Children in Las Vegas

“Las Vegas Gambles on Families,” Sept. 23, regarding the problem of children in Las Vegas casinos, doesn’t address the reason for the problem. Despite grumblings to the contrary, many of the casino owners are shrewdly cultivating their own future clientele.

Twenty years from now the kid with the dirty diaper on the floor of the MGM Grand will be back at the Grand playing the slots and the tables. After a number of visits in his younger years he will have become used to the environment and he’ll see that Las Vegas is fun. It’s a self-perpetuating system. Vegas owners are conditioning parents to bring their children to Las Vegas for a good time. As soon as the kid becomes 21 he becomes a customer on his own. It’s like a pyramid.

ROBERT E. THOMPSON

Sylmar