The old Las Vegas evokes nostalgia. The Mob, Begsy Seigal, the High Rollers and the Bat Pack (Frankie, Deno, Sammy Davis, Peter Lasford).

The love affairs, opening nights, the legendry casinos along the strip — The Golden Slipper, the Sands, the MGM Grand and subsequently, the Bellagio.

Alas, no more. Political correctness and legal dictates have done away with the old Las Vegas.

The new Las Vegas is sanitized. Clean like a synthetic fast food outlet. The old casinos had a flavour about them. The opening passage of the famous novel ‘Casino Royale’ reads: “The scent and smell of a Casino are nauseating at 2 in the morning”.

Now the air conditioning and air management takes care of that. When Las Vegas was losing patronage in the 1980s, the Bosses tried to convert it into a family destination. It did not work. Then came the SIN CITY concept.

Further reinforced by the tag line,........

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