Las Vegas has always been a horse of another color, but when it comes to families, we tend to think that they are doing pretty much the same things as we do. But they don’t really. They go to the movies, but the movie theatres are mostly in casinos. They go to restaurants, but the restaurants are in casinos. Everything that is held in your town is held here, but somehow linked to a casino. Even the high school graduations are linked to the casino as the arena they hold them in is attached to one. 

It isn’t just about slot machines for these people; this is their way of life. The suburbs of Las Vegas are teeming with these so called “neighborhood casinos.” They go to them to play the slot machines, or to eat, watch a movie, play on an ice rink, or even for childcare. The years have brought more and more, within the past ten years alone they have gone from barely a handful to twenty different casinos. It has become a social gathering place as well as a place to play the slot machines.  

Locals, especially retirees, prefer the smaller atmosphere that they find here. They also believe that the slot machines pay better than they do on the strip. Station Casinos, Inc., the owners of thirteen different casinos, state that this is actually true. They set their machines to pay out slightly higher than those on the strip, knowing that their customers will take notice of the difference. And even though there are many incentives to bring the customers in to the casinos, the money still comes from the slot machines and the gambling – 87% of their revenue in fact.

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