This might indeed be how it’s going to go from now through November: every day or two, a couple of new stories to talk about on the casino issue. Today’s developments:
- Globe op-ed columnist Joan Vennochi has seemed skeptical about the casino enterprise in the past, but today she laid her cards on the table, so to speak: she’s in favor of repealing the casino law. Her basic argument:
Boston doesn’t need it anymore. The city’s booming economy is the best argument against building a Boston-area casino — and for repealing the law that allows it.
The cranes tell the story. They are everywhere in Boston, tangible evidence of the new urgency to build. Their presence means there’s work for the building trades — diminishing labor’s need to promote a slots palace in Everett or Revere as the only job development plan in town. In April, the Boston unemployment rate fell to 5.5 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
If jobs are the rationale, the state can do without casinos, too. In May, the overall jobless rate for the state fell to 5.6 percent, the lowest in six years.
Sure, many people still need work, but casinos are no longer the best medicine for a state suffering the ill effects of a national recession. Not that they ever were.
I’m pretty sure some in the building trades, including our own striker57, would disagree with Vennochi’s assessment, and I’d be interesting in hearing them weigh in directly on her argument.
- Meanwhile, the Globe reports that several casino operators who would normally be competing with each other may band together to wage a coordinated campaign against repealing the casino law at the ballot this fall. What’s most interesting about this story is who is not quoted: Steve Wynn, the casino mogul who wants to build in Everett. Wynn “declined to comment” for that story, but he made his view on campaigning against a ballot question pretty clear several weeks back in a fabulous interview with Commonwealth Magazine:
CW: How concerned are you about a referendum question making it on to the ballot this November repealing the gaming law?
WYNN: There ought to be a consensus of the people that live there that it’s a good idea because without that consensus it’s never going to be a good business. When a legislature does it unilaterally and someone says let’s have a referendum to cancel out those assholes in the capital, I’m saying to myself whoa. I hope there isn’t a serious issue about the acceptability of it in Massachusetts. That would be disappointing and confusing. When states have ballot measures, my take on this, after having had this job for 40-odd years, is that it’s inappropriate for us to work it.
There are many reasons to love that answer beyond the brilliantly off-color language. The big one, of course, is Wynn’s surprisingly farsighted view that, even if he could spend his way into winning a ballot question, in the long run doing so might be bad for business, because he needs the community to be behind his business if it’s going to do well here over many years. And so, apparently, he doesn’t intend to participate in a campaign to defeat the ballot question, instead trusting the people of Massachusetts to make up their own minds. I’m not a huge fan of Wynn’s business, obviously, but kudos to him for seeing that, on this issue at least, his business interests align with letting the people make up their own minds.
Speaker DeLeo spoke with WGBH News yesterday about the dark clouds he’s starting to see on the budget horizon if the casino repeal becomes law, e.g., next year we could be looking at a hole in our revenues of 3/10ths of one percent. That’s right — a full 3/10ths. More here.
then he will either have to find the $75 million in savings, or take a vote to raise the amount in new taxes. That number is based on 0.3% of a $25 billion budget estimate. Of course the number changes depending on the actual budget total.
The idea put forward by Joan Vennochi that Boston’s unemployment rate has dropped and therefor our state doesn’t need casinos as a job creation tool is, at best, a selective use of data to make her point. And it assumes that Boston is the only area impacted by casinos job creation.
The state apparently doesn’t keep a dedicated unemployment rate for the construction trades while keeping track of job creation and loss in the trades (my limited research skills couldn’t find an unemployment rate for Massachusetts construction workers on any state website. However, I did find that the national unemployment rate for construction trades
for May 2014 is 8.6% – well above the overall unemployment rate.
http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNU04032231?data_tool=XGtable
I was able to find the overall unemployment rate by city and town in Massachusetts for May. The Mass Executive Office of Labor reported that the state unemployment rate was 5.6%. So what are the rates in municipalities impacted by potential casino development?
