Kurt Andersen

In the late 1960s, scandals involving organized crime's infiltration of casinos in Las Vegas left the lingering impression that the city was too seedy for its own good, and tourism suffered. To clean up the city's image and restore credibility to the gambling industry, large corporations invested heavily in the Las Vegas Strip throughout the 1970s, and by the late 1980s had begun building gigantic theme—resorts with activities for the whole family. Gambling-or "gaming" as industry executives renamed it-remained the city's main attraction but was marketed as a fun—filled recreational activity, not a pastime for social deviants.

In the following article written in 1994 for Time magazine, Kurt Andersen contends that the corporate repackaging of Las Vegas has had a significant impact on American popular culture. Not only is the...