Funny how Sedgwick County voters last year nixed casino gambling and even slot machines at the now-defunct greyhound track, yet Las Vegas remains the top destination for Wichita Mid-Continent Airport users. That’s according to an assessment by Sabre Airline Solutions of the Mid-Continent market for the 12 months ending in March 2008; rounding out the top five destinations were Atlanta, Chicago, Orlando and Phoenix.
Apparently, area travelers want to gamble, just not where they live. Any bets on whether Las Vegas will slip out of Mid-Continent’s No. 1 spot when Sumner County gets its destination casino?
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33 Comments
The number of people going to Vegas won’t go down much at all when the Sumner County casino opens.
People go to Vegas because it’s Vegas. There is more there than one can take in, but people try to anyway.
Most “good” Christians I know, are in thrall of the “Sin City”.
And Wichita voting down the casino was THE biggest blunder (aside from the arena and neglect of the river walk thing).
We’re planning a trip in December. Because of the economy Veges is hurting a little right now. Package deals are really great.
We’ll spend a long weekend, stay at the Venetian, go see Phantom, the Divine Miss M, eat like little piggys and generally relax and have a good time.
Gamble? hehehe Probably not. Only a fool gambles in Veges!
Got that right, HLP! Having lived in southern California for 20 years, I have been to Vegas many, many times…and not for the gambling. Usually just passing thru, but also for conventions, shows, etc.
Laughlin used to be a great gambling destination..not as crowded, usually a little better odds, and friendlier dealers. That was before it got huge, tho.
I’ve never been to Vegas and have zero desire to go.
There is some interesting architecture, bj. Like inside the Paris hotel..it is designed to make it look and feel like you are outside–complete with gentle “breezes” blowing. Incredible shopping as well…some things at prices that are beyond comprehension for anyone who works for a living.
It is oppressive in the summer–even at midnight you can feel the heat emanating from the street, the sidewalk, and the buildings. People say it is a ‘dry heat’…well, so is an oven.
One gorgeous sight is to drive into Vegas on I15 from the north late at night. You are in the dark of the Nevada desert..then you see this vast ocean of lights stretching as far as you can see.
It is highly annoying, tho…try to go into a gas station to use the rest room..and you must walk thru aisles of slots. Panhandlers on the street are almost as thick as the illegals flipping “escort” cards, trying to hand them out. Traffic on weekends on the strip is almost total gridlock.
It is the convention capital of the country..and unashamedly tacky.
I was there once in February when they had a rare snow storm. The ground was so warm the snow only collected in the trees. It was so much fun to watch kids shimmy up palm trees, knocking snow out of trees so they could have enough for the snowball fight.
Going out to see Hoover dam in a worthwhile trip!
I’m not a gambler but going to a show and people watching is fun.
“Las Vegas is what America would be if Hitler had won the war.”
– Hunter S. Thompson
Reminds me of what they used to say about the liquor by the wink not liquor by the drink laws.
Kansans will vote dry as long as they can still stagger to the polls…
Kansaas…as many hypocrites as you think!
“Apparently, area travelers want to gamble, just not where they live.”
Is there one single shred of evidence to back up this statement? I would bet the “area travelers” want to gamble right here and voted for it.
Kansans will vote dry as long as they can still stagger to the polls…
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I didn’t know we had ‘dry’ counties? Voters (the majority in Kansas) are for booze. Not sure what you are talking about KFG.
I see what you mean now- by the drink.
Sorry KFG, I misunderstood your statement.
I was a (very) low-level staffer of the Kansas Senate during the 1970s.
When the issue was liquor-by-the-drink the coalition was the Kansas United Dry Forces (a subsidiary of the Methodist Church) and the American Legion (which had a virtual monopoly on private clubs in Kansas).
The Reverend Richard Taylor was a character worthy of a movie. The stories I could tell…
I know there are some dry cities.. like Quinter. I dont know about dry counties, but I would imagine we do.
