Las Vegas is the city that never sleeps – which is possibly why so many tall stories about this fantastic city have been recounted over the years! There are quite a number of urban legends doing the rounds about Vegas, and I decided to take a look at some of them to see if there was any truth behind them.
1. The Black Market Kidney Story
According to one tale, a Vegas gambler had too much to drink and passed out in his hotel room after a particularly long casino game session. He awoke to find a note saying: ‘Call 911 or you will die’. After being rushed to hospital, doctors told him that his kidney had been removed, possibly to sell on the black market. As horrifiying as this story is, it was found to be totally untrue and similar tales were also heard in Atlantic City and New York.
2. Aliens!
Located just 100 km away from Las Vegas, the top secret US airforce base of Area 51 has been the subject of incredible speculation regarding the presence of aliens and UFOs. Many extraterrestrial believers are convinced that the government is not telling the public the truth regarding UFO findings over the years, while the government continues to deny having any concrete evidence of life beyond our atmospheric borders. Truth or fiction? That depends on what you believe!
3. Prostitution in Vegas
Let’s face it – one of the reasons why many stag nights and parties are held in Vegas is the fact that ladies of the night are easily available to, er, add some spark to the evening. However, did you know that prostitution is actually illegal in Las Vegas? If you drive around 50 minutes to Pahrump in Nye County, you’ll find that it is perfectly legal. Don’t say you weren’t warned!
4. The Megabucks Curse
There is a true story about a young cocktail waitress who won $35 million after hitting the Megabucks slots jackpot in 2000. Just six weeks later, she was involved in a car crash and became a quadriplegic. However, stories linked to other jackpot wins involving so called winners started circulating soon afterwards, telling the tragic tales of what happened to these poor people and this became known as the Megabucks Curse. Thankfully, all the other winners have been accounted for and are reportedly healthy and alive!
Tags: casino games, Las Vegas, Slots
