What Happens in Vegas, stay's in Vegas

But what if it dont

By now, just about everyone over the age of five or six is familiar with the popular cash-phrase, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” This sentiment is so popular that the L.V. Chamber of Commerce has even adopted it in a high-profile advertising campaign. Surely you have seen the commercials, which cleverly but never explicitly suggest that the average person visiting Las Vegas ends up engaging in the sort of activity bosses, spouses and parents would be horrified to learn about.

Clearly, Vegas is Disneyland for adults. Particularly adults who are looking to blow off some steam and have a bit of good fun, clean or otherwise.

But how much of this is hype, and how much is reality? Surely, many of you who have never had the opportunity or the inclination to visit Las Vegas must wonder about this very issue. Can it truly be possible that the town which has earned the name “Sin City” is really as wild and licentious as that advertising campaign would have you believe? I don't claim to offer any definitive answer to your query, and can only draw upon my own personal experience with the gambling capital of the world.

While I have neither the time nor adequate legal clearance to engage in a full-blown, garishly detailed biography of the life of Floyd Manning, I can tell you I've spent more time in Vegas - specifically in casino environments - than most human beings who are still alive to brag about it. It is true that I've not been completely successful at avoiding controversy. There have been some misunderstandings, and law enforcement has occasionally seen fit to intervene. Even the wretched media has taken the liberty of publicizing certain incidents in which I was at least a peripheral player.

I make no apologies for things I may have done, said, ingested or thrown at people. Being Floyd Manning is not easy, I can assure you. When you walk around with as high a profile as I do, you are always going to be an easy target for jealous, misguided and usually drunken individuals who are looking to gain some notoriety by taking a shot at a living legend.

But enough of my own personal history. Getting back to the question of whether what happens in Las Vegas really should stay in Vegas, all I can do is say is "Yes!" People come here to let their hair down and engage in behavior which they would never dream of in their own hometown. For the most part, I must say the majority of this is generally harmless in nature. Certainly, bad things happen and people do sometimes get hurt, but that can be said of any city in America.

The bottom line is you should not be hesitant to visit Las Vegas just because you think it's a modern-day Gomorra. Though that assumption is not too far from the truth, there are also some really excellent shrimp cocktails to be had for less than two dollars. Plus, the sun always shines and you will never be at a shortage of interesting people to gawk at. So come on over, we're waiting for you.