Incentive events for big business may be in the doghouse, but special events are the solution--at least in the eyes of Reno, Nev., city council--to boosting city coffers. The council is investigating ways to turn an abandoned golf course into a venue for music festivals, the Reno Gazette Journal reported yesterday.

One city councilman pointed to the success of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, held in April on polo club grounds near Palm Springs, Calif. The three-day event, which has drawn crowds as big as 300,000, commands roughly $100-a-day tickets.

The spread of Indian gaming casinos has diluted Reno's lure as a gambling mecca, officials say.

Photo by iStockphoto.com/© Craig Cozart

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