Nevada Gambling Regulators Uncomfortable with Sex

Regulators have pulled the gambling license at Snick's Bar due to reports of sex acts among the customers at the lounge.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board has put a stop to gambling at the longest-established gay bar in Las Vegas. Regulators have pulled the gambling license at Snick's Bar due to reports of sex acts among the customers at the lounge.

Despite a national reputation as Sin City, Las Vegas continues a curious tradition of separating its adult entertainment business into two distinct forms and not allowing them to co-exist. Gambling and sex are both big business in Nevada, but business that is conducted only in separate locations.

Snick's had been reported last year for permitting public sex acts by its patrons. The owner expressed regret, fired the bartender in charge, and monitored further events by video cameras.

But the gambling authority said the fifteen slot machines in the bar will have to be shut down for six months. According to the board, the lack of control at Snick's "reflects poorly on the reputation of gaming in the state of Nevada."

That is quite a feat, since the gaming history of the state includes years of mob control, mythical stories of bodies buried in the desert, the bizarre reign of Howard Hughes, and the corporate-caused loss of billions in investor dollars currently occurring.

But sex is the one area which apparently the gaming regulators find taboo. Another bar featuring strippers, the Topless Girls of Glitter Gulch, applied for a gaming license last year, also looking to install fifteen slots.

The board made statements that the strip club would probably be an unsuitable place for casino gambling, but promised to conduct a detailed investigation. That investigation is still ongoing, answering the question as to the constant whereabouts of board members.