From Drag Shows and Cannabis Back to Gambling and Divorce, Las Vegas Remains the Place to Indulge in ‘Banned’ Experiences
Fifth-generation Nevadan Bo Bernhard is vice president of economic development and a professor at UNLV and served as the inaugural research director at the UNLV International Gaming Institute. His great great grandfather was a card dealer in Dust Bowl-era Texas and Oklahoma who got tired of ending up on the wrong side of the law while working and moved to Las Vegas. His own family’s story, Bernhard says, is an example of how gambling and tourism have resulted in many different people deciding to live and work in Las Vegas, and these days, “the stuff attracting people is more mainstream. The NFL is something that’s beloved, and you can find it in 32 locales across the United States.”