LAS VEGAS -- Online dating is taking a new turn, and it's because of a growing business based in Las Vegas. Seeking Arrangement links together young women looking to have all-expenses paid with older, rich men, and everything's for sale.
The rich, the one percent, whatever you want to call them. Often, their dating and relationship life isn't like the vast majority -- the 99 percent of Nevadans. If pop culture has taught us anything, it's that rich men can buy women luxury items to flaunt their wealth.
Now a website growing in popularity let's them buy women too -- SeekingArrangement.com.
Men simply say what they're net worth is and what monthly allowance they're willing to give.
"I get a monthly allowance. He takes care of all my bills, my tuition, books," said 23-year-old UNLV student Miranda Davis. "My monthly allowance is $3,500, and on top of my bills and stuff like that. If I need more, I can always get more."
Davis calls herself one of Seeking Arrangement's sugar babies. She is an accounting major at UNLV, one of more than 90 Rebel students registered on the website.
"College would be a lot more difficult for the simple fact, I wouldn't be able to be a full time student. I am also a single mother. I have a son. I would have to be working, taking care of him, worrying about all the other stuff -- the bills and stuff that they provide," she said.
On the whole, this isn't the case of financially struggling women using the only means they have for social mobility or even survival. Davis isn't using her $3,000 a month allowance merely for the essentials. Luxury shopping trips aren't cheap.
Seeking Arrangement founder Brandon Wade started the website in 2006. A few months back, the Las Vegas-based business topped one million users. There are 10 women for every man on the site.
"I think people have this misconception of what a sugar daddy is," said Wade. "They think it's somebody who's old and lecherous, but that concept of a sugar daddy being a Hugh Hefner with tons and tons of playmates is sort of the old-fashioned way of thinking of what a sugar daddy is. The modern sugar daddy is somebody who's successful, who's generous, who's willing to empower you. The average sugar daddy on SeekingArrangement.com is about 38-years-old."
One so-called sugar daddy is older than the average age, and agreed to talk on the condition of anonymity.
"I've been a successful executive and CEO several times. I can afford to do this," he said. "People that want prostitution right now can go to numerous websites or the vans that drive up and down the Strip and call that number and there will be somebody in your room that will have sex with you today. Normally, on Seeking Arrangement, certainly in my case, we normally have coffee or lunch to decide if we're going forward. So there is no sex or physical relationship in the beginning anyway."
However, the sugar daddy admits that there is an expectation of sex later in the relationship.
"When a sugar daddy and a sugar baby meet, there has to be chemistry before the relationship moves into a romantic level. Whereas a prostitute, when she meets a client, she accepts money for sex. So there's a clear distinction when one involves emotions and chemistry whereas the other one does not," said Wade.
As long as they keep direct prostitution off their webpage, there is nothing illegal about Seeking Arrangement and the dozens of competing online businesses. Some of Seeking Arrangement's customers simply see this as a phase in their lives -- an easy way to get lots of money fast.
But times are tough, Nevada is still reeling from recession and many of the young women on the site believe this is the only way they have to live the life of the richest one percent -- monetize and sell their attractiveness, their beauty, and if they chose, their bodies.
Seeking Arrangement doesn't limit its market. The website says that 15 percent of their client base are gay and lesbian, and sugar mommy's are on the site too, looking for young men.
Seeking Arrangement founder Brandon Wade
Miranda Davis
