The Technically Legal Pro

Dennis Hof, owner of the Moonlight Bunny Ranch, and his employees.

A tea party at the Bunny Ranch.

Bunny Ranch girls lining up upon the arrival of a new client.

The issue of legality in regards to prostitution can be very loose, no pun intended. While streetwalkers who are seen propositioning johns on the side of the road may be arrested and certain websites where pros can advertise their services are considered to be legally unacceptable, other websites have still been allowed to keep their members’ profiles up. Craigslist, for example, previously made upwards of $36 million annually from their adult services section alone before being forced to remove the section altogether in a legal battle over the erotic ads that were being posted on their site. On the other hand, Seeking Arrangement, the top escort website where people can browse sugar babies’ profiles and contact them to arrange private meetings, has not met anywhere near the same kind of legal fire that Craigslist did.

According to Brandon Wade, the founder and CEO of Seeking Arrangement, the website is simply encouraging romantic relationships between two people, with the only difference being that the sugar daddy is very wealthy. The way it works, according to Wade, is “basically, a sugar daddy will message a sugar baby he is interested in and he will mention what he is looking for. In her profile, she will ask for what she wants in terms of a monthly allowance. After a certain point, they exchange emails and phone numbers and have a dinner date.” Additionally, those who join the website solely to exchange sex for money would be using the website in violation of the terms of agreement. We all know that no man in his right mind would willingly fork over upwards of $3,000 per month to simply talk, but apparently, that clever explanation is enough for Seeking Arrangement to be considered a legal website, and therefore sugar babies are technically acceptable in the eyes of the law as well.

There also exists a kind of institution that doesn’t rely on clever explanations to cover up their true intentions. At these institutions, known as highly regulated brothels, people can legally exchange sex for money and vice versa without ever having to fear that they will end up in the back of a police car. Currently, there are 28 licensed brothels, all of which are in very isolated, rural areas in the state of Nevada.

The legal pro is not like the typical prostitute. They do not get to sell their services whenever and wherever they want, to whomever they want, or however they want. Legal prostitutes must operate from inside of one of the 28 licensed brothels, and they must be handpicked by the owners since brothels tend to be very selective to ensure their clients’ satisfaction. Legal prostitutes are also handpicked from a line-up by johns; when customers come in, the pros who are available line up and introduce themselves. If they are chosen, they then negotiate the price with their client, of which 50% goes to the owners of the brothel, and an additional 30% goes to the taxi driver if the john happened to arrive by cab. Legal prostitutes are also expected to pay federal income tax but do not receive any work benefits, even though they typically live at the brothel for weeks at a time while they are on duty. Lastly, legal prostitutes are required to use condoms with their clients and submit to regular HIV testing.

These requirements, strictly mandated at brothels, are not at all expected of sugar babies. Sugar babies can choose who to sleep with, do not have to use condoms or get tested regularly, are able to keep 100% of their profits without reporting any of their income to the government, and do not have to give up 30% of their earnings just because their clients decide to show up in a cab. They essentially get the best of both worlds: they benefit from not having to follow any strict requirements, yet they are still just as legally acceptable as those who work at brothels. Thus, it is easy to see why becoming a sugar baby is so quickly becoming the preferred method of prostitution.