UNLV law professor Peter Reilly is single and looking in Las Vegas. Single men outnumber single women by 30,000 in the city, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics.
Friday, Aug. 22, 2008 | 2 a.m.
Peter Reilly can’t seem to meet the right woman, he says, sipping tap water at a local pub where he occasionally brings dates.
Today he’s alone, looking out over the oak bar, an eligible bachelor with a good job and little baggage.
His criterion for a Mrs. isn’t too strict: just someone who wants to raise a family.
It’s been two years of bad dates and short-term relationships. This is not what he expected when he moved here from Topeka, Kan., to become a UNLV law professor.
“It felt like I needed a bigger city,” Reilly, 42, says. “It’s Vegas. I figured Vegas has a lot going on. That was a big draw.”
Certainly it is a place where single women seemingly wait in every club and lurk in every casino. But as Reilly discovered, many of them are tourists, here only briefly.
So he’s still single. And looking.
He’s not alone. Single men outnumber single women in Las Vegas by 30,000, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics. The trend also holds in the Los Angeles area, with nearly 90,000 more single men than women. That’s the opposite of New York City, which has 210,000 more single women than men.
Experts give two explanations for the imbalance.
Male-dominated career fields — think construction — have thrived in Las Vegas. Also, men are more likely to chase economic opportunity in new cities, while women tend to stay near family.
None of this matters to Reilly when he shows up for dates with women who admit they lied about their age or posted decade-old photos on the Internet.
Heidi Keller, president of Get Out, a Las Vegas activity club, knows about the demographic differential. The odds are not good for a fella in Las Vegas.
“It’s better for women,” she says with a laugh. “But I think it’s harder to meet people here, period. If you know your next-door neighbor, that can be rare. People are friendly. But it takes some time to meet them.”
Reilly, a good-looking and successful man who has never married, puts in the time and effort. He has been on blind dates set up by friends, dated women he met at Toastmasters. Others he connected with on the Internet.
He even hired a dating service aimed at professionals.
“It sounds pathetic,” he says. “All these vehicles.”
One woman wanted only advice on getting into law school. Another talked endlessly about her ex. He has met nice people. It’s just that nothing has clicked. Nobody wants a serious commitment.
National experts say part of the blame can be laid to the image of decadent and sinful Las Vegas and the people it attracts. They assume that single men in Las Vegas just aren’t good catches.
“Just the saying, ‘What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas’ is great, but not so great for women looking for a relationship,” says April Masini, the author of the popular “Ask April” dating advice column. “When you mention Las Vegas the first thing that comes to mind is gambling and prostitution. It’s not the image of eligible men. Or at least not the men you want to marry.”
Several UNLV professors said they didn’t feel qualified to comment on the demographics or the dating scene.
Their main research has been on prostitution.
Reilly is not a gambler. Nor does he solicit the illicit.
“All I need is one good person,” he says.
With that, he’s headed off to look some more.
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