Proof

I mentioned this in a conversation earlier and wasn't believed, so here is the evidence:

"Lebanese governments did their best to encourage the movement of foreign capital into the country by deregulating the currency exchanges and adopting banking secrecy laws. These and other measures made Beirut a major international banking center and earned Lebanon the reputation as the Switzerland of the Middle East. . . . The city offered other attractions as well. Its luxury hotels, its Las Vegas-style casino, and its flashy nightclubs drew all manner of pleasure seekers." -- William L. Cleveland's "A History of the Modern Middle East," pages 323-324