Don Laughlin

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This Sept. 9, 2012 photo shows a statue of Don Laughlin at the north end of Casino Drive in Laughlin, Nev. Laughlin, an unincorporated town of 7,300, is about 100 miles south of Las Vegas and popular with bargain-hunting retirees who drive in for sometimes months-long getaways to the region. The town, with nine casino-resorts clustered along the banks of the Colorado River, lured 2 million visitors last year and generated $455 million in gambling revenue. But tourism, the only major industry in Laughlin, has been declining for years, even as Las Vegas bounces back and Mesquite, another small resort destination in the region, stabilized. Laughlin’s annual visitor volume has fallen 60 percent from 5 million about 15 years ago. Gambling revenue rose to $631 million in 2007 but has dropped every year since. (AP Photo/ Las Vegas Sun, Steve Marcus)