendly and accomodating. Then, as Skip said, the corporations stepped in. Though we have still been receiving room, meal, and show comps (only because our level of gambling has increased signigicantlyover the years and believe me, the casinos let you know that certain levels better be maintained), the attitude and feel of our fantasy land is gone. Downtown no longer has the feel of the places like the Glitter Gulch area where the Barkers would try to herd you in, the Shills would sit at there machines with bins overflowing with tokens. The people in the slot carousels would call you over and tell you what machines to play, and by golly we won many times on their recommendations (Remember "double,double,jackpot time !). The Pit Boss at the Union Plaza once gave my wife free show tickets and meals because she was "the prettiest gal to sit at this table in the past hour". The Hacienda gave me a stack of $1 coupons for match play at the Black Jack Tables because I had a losing streak (lost 12 $1 bets in a row..at the time devastating). The waitresses would call us "Hon" or "Honey". The charm is now longer there, an era has passed to memory.

I don't have the answer as to how to recapture that feeling but the mystery and allure of the city have long disappeared. Why do we still go....we are frankly asking ourselves that question. We may not go in 2009, there seems now like there are better ways to spend our money and travel time.