Douglas County authorities say they have no plans to launch an investigation into allegations a Harrah's Tahoe employee was raped by Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Rothlisberger last summer.

A spokesman for the Douglas County Sheriff's office says the alleged victim would have to file a crminal complaint before an investigation could begin.

The woman, an Executive Casino Host, says she was assaulted by the football player in his room and reported it to the chief of security at Harrah's, but after hearing her complaint dismissed as "overreacting" and fearing for her job, didn't go to police.

Roethlisberger's attorney and others have pointed to that lack of a criminal complaint, and the fact that the alleged victim waited a year to take any action, as evidence her accusations are false.

But it turns out if the woman was raped, she has plenty of company. More often than not, that's what happens.

Those who long experience dealing with rape say time was as many as 75 percent of rape victims never reported the assault. Today it's about 60 percent.

Victims don't come forward for some obvious reasons. "Fear is huge, self blame, pressure, outside sources of presssure,friend, family members, co-workers," says Kathy Jacobs of Reno's Crisis Call Center.

Jacobs is the center's Executive Director and for nearly two decades an integral part of Washoe County's Sexual Assault Support Services.

She is commenting on rape cases in general, not on this particular accusation, but regardless of the outcome of the lawsuit against Roethlisberger she says it will have an impact on others.

She's seen it happen before. Previous high profile rape cases, like the accusations against Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant in 2003 have a chilling effect on rape victims everywhere.

"They see this person, put under the magnifying glass, the exploitation in the media and though their case may not be high profile, they expect they'll be treated the same way."

"It doesn't matter what the outcome is but reported cases of rape in our community drop dramatically for months afterward."

Jacobs says in the immediate trauma after a rape the victim faces isolation, conflicting forces, a world in which everyone else goes on as normal, but for them is changed forever.

"In that immediate trauma phase, just getting out of bed every morning is a great accomplishment."

During this confusing time, the victim faces the daunting prospect of a decision of whether to report the attack, and if so, submit to an examination they may fear.

Jacobs says there's been a big change in that regard, at least here in Washoe County. New federal legislation allows a rape victim to anonymously submit to an examination up to 7 days after the attack, and take up to 4 years to decide whether to file a criminal complaint.

That gives a victim time to recover, gain perspective and make of their mind about a criminal complaint. The evidence will be there under an anonymous ID number is case they decide to go forward. So far, in Nevada that option is only in place in Washoe and Clark counties.

Bottom line: more often than not, rapes go unreported, for reasons which are only magnified in a high profile case, for that victim and everyone else, but changes are in the works to give the vicitm more time to decide.