We are not the type to go to night clubs at the Las Vegas casinos, but lately have found out why it's a good thing we don't.

According to various recent news items, the bouncers and other employees are on the take in a big way, like vultures. The first article I noticed was about a man whose large bone in his leg was broken in a tussle with one of the bouncers after he was trying to get back into a club to join his group after he had left to go to the restroom. He didn't think he should have to bribe the bouncer to let him back in.

In Sunday's paper was an article about a middle-aged local couple who took their daughter and her college friends to the LAX nightclub at the Luxor (one of Paris Hilton's hangouts) for a 21st birthday party. They were told to get reservations for their party of 10, and when they called, were told they would have to purchase two bottles of liquor at $375 apiece for the two tables they would occupy, plus pay a 28% gratuity. Based on that, they expected to pay about $1000 for the evening.

When they got to the door, the bouncer wouldn't acknowledge the reservation until they tipped him $100, as he put it 'to get my attention.' They had to pay the hostess $50 to 'find' their reservation, and the maitre d' $100 to show them a few feet inside where they waited 30 minutes for someone else to show them to their reserved tables - for an additional $100. The two bottles of liquor cost $500 each instead of $375. In addition to that 28% gratuity that went automatically on the bill, they tipped $50 to the waitress who brought the bottle of vodka and bottle of gin and 6 cans of Red Bull the daughter and friends requested.

A man came to the table and said he was the club's 'security guy' and for $100 he would make sure they were 'safe' while they were there. After they tipped him, they never saw him again.

As the evening progressed, the couple noticed that every time their daughter and her friends got up to dance, the busboy would clear away their drinks, which often were full. They grabbed the busboy, and he said he had been instructed to 'keep the booze flowing.' They told him and the waitress not to take away or bring drinks unless asked by the customers.

There were long lines of men and women waiting to get into the restrooms. Those who paid the attendant a tip got to go to the front of the line, which made the wait all that much longer for those who refused to tip. In all, the couple ended up paying about $120 in restroom tips. (This must be why that guy with the broken leg left the nightclub he was at to use an outside restroom.)

When they were charged $175 more per bottle of booze than they expected, they'd asked to talk to the manager, but he didn't show up until he came over and told them because of the demand for tables, they would need to buy two more $500 bottles in order to keep both of their tables. They refused, so he brought in another party and seated them at one of the tables the family had reserved.

When they left at 3 am, the couple had paid $1,378 for beverages alone, and $622 in cash tips, for a total of $2000, $1000 more than they'd expected. They say it isn't a matter of the money so much, as how they were treated. They felt insulted and financially raped. They felt like all the employees with their hands out spotted them as an easy mark, and kept hitting on them - had they refused to come up with the bribes/tips, the vultures might have left them alone, but they didn't want to make a scene and ruin their daughter's birthday celebration.

They were at LAX the weekend before the IRS raided it and another run by the same management group because of all the unreported cash flowing through these nightclubs. Most of the clubs located within casinos do not belong to the casinos, they just have profit sharing agreements, and the casinos don't have oversight over the clubs' financial dealings, but experts are saying that the casinos should have monitored the 'avalanche of money.'

The whole thing really creeps me out. I enjoy watching the Sopranos on TV, but don't like thinking about that sort of behavior going on in my town. I know, you all are saying how naive of me.