Las Vegas Weekly

December 8, 2008 · 5:24 PM

Nightclub king Branden Powers offers radical ways to boost Vegas tourism

By Robin Leach

Poetry Nightclub.

Nightclub owner and operator Branden Powers has come up with a self-confessed outrageous and radical list of wild suggestions to improve the Las Vegas tourism count that’s been battered by the nation’s economic crisis. He even filmed a segment for CNN to talk about his drastic and extremist points.

You can bet the Clark County Commissioners’ eyebrows will be raised, but maybe our merry Mayor of Mirth Oscar Goodman might even find some merit in parts of the scandalous suggestions!

Branden, part owner and operator of Poetry Nightclub in the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace, told me: “I sit and watch as Rome is burning and falling victim to the wrath of the economic gods. I have a valid plan to bring the sin back to Sin City. It may seem too radical or counter cultural, but it needs to happen to save Vegas from the world’s struggling economy. I want the Bugsy Segal edge back in Vegas by giving people from all over the world exactly what they want.”

He’s proposing both the legal drinking and gambling age be lowered from the current 21 years of age to 18 years -- thus giving us a whole new youth demographic that’s never experienced Las Vegas before -- while intoxicated legally!

“That’s in the millions right there to start with!” he declared.

Branden also plans to argue for legalized prostitution and marijuana “brown cafes” in downtown Las Vegas to assist with the revitalization program. The most controversial plan, though, is his attempt to bring men’s strip clubs into the Strip casinos.

“It needs to happen to save Vegas. It answers so many questions and solves so many problems. It would all be highly licensed and monitored, and it would all be high-class,” he added. Branden pointed out that gaming hotels across the country and shopping malls are experiencing never-before-seen revenue drops on a massive scale and may face bankruptcy. He cites major “ghost town” problems facing Reno and Atlantic City.

“This recession -- near Depression -- will be the biggest hurdle in the history of Vegas. We have to reinvent ourselves. Vegas must change in its entirety to survive. The dinosaurs that are in charge of this ship aren’t adapting fast enough to the country’s problems that are impacting Vegas so badly -- we even might go under,” he emphasized as a final point!

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