When major happenings occur in the Valley, there are spikes in tourists and prostitution-connected crimes.

When over 200,000 persons came into Vegas during last month’s mega-fight between Mayweather and McGregor, the Las Vegas Metro PD was ready.

“There was an upsurge in the population that weekend,” Metro spokesperson Jay Rivera told the press. “With that comes hookers.”

According to police records, 119 prostitution-linked detentions were made in the 48-hours beginning Friday night and ending Sunday.  The opening weekend of August, by comparison, saw only 34 arrests.

“The arrests are typically prostitutes who don’t live here,” Rivera said. “During major weekends the know there will be more men in the city than usual.”

Prostitution in Nevada

The legality of brothel prostitution in Nevada is determined by each county. Highly regulated brothels operate legally in rural areas, away from Nevada’s population, meaning Clark County — home to Las Vegas, and Washoe County — where Reno is, are off limits to “girls of the night.”

And no, you can’t plan a fun evening in the capital, Carson City, even though it is an independent city. The remainder of the state’s counties are allowed by state law to license prostitution, but only eight have done it.

Despite being illegal, the majority of prostitution in The Silver State happens in Reno and Las Vegas with 65 times more cash spent on illegal hooking in Nevada than the legal brothels.

Brothels have been around in Nevada since about the 1850s. One in Elko Nevada has been bus since 1902, and in 1937 a law was passed requiring weekly health checks of all the employees.

Joe Conforte, the owner of Mustang Ranch, managed in 1971 to get county officials to approve an ordinance which would license brothels and prostitutes.

Authorities in Las Vegas were afraid Conforte would use the same method to put a brothel nearby. The LV rulers convinced the state legislature, in 1971 to prohibit the legalization of prostitution in counties with a population above a certain minimum — tailored to specifically apply to Clark County.

Taxes

While brothels and hookers have to pay federal income tax as well as local fees, they don’t pay state income tax. Nevada doesn’t have an income tax at the state level — just a state entertainment tax — hookers and brothels are exempt.