CARSON CITY, Nev. — With the historic announcement by the Obama administration that the U.S. will begin easing long-strained diplomatic relations with Cuba, Bunny Ranch brothel owner Dennis Hof is vowing to bring his franchise of legalized prostitution to Havana.
“The Cuban people have suffered from government sanctions for generations, and the cultural awakening that its’ masses are about to experience would not be complete without the sexual empowerment for which the Bunny Ranch is known for world wide,” Hof said.
“I have always admired the spirit of the Cuban people. I look forward to working with the Cuban government to enrich their society, not only with the recreational pleasures that the Bunny Ranch is known for, but also with the infusion of good jobs to an embattled economy.”
Cuba has long been considered one of the world’s top destinations for so-called “sex tourists,” attracted by the beauty of Cuban woman, and the island nation’s overall low-cost price structure, the Bunny Ranch pointed out. By creating a legal framework to have Cuban working girls medically tested and regulated, Hof is seeking to replicate the proven safety and security — for both the girls and customer — guaranteed by the Bunny Ranch business model
While prostitution is currently only legal in the U.S. within several counties in Nevada, Hof has shown prior interest in taking the business nationwide, most recently offering the city of Phoenix a half a million dollars to let him operate temporarily during the 2015 Super Bowl. He has also been scouting locations in Canada, which recently legalized houses of prostitution. Now, Hof is looking to go global with the legal sex trade.
“I truly enjoy a good cigar, and when I appeared on the cover of Smoke magazine, they highlighted the Bunny Ranch’s humidor which is in the brothel parlor. I would love to fill the humidor at our new Havana location with Cuban cigars, and I would even welcome President Raul Castro to be my guest at the grand opening and smoke one with me in the parlor. If he wants to party with one or more of the girls, it would certainly be my treat. The Bunny Ranch has a long-standing policy of free sex for heads of state, and President Castro certainly wouldn’t be the first one to take me up on that offer.”
Despite the goodwill gesture, Hof noted that he’s still a patriot: “I won’t allow any missile silos on the Bunny Ranch-Havana grounds,” he quipped.
