Virtual reality may threaten Nev. brothel industry
By Daniel Rothberg, Las Vegas Sun
Electronics have treated Sheri’s Ranch well. The cathouse in Pahrump, which claims to be the “unofficial brothel of CES,” reports a 70 percent increase in business when tech employees roll into Las Vegas for the massive trade show each January.
But that cozy relationship might not last. Some in the brothel industry — Sheri’s included — have expressed concerns that virtual-reality porn, which offers an immersive 3D experience, could pose a threat to business. On its blog in December, Sheri’s Ranch wrote that the VR devices displayed at CES “may be one of the biggest challenges to the future of the legal prostitution industry.”
“How might this technology affect Nevada’s brothel industry in the next five to 10 years?” spokesman Jeremy Lemur asked. “Since virtual prostitution wouldn’t be illegal or unsafe because the participants aren’t really having sex, will a Nevada brothel’s secure, legal setting and reputation for an STD-free environment become irrelevant in the future world of VR technology?”