Unemployment in Plainville is 6.2%. In Springfield it’s 8.4%. In Revere the unemployment rate is 5.8%. In Boston it’s 5.1%. In Everett it’s 5.4% Looking at a couple of cities who have signed surrounding community agreements with Mohegan Sun – the unemployment rate in Lynn is 6.2% and in Chelsea it’s 6.3%.
http://lmi2.detma.org/lmi/town_comparison.asp
While Vennochi paints a rosy picture in Boston, other cities and towns are struggling for jobs. Yes there are cranes in Boston and yes there has been an increase in construction jobs over the year and in May. The EOL press release dated June 19, 2014 notes that in May, 900 construction jobs were created for a 0.7% increase. Great news.
http://lmi2.detma.org/lmi/news_release_state.asp
The problem . . . In March Massachusetts lost 900 construction jobs for a 0.7% loss.
http://www.masslive.com/business-news/index.ssf/2014/04/massachusetts_adds_8100_jobs_in_march_un.html
In April 2014, construction gained 200 jobs or 0.2%.
http://www.masslive.com/business-news/index.ssf/2014/05/massachusetts_unemployment_drops_3_tenth.html
For the last three months construction jobs have been mostly a wash, something Vennochi fails to explain in her column.
On another thread I made the point that it takes 5-7 years from proposal to groundbreaking for a construction project. Building Trades Unions are always working to have the next project in the pipeline. While construction employment has remained stable for the last three months the need to have future projects is vital. Expanded gaming offers that jobs creation within construction.
Increasing construction jobs adds opportunity for young women and men to have a career through apprenticeships. Increasing construction jobs means existing building trades workers have more job opportunities and those who left the industry during hard times have the chance to return.
I did notice that Vennochi limited her comments to Boston, which I thought was odd given that the two on the shortest timeframes are Plainville (already under construction) and Springfield. More to come, no doubt.
Have you considered the examples of cities where thousands of jobs were lost because casinos set up and replace workers with slot machines?
We have to think longer term than just a building. One casino takes in almost a billion dollars every year, with a minimal staff of around 3,000 (most maintenance and very low-paying). That’s about 100,000 taken in per employee. This is one of the worst ratios for any industry. It is very “efficient”, because they are able to take hundreds of millions of dollars out of economy withut hiring a lot of people.
This is the miracle of modern technology and slot machines. This is not a sustainable way to create jobs and build for the future.
http://www.thesunchronicle.com/news/local_news/workers-at-plainridge-betting-on-project-continuing/article_fec5a2ec-fbcf-11e3-988d-001a4bcf887a.html
The law is already creating ans sustaining jobs. What provisions in the repeal questions offer benefits for those losing jobs with its passage?
The casinos will employ plenty of people — more lobbyists, more marketing people, more advertising executives to fight the repeal. More of their ‘sustainable’ jobs that last for a few months.
Where are the provisions in the casino law that offer benefits for the thousands of local establishments who will lose jobs if the repeal fails? Once these casinos are built, we are stuck with decades of watching Massachusetts residents’ money drain to Nevada and watching our jobs disappear.
Defeating the casino bill is our best chance to preserve real, permanent, existing Massachusetts jobs that rely on discretionary spending.
All those are permanent jobs, especially the lobbyists who will have lifetime careers working to get the lege to remove restrictions on the casinos, give them special considerations, and lower their taxes. All hail the Job Creators!
“Where are the provisions in the casino law that offer benefits for the thousands of local establishments who will lose jobs if the repeal fails ? ”
That is hyperbole and blatant exaggeration that has no factual basis in reality in the majority of communities that host such a facility. This is a common anti-casino narrative repeatedly put forth that should not be acceptable at face value without definitive proof of such an occurrence in the majority of communities that site such a facility. If you have that proof of such occurences that can make that case, you should provide it. There are 1000 such facilities in 40 states and in not one single instance has there ever been a repeal of those facilities in any community that sites one. And no sweeping generalizations and studies by paid and biased anti-casino researchers are not proof of such occurrence.
Further, If one logically looks at what is being proposed at the Plainridge Park facility in Plainville, there is no case to be made for such occurrence. Certainly large box business like Lowes, Home Depot, will not be affected in the least by such a facility. Further, a Flutie sport bar and a few more dining options at the facility will have ZERO effect whatsoever on small businesses in the Plainville area. Beyond that, Penn National has several cross promotional deals with entertainment venues in the area.
In Springfield, certainly the MGM proposal will do nothing to hurt an already very depressed and hurting area. It can only help the area. These statements that casino opponents make have no factual basis in reality whatsoever. Further if you would like to prove these statements, you should do so.