Texas dry counties are the funniest thing. About two feet over the county line are the biggest and busiest liquor stores you have ever seen.
Have you heard Michelle Shocked’s “Makin’ the run to Gladewater”?
I bet Rage knows who she is…
“The Reverend Richard Taylor”
Wasnt he against paramutual betting too?
I think he was against anything that might be fun. Kinda like the preacher in Footloose!
Ah Quinter, Mennonites and an implement manufacturer…
I guess Quinter is one step up above Gove or Grainfield! HA HA!
KFG, I believe in Plainville you can get a liquor I.V.
“Ah Quinter, Mennonites and an implement manufacturer”
Actually, they are Old Order Baptists or “dunkards” and Flex King is long gone.
Heh. Quinter still has a CROSS in their city logo.
“KFG, I believe in Plainville you can get a liquor I.V.”
Same with Hays…
Dos Chermans, pye Gott… dey lika de schnaps!
“dunkards”
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KFG,
Yeah, I remember the signs…I had to take a double take, thought it was “drunkards”…
I was thinking of Quinstar not Flex King as the manufacture.
ksfarmgrrl
Posted October 30, 2008 at 9:22 am | Permalink
“KFG, I believe in Plainville you can get a liquor I.V.”
Same with Hays…
——
I hade one once…..I think…
hade=had
“I was thinking of Quinstar not Flex King as the manufacture.”
IIRC, Flex King went bankrupt and then morphed into Quinstar, which eventually went out of business.
It was a hell of a business while it operated though!
ksfarmgrrl
Posted October 30, 2008 at 9:44 am | Permalink
“I was thinking of Quinstar not Flex King as the manufacture.”
IIRC, Flex King went bankrupt and then morphed into Quinstar, which eventually went out of business.
It was a hell of a business while it operated though!
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Well it has been about 6-7 year since I have worked in that region…I kind of miss it from time to time.
This isn’t anything new. I have lived in a number of Bible Belt states and they are all the same. These good, moral Christians want their liquor and sex, but they don’t want their neighbors or preacher to find out. That’s why they want their plane trips to Vegas to go visit their sick aunt.
Yeah, right.
Went last April, and will probably go again Vegas has an alure that a summer county casino or local area ones dont have.
As I remember from my college days at good old Fort Hays, thanks to the Germans, you could get booze anytime you wanted. They figured the English could keep the state dry, but they were going to have a drink when they wanted one. It was a question of knowing where to go.
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My landlord the plumber got a lot of boot-leg schnapps for Christmas from his clients.
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And anyone who has ever attended a German Catholic wedding (didn’t matter if you knew the happy couple or not) in Victoria will probably have alcohol-induced gaps in their memory.
Dennis
Las Vegas has a lot to offer besides the gambling. As was posted earlier the Hoover Dam is worth the trip. There is a lot to see in the Hotels that actually resemble small cities. There is shopping galore, great food, free entertainment and the big shows can be over the top.
It also has great weather most of the time. So you walk anywhere you need to go on the strip. There is just a lot to see. You are not going to get any of this with a Kansas casino.
If you consider gambling as entertainment and not an investment then you can have a fine time with that as well. Vegas has a lot to offer besides gambling and that makes it a nice place for travel.
Nevr been there and dont want to go! ;) lol
Free booze is a nice also!
Never been to Vegas, and I gotta admit it’s pretty far down on the bucket list for me, too.
I really don’t ‘get’ Vegas, even though I go to see live music, especially rock’n roll, whenever and wherever I can (Billy Bragg coming up an hour from now, at Attucks Theatre in downtown Norfolk, VA…which is folk, check, got it). I guess I have Vegas linked up with “sad” in the ol’ Correlation Dept in what passes for my brain, fwiw.
I keep hearing about Vegas from friends, too, but somehow I have never heard any story that made me want to drag the list out and add to it.
People watching might be fun, though. Maybe. I always liked the old HBO taxicabs confessions show when it came on, anyway.
well let’s face it; gambling in Kansas is just plain redundant.