Plan to arrive in Las Vegas Monday through Friday as you will not be able to complete the necessary paperwork on the weekend. Also, start early in the morning, even though it’s Vegas, these government offices are only open during regular business hours.
When you come to Las Vegas, make sure you bring: 2 forms of identification (driver’s license, government-issued ID, social security card, military ID, DD214, US passport, citizenship certificate, baptismal certificate and alien ID card) If you are under 25, a government-issued birth certificate is also required. This is non-negotiable, you won’t get a Sheriffs Card without it. If you were not born in the United States, you must bring one of the following: Naturalization Certificate; US passport, US birth certificate; or a foreigner’s identity card.
Research clubs online and make a list of places you would like to work. If you are over 21, you can work at any club in Las Vegas. If you are 18-20 years old, don’t despair! You can still work, but you’re limited to full nude clubs that don’t serve alcohol.
When you arrive in Las Vegas, you will need to go to any club and get a signed referral form. You need this referral to get what is called a Las Vegas Sheriff Card. Basically, it’s just a government-issued ID card for those working in the casino and entertainment industry. The company you get a recommendation from doesn’t have to be where you plan to work. all you need is the papers. Just walk in and tell them you’re a dancer looking for work and you want a referral for a sheriff’s card. They hear this often, and some places even have a package ready to give you all the details. Don’t be discouraged if the first club doesn’t give you papers. Strippers are a dime a dozen in Las Vegas, and often the person you ask for paperwork is too lazy to get up and look for them. Just move on to the next club. Set aside an hour or two if you are unfamiliar with the city of Las Vegas and where the clubs are located, drive around and get this referral tag.
Remember that it doesn’t matter which club you get the referral from. You don’t have to work there! Once you have a sheriff’s card, you can audition at any club you want. For many years, Cheetah’s was known as the easiest club to get a referral card from. The door girl had a stack of them and they gave out hundreds a day. As time went on it became too well known that Cheetah’s was handing out delivery slips…so everyone went there first and never went back to work there! As a result they stopped handing out referrals at the door and you now have to speak to a manager.
Take two forms of ID, birth/draft certificate if applicable, a signed referral form and $45 to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department fingerprint office. It’s in the suburbs west of Mandalay Bay on Russell Road from 8am to 4pm Monday to Friday. Address: 5880 Cameron St Las Vegas, NV (702) 828-3271
Bring a book or magazine and be prepared to wait at least an hour and a half for fingerprinting and a background check. If you have outstanding warrants or an extensive criminal history, your sheriff’s card will likely be denied. If you’re accepted, you won’t have to go through this process again for five years.
Now that you have a work card, you need a business permit. You can obtain a Nevada state business license from the Department of Revenue.
The two locations are:
Grant Sawyer Office Building 555 E. Washington Ave Suite 1300 Las Vegas, Nevada
or
2550 Paseo Verde Suite 180 Henderson, Nevada 89074
You can go either place. The license fee is $200 and is valid for one year. You will receive a temporary license that you can use immediately and a permanent copy will be mailed to you.
Take the work card and temporary work permit to the club where you want to work. Most strip clubs in Las Vegas are open 24 hours. The best night shifts start at 9pm, so get to the club at that time to get paid. With so many girls showing up for hire every day, many clubs don’t force you to change into street clothes for the audition. Rather, they judge you by how you look in your street clothes, so look sexy! Most clubs have their own dress code and they will let you know what the rules are. Some are costume clubs, others you can wear whatever you like.
The club will make a copy of your license and want to see your sheriff’s card. You must show your sheriff card every time you come to work. Some clubs add a sticker with a barcode on the back of the card, others use fingerprint recognition software to identify you when you walk into the club. You should also keep a copy of your license in your purse just in case. Remember to renew your business license every year. You will receive papers in the mail reminding you to do so.
Stripping in Las Vegas is a completely different experience than stripping in other metropolitan cities. The supply and demand for this industry is somewhat unique in Vegas. Because the clubs are bigger and have more staff, you have more bad dancers. It’s just the Pareto principle (80/20 rule) as examples through bigger numbers. The effects of this are harder to see in a club with 20 dancers, but more obvious in a club with 250 dancers. THIS is why you have guys who give up on dancers or turn their backs on the tip. This is because in a club with 200 dancers, there are 160 of them who have no idea what to do right to get customers to want to buy. As a result, you have guys who have been hit on by seven or eight “Wanna dance” girls before you show up. Because of this, they tend to be pickier and sometimes more reckless when it comes to finding the right girl to spend their money on.
Unlike your home club, you can’t choose the music for the stage. In fact, many entertainers pay extra to NOT have to go on stage. There are different philosophies as to why this might be useful. In some clubs there are so many girls that few customers are not watching the stages. For every song on stage, you could sell a lap dance. In other clubs, the stage tilting is very good; so it’s worth being around. Use your best judgment.
Many clubs post the meeting schedule in the locker room. You can access this schedule online. The biggest conventions of the year include the Consumer Electronic Show and The Adult Video Network in January, World of Concrete and MagicOnline in February, March Madness and ConExpo every three years in March, NAB in April, ICS in May, Gentlemen’s Club Expo in August and SEMA in November.
Also compare the prices of hotel rooms in more expensive casinos, such as Bellagio, Wynn and Venetian. Whenever room rates rise unusually, it reflects an increase in demand for hotel rooms.
