Las vegas- In the most recent edition of Time magazine, Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman is quoted as saying, “It’s just a matter of time before you see strip clubs in hotels and casinos.” On Monday he went into further detail about his reasoning. And his thoughts do not seem to worry strip club owners or tourists.

“I think it’s the greatest. It’s Vegas, baby! And I mean it gets no better than that; why the number one tourist town is hotter than ever.” Mayor Oscar Goodman says the most recent issue of Time magazine will give Las Vegas invaluable world exposure.

The article focuses on Las Vegas’s booming tourism industry and the “sexification” of the city. In the article, the Mayor says it’s just a matter of time before you see strip clubs in hotels and casinos. “Right now I don’t think there’s much of a difference between some of these nightclubs, some of the things that happen there, and some of the gentlemen’s clubs.”

Goodman says he’s not advocating change — it’s just his opinion, adding he’s observed casinos continuously raise the stakes in their quest to beat the competition.

“It’s my opinion. No one is advocating that. I’m not sure if the casinos want it at this time. All I know is that adult entertainment is part of our sensuality. And I know the philosophy of casinos is to bring customers there. And that’s why I ventured the opinion that the gentleman’s clubs would find their way there,” the Las Vegas Mayor said.

“Would you like to see strip clubs at casinos? I would like to see whatever makes tourists happy — assuming there’s a strip club in a casino — no one is forcing anyone to go there.”

Which raises the issue of whether strip club owners are afraid of losing cash. Eyewitness News spoke to the owner of Olympic Gardens, a strip club on Las Vegas Boulevard close to downtown. He says the prospects of hotel-casinos having strip clubs does not concern him one bit

Peter Eliades, owner Olympic Gardens, said, “I don’t think if they put adult entertainment in the hotels it would make any difference whatsoever.” Eliades has owned the Olympic Garden for 15 years, his perspective — “just like anything else, you go with the flow.”

Some tourists Eyewitness News spoke to say the idea of seeing strip clubs in casinos does not bother them. In fact, some say they’re surprised it hasn’t happened already.

One person who is unhappy is Clark County Commissioner Myrna Williams, whose district includes part of the Strip. She says the article sends the wrong message. And she can’t imagine any government agencies approving hotels having strip clubs.

The state’s gaming commission is the agency that ultimately would decide whether this idea becomes a reality. They did not return our phone calls.