Respectfully, vchimp, when's the last time you actually visited Vegas in person? If you've been there at any point within the past decade ore more, you'd know how very wrong your statement above really is. Not only do they now have major league NHL hockey and NFL football teams with arenas there (and are supposedly eying MLB baseball next), but the city is FULL of tourist attractions not involving gambling or showrooms. A good example is the High Roller Ferris Wheel - it was the worlds largest when it opened back in 2014. As others have stated, there are lots of artists, performers and groups that have or had residencies there. And I'm not talking about Elvis, Wayne Newton and Donnie and Marie, who one might thing of as "typical" Vegas performers. Usher, Celine Dion, Brittney Spears, Elton John, Garth Brooks, Jennifer Lopez, Shania Twain, George Strait, Rod Stewart, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars and many more. Also, like most any larger city, major concert tours pass through Vegas, and some perform multiple shows before traveling on to the next city. Some of the newer, most popular condos and hotels on the strip like the Cosmopolitan, Aria and Vdara could be built in most any larger US city and would fit in perfectly; they're not at all like the themed resorts like New York, New York, Excalibur or Planet Hollywood. In simplest terms, they're the grown up version of a Vegas resort casino.
Also know that most every chef of note has at least restaurant there, and some have multiple. None come cheap. Far long gone are the days where patrons would go to Vegas and find dirt cheap hotel rooms and $9.99 all you can eat buffets, as the focus was on the smoke-filled casinos and gambling, with a lounge act here and there. If you still have that mental image when you think of Vegas, you really need to have a closer look.
