Prostitution is legal in Panama. As with many countries having similar laws things like pimping are not. Prostitutes are officially required to carry cards for their work but many do not. That is especially true of the many freelancers who sell their services at haunts including the famous Veneto Hotel and Casino in the banking area of Panama City. As both a hotel and a casino the Veneto has seen better days.
While the hotel once approached the palatial parts of it are now pathetic. The Veneto has long been known as a place where mostly foreign guys meet with a mix of local and foreign women from places like Colombia and increasingly Venezuela. These men and women strikes deals among themselves for private encounters.
The reputation of the Veneto has even been brought up by some media outlets looking for the next great story. In reality the reporting most likely led to the Veneto getting more visitors. On any given night there can be as many as fifty women plying their trade in and around the Veneto. While these numbers may seem high they are actually down from a few years ago when the place was absolutely buzzing most nights of the week.
Some chalk the decrease in women up to a decision by the management at the Veneto to start charging customers fees for bringing women to their rooms. Most nights there are a few women posted up right in front of the entrance to the Veneto. Surprisingly these women can sometimes be among the most attractive in the area. They are not very aggressive but probably hope to grab a customer before he enters the casino and sees all of the other women available.
When customers do enter the casino they see the hotel desk and a restaurant to the left and a set of escalators immediately in front of them. These escalators lead up one floor to the casino. A security guard in a suit checks some customers but not others who enter. It seems that white western men are waved right through in most cases. At the top of the escalator sits the casino floor which is not all that big.
