Las Vegas lures students with beer pong

LAS VEGAS, April 11 (UPI) -- Las Vegas has been advertising itself as a spring break destination for older collegians with "beer pong" competitions and "shot girls" bearing free drinks.

MGM Mirage's promotion also featured $59 hotel rooms and free pizza, The Washington Times reports.

Las Vegas has lost a lot of business in the economic downturn. For students, however, the resort is a cheaper alternative to foreign trips.

"Financially, I didn't think that I could afford to spend $1,200 or $1,500 on a trip to Mexico like everyone else was doing," said Lauren Yelichek, a junior at Kent State.

Yelichek said five nights at the Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino set her back $425, and she ended up in a suite because the hotel had so many empty rooms.

Bill Kalogeras, a junior at the College of Las Vegas and ambulance driver, said he has noticed more of his fellow students coming as tourists. He said Las Vegas, a day's drive from California, has also become an alternative to Mexico because of publicity about drug killings along the U.S.-Mexico border.