Vegas is Starting to Like the Smell of Porn's 'Billions'

LOS ANGELES— The local NBC affiliate in Las Vegas has been running a continually updated story the last few days about Las Vegas becoming a "new frontier" for the historically LA-based porn industry. At least that was reporter Antonio Castelan's take on Thursday. Today, the focus of the same article had changed, and the piece totally rewritten, to make the more assertive claim that, yes, "It's the naked truth: the porn industry is making its way to Las Vegas." More to the point, Castelan now seems to be reveling in what he perceives to be a potential windfall for the city and state, the likes of which it hasn't seen since the original gold rush, claiming, "How much will the Las Vegas economy reap in benefits as more adult film producers migrate to Sin City? The adult entertainment industry rakes in $11 billion every year, and Nevada is already getting a piece of that pie." Needless to say, the reporter does not support the $11 billion number, because he cannot—that estimate hasn't been anywhere near accurate for over five years—but that is the New Journalism for you. Repeat an unsubstantiated claim so often that it becomes a reportable fact. Unfortunately, it's like an addiction. Once started, it's hard to stop. "Porn money translates into huge bucks," added Castelan. "The adult film industry is a $6 billion business in California. Porn production brings employment and sales to whatever town it sets up in." Really? Name one! It wouldn't be New York City, where a judge essentially legalized shooting porn long after the city's once-vibrant industry collapsed in the late '80s, and few movies are shot there now. It wouldn't be Seattle, where a couple of adult production companies set up shop in the late '90s, but they had no effect on that city's economy. And does anyone think Broward County's wealth has actually been kicked up a notch from Miami being another porn "mecca"? But try telling that to some starry eyed transplants. One performer sourced for the story, who said he had moved to Las Vegas for the work in adult, explained, "It's because right now this is where the work is. There is no state income tax, which is a big reason—I think a big reason why it's pretty big here. Taxes definitely add up after a while." But he also told Castelan, "I've been told there is more money in porn than there is in Hollywood." There are a few more levelheaded assessments included in the piece. Rob Lang, director of Brookings Mountain West at UNLV, told Castelan, “We don't know what share will transfer here. For us, it would be the impact of some of that industry located in Las Vegas valley and what it would pay in taxes." And Vivid honcho Steve Hirsch weighed in even more generally, adding reasonably, “I think Las Vegas is known as a city for adults, so it would make sense to ultimately move there if ultimately needed." Hirsch is of course better aware than most that porn is not a shining city on the hill looking down on envious Hollywood, the way some would envision it, but a business that is facing serious headwinds similar (or worse) to those being faced by other content-based industries. Who knows, though; maybe porn can bring billions of dollars to Vegas. If so, it would be great to see and even greater to experience. But if it does happen, it will be almost a miracle, an improbable reversal of global trends, and a real world revolution of sorts that will accomplish nothing short of rebranding Sin City as The Emerald City, minus the little girl and dog. In lieu of that unlikely fantasy coming to fruition, Las Vegas will more likely present producers and talent with certain real world advantages that California no longer seems to want (or be able) to provide—in the form of lower or no taxes and a lesser cost of living, which are certainly nothing to sneeze at, as well as the aforementioned open arms. In preparation, Vegas would do well to remove the rose-colored glasses and instead begin its public courtship of porn with the same steely realism with which it has dealt with every other form of "vice" that over the years has made Nevada its home, welcomed with (mostly) open arms. It's just better to begin any relationship on a foundation of truth.