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Silver State's Brothel Industry Continues To Shrink

The list of names includes the Cottontail Ranch, Bikini’s Gentleman’s Club and Brothel, and Angels Ladies Brothel. And on Dec. 14, Bobbi Davis will close the Shady Lady Ranch brothel down on Highway 95 in Nye County.

Davis told the Pahrump Valley Timesthat she’s leaving to return to her native Texas to care for her ailing parents. But, Shady Lady Ranch has been struggling as authorities have been slow to crack down on the proliferation of illegal prostitution in Las Vegas.

“They’re letting an illegal business take over a legal business,” Davis told the Pahrump Valley Times.

With the closure of the Shady Lady Ranch, the next brothel going north on Highway 95 after the Alien Cathouse in Lathrop Wells is Wildcat Ranch in Mina, in Mineral County.

George Flint, a lobbyist with the Nevada Brothel Owners Association, told KNPR that the recession and illegal prostitution have made it more difficult for brothels to survive. He said it is simple: rural brothels are struggling.

But not everyone agrees with Flint’s assessment of the industry.

Christina Parreira, a Ph.D. candidate in sociology at UNLV and a former prostitute at Dennis Hof’s Alien Cathouse in Nye County, says illegal prostitution has always existed and competed with Nevada's legal brothel.

Parreira credits Hof's success to his being “media savvy,” and willing to advertise his brothels.

“He is good at what he does,” Parreira told KNPR. “He has a better business model.”

GUESTS:

George Flint, director and lobbyist, Nevada Brothel Owners’ Association

Barb Brents, sociology professor, UNLV

Christina Parreira, a PhD candidate in Sociology, UNLV and a former prostitute at Dennis Hof’s Alien Cathouse in Nye County.

Copyright 2015 KNPR-FM. To see more, visit http://www.knpr.org/.

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