Skip to Main Content

Rich Vegas Poor Vegas

Sin City has no jobs, and the newly homeless are living in drainage pipes. But it also has its biggest act since Elvis. In this week’s Newsweek, Tony Dokoupil and Ramin Setoodeh describe how Celine Dion is the city’s latest high-stakes bet.

Published Mar. 11 2011 11:00AM EST

galleries/2011/03/11/rich-vegas-poor-vegas/rich-poor-vegas-2_tc9ywt — Andrew Hetherington for Newsweek,

galleries/2011/03/11/rich-vegas-poor-vegas/rich-poor-vegas-2_w8azti — Celine Dion in her dressing room at Caesar's Palace.
Andrew Hetherington for Newsweek

galleries/2011/03/11/rich-vegas-poor-vegas/rich-poor-vegas-3_ya0cgw — Holly Madison in her dressing room.
Andrew Hetherington for Newsweek

galleries/2011/03/11/rich-vegas-poor-vegas/rich-poor-vegas-11_lhyk3f — Barry Manilow on stage at The Paris in Las Vegas.
Andrew Hetherington for Newsweek

galleries/2011/03/11/rich-vegas-poor-vegas/rich-poor-vegas-4_inkizx — The unfinished Fontainebleau Resort situated near the north end of the Strip.
Andrew Hetherington for Newsweek

galleries/2011/03/11/rich-vegas-poor-vegas/rich-poor-vegas-9_ihmx6k — Las Vegas luxury shopping center Crystals includes Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Prada stores.
Andrew Hetherington for Newsweek

galleries/2011/03/11/rich-vegas-poor-vegas/rich-poor-vegas-5_wis5ax — The Siegel Suites, which are located throughout Vegas, advertise cheap housing. This one is located on East Bonanza Road, six blocks from Freemont Street and downtown.
Andrew Hetherington for Newsweek

galleries/2011/03/11/rich-vegas-poor-vegas/rich-poor-vegas-7_buvpbw — At the south end of the Strip, near the iconic “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign, a hidden concrete path leads into a 500-mile warren of wet, trash-strewn drainage pipes that function as an underground shelter for hundreds of the city’s most downtrodden.
Andrew Hetherington for Newsweek

galleries/2011/03/11/rich-vegas-poor-vegas/rich-poor-vegas-6_htxpu5 — A housing development in Enterprise, southwest of the Strip.
Andrew Hetherington for Newsweek