Online Casinos More Popular Than Hookers
The current economic recession is so overwhelming, businesses that previously felt little or no effect during tough times are suffering. Much has been made of the debate regarding gambling's recession-proof status. But it seems more and more that the declines in Las Vegas and Atlantic City casino revenues are as much due to the diversification of income sources away from gaming than any change in gambling spending patterns.
Even the world's oldest profession is feeling the downturn, while online casinos report growing customer bases. While a recent Internet marketing survey found that the number of US visitors to online gambling sites has increased dramatically over the last few weeks, hookers are saying they have to cut rates just to compete.
Both supply and demand are creating a buyers' market in prostitution. As spending money has dropped, demand fueled by men with extra dollars in their pockets has also declined. Meanwhile, women struggling to replace income lost in such fields as real estate and finance have flooded the industry, causing a supply glut.
This has resulted in the middle-class call girl being squeezed out. While hookers charging $1000 or more an hour still have the elite rich to employ them as always, the girls earning more than $300 but less than $1000 are finding the demand for their services disappearing. According to Susan Lopez of the Sin City Alternative Professionals' Association, the prostitutes earning less than $300 are getting all the business they always did, plus that that used to go to mid-range priced girls.
While girls are forced to lower rates to keep income coming in, Amanda Brooks, author of the Internet Escorts Handbook, thinks that they will also adopt better marketing methods, including following Internet casinos and going online.
While the ease and comfort of arranging business online has certainly helped online gambling operators and should do the same for escorts, there is a problem. The Department of Justice may decide that hiring a hooker online is the equivalent of booking sports bets via telephone, and thus is a violation of the Wire Act. As we have seen this week, that could be a $300 million error.
