How Much Money do Strip Clubs Make?

A recent article about HOW THE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN IS RESULTING IN MORE WOMEN MAKING “STRIPPER” A CAREER CHOICE,  shared these interesting facts:

• New York City and Miami dancers at Rick’s Caberet, noted for being more upscale gentlemen’s clubs, pull in between $100,000 and $300,000 a year.  In cash.
• Most strip clubs have profit margins of about 50%.
• Two publically-traded companies that are in the club business, Rick’s Caberet and VCG Holding, reported $60 million and $57 million, respectively, for fiscal year 2008. 
• Dancers are independent contracters, paying the house a nightly fee in exchange for dancing and keeping their tips.  Rick’s fee is $100 a night, while Scores (also in New York), the dancers pay $300 a night.

An excerpt from a July 2008 article in the NY Daily News that’s posted on the Rick’s Caberet site says that Ricks operates 14 clubs around the country; VCG operates eight and manages five.