Few places on planet earth are as synonymous with gambling as Las Vegas, Nevada.
The bright lights of ‘Sin City’ have been attracting visitors in their millions to the desert locale, all looking to indulge, enjoy and most importantly spend, like there’s no tomorrow.
But underneath the neon and imported palms lies two very different Vegas’.
One, ‘America’s Playground’; an exciting land of little rules and infinite possibilites.
The other, a sometimes boring, (often still wacky), real city where people from all walks of life come together to have fun.
In this special, April Fools themed video, This Week in Gambling, sets out to separate the fact from fiction and explore three well-known stories, that may, or may not be totally true.
Welcome to… New Mexico?
No trip to the gambling capital is complete without an obligatory photo at the “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign.
As recognisable as the casinos themselves, the sign lets travellers know they’ve reached their destination, in the Nevada desert.
That is… unless they’ve stopped in New Mexico.
Rumor has it that a town in the state of New Mexico, also named Las Vegas, has their own ‘Welcome to Vegas’ sign, complete with Bugs Bunny references and jokes about travellers being at the ‘wrong’ Vegas.
Claimed to have been built in 2002, images of the infamous sign have been circulating online for years.
But is it actually real?
Unfortunately, no.
No sign like this exists in the New Mexico town, and all images online are photshops and fakes.
Branson at the Bellagio
Virgin Founder, Sir Richard Branson, is no stranger to outlandish stunts.
Having once driven a tank into Times Square and dressed up as a female flight attendant to serve food to passengers (following a lost bet), Branson knows how impactful a stunt can be in promoting a product.
So, when his airline was celebrating 10 years of direct flights between Las Vegas and London, Branson once again looked to make a statement.
Donning a tuxedo, and with an air hostess standing behind him, Branson rode a jet ski around the Bellagio’s famous water fountain.
But is this true?
Yes.
While Branson did eventually fall in the water, he managed a few laps as onlookers watched and cheered.
Later, musician Bruno Mars would repeat the same stunt for a music video.
Topless… Girls?
When the topless show Crazy Girls opened at the Riviera, one dancer quickly caught the attention of everyone present.
Dancer, Jana Steel, was deemed so attractive, she was named sexiest showgirl on the Strip.
A prestigious title no doubt.
But the only problem with this award was that Steel wasn’t actually a woman.
Born John Matheny in San Antonio, Texas, he had undergone gender reassignment surgery before embarking on a career in Las Vegas.
Did this happen?
Yes.
Her story was eventually exposed by TV tabloid programme, A Current Affair, in 1992, which resulted in the dancer losing her job.
But not before some very angry businessmen had lost a lot of money…
Las Vegas blurs the lines between reality and fiction in a way many other cities around the world simply cannot.
And while some of her most famous stories may struggle to hold up under the scrutiny of daylight, it will always be under her neon signs and well-lit fountains that the real Vegas exists. Something in the middle.
