vegas on a shoestring.

Thanks to a flabby US economy, the Strip casinos have to scale back their collective plans to cater strictly to the affluent, upscale travelers. From Sunday's Las Vegas Review Journal:

RELAXING DEALS, FUN DEALS, FOOD AND DRINK DEALS: Vegas on the Cheap
Sour economy could be sweet deal for savvy shoppers

By SONYA PADGETT

If there's anything positive about Las Vegas' struggling economy -- and that's a big if -- it's the return of the good casino deal.

While we're nowhere near the $3.99 all-you-can-eat buffets of yore -- yet -- there are some decent deals to be found, even for those whose budgets are tighter than a Rio cocktail waitress's uniform. Read more.

I observed the struggling economy in action when I was in Vegas last month. I had a chat with a pit boss table games manager at The Mirage who told me, "we're starting to pick back up right now."

She's a veteran of the Strip for many years, I gathered. I was somewhat surprised that the Mirage was feeling the pinch, since it's one of the more lavish destinations.

But that's the problem. When the economy is doing better, middle America has more disposable cash to throw around. And where better to throw money than the desert? But when gas is running twice as much as it was from four years ago...well, you get the point.

The economy will pick back up. And when it does, bye-bye deals.