From PBS Frontline:
Maybe you should read a few of these studies before making such sweeping pronouncements:
Alberta Lotteries and Gaming. 1994. Gambling and Problem Gambling in Alberta. Edmonton, Alberta. January.
American Psychiatric Association. 1994. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. (“pathological gambling”) Vol. 312.31, pp. 615-618.
Bartlett, John. 1968. Familiar Quotations. 14th. Edition. Boston; Little Brown.
Better Government Association. 1992. Staff White Paper. Casino Gambling in Chicago. Chicago, IL.
California Governor’s Office of Planning and Research, 1992. California and Nevada: Subsidy, Monopoly, and Competitive Effects of Legalized Gambling. ES-1. Sacramento, CA: California’s Governor’s Office. December.
Clotfelter, Charles and Phillip Cook. 1989. Selling Hope, Cambridge, MA: National Bureau for Economic Research, Harvard University Press.
Congressional Hearing, 1994. The National Impact of Casino Gambling Proliferation: Hearing Before the House Committee on Small Business. 103rd Congress, 2nd. Session. Washington, D.C.
Dyckman, Martin. 1994. “Misleading the Public.” St. Petersburg Times. November 1, p. Al3.
Florida Governor’s Office of Planning and Budgeting. 1994. Casinos in Florida: An Analysis of the Economic and Social Impacts. Tallahassee, FL: Florida Governor’s Office.
Goodman, Robert. 1994. Legalized Gambling as a Strategy for Economic Development. Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Center for Economic Development.
Grinols, Earl. 1994. “Bluff or Winning Hand? Riverboat Gambling and Regional Employment and Unemployment.” Illinois Business Review (Spring ): 6-11.
Grinols, Earl and J. Omorov. 1995. “Development or Dreamfield Delusions?: Assessing Casino Gambling’s Costs and Benefits.” University of Illinois, September.
Illinois Governor’s Office. 1992. Governor James Edgar, Press Release. “Governor Warns Land-Based Casinos Could Bring Crime Surge as well as Overall Loss of Jobs and State Revenues.” September 29 (summarizing several Illinois State reports).
Iowa Department of Human Services. 1995. Gambling and Problem Gambling in Iowa: A Replication Survey. July 28.
Kindt, John. 1995. “U.S. National Security And The Strategic Economic Base: The Business/Economic Impacts Of The Legalization Of Gambling Activities.” Saint Louis Law School Journal 39, p. 567.
Kindt, John. 1994a. “The Negative Impacts Of Legalized Gambling On Businesses.” University of Miami Business Law Journal 4, p. 93.
Kindt, John. 1994b. “The Economic Impacts Of Legalized Gambling Activities.” Drake Law Review 43, pp. 51, 66 n. 119.
Lavelle, Louis. 1994. “Voters Deal Loss to Casinos; Gambling Backers Lose Despite $16-5 Million Campaign.” Tampa Tribune. November 9, pp. 1, 5.
Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Administration. 1994. Task Force on Gambling Addiction in Maryland. Annapolis, Maryland.
Nelson, Todd. 1993. “S.D. bankruptcies down 5 percent: Judge: Gambling caused most cases.” Argus Leader (Sioux Falls, S.D.) January 15, p. 1.
News Leader (Springfield, Missouri). 1995. “Jeff City rejects riverboat gambling approved in ’92.” November 8, p. 1.
Petroski, William. 1995. “Study: More gamblers in jeopardy.” Des Moines Register. August 25, pp. Al, A2.
Politzer, Robert, James Morrow and Sandra Leavey. 1981. Report on the Societal Cost of Pathological Gambling and the Cost-Benefit Effectiveness of Treatment. 5th National Conference on Gambling and Risk Taking.
Teske, Paul and Bela Sur. 1991. “Winners and Losers: Politics, Casino Gambling, and Development in Atlantic City.” Policy Studies Review 10 (Spring/ Summer): 130-137.
Simurda, Stephen F. 1994. “When Gambling Comes To Town.” Columbia Journalism Review (January-February): 36-38.
Spayd, Liz and Yolanda Woodlee. 1993. “Trade Board Rejects D.C. Casino Plan.” Washington Post. September 25, pp. Al, A8.
Thompson, William, Ricardo Gazel, and Dan Rickman 1995. The Economic Impact of Native American Gambling in Wisconsin. Wisconsin Policy Research Institute Report.
U.S. Commission on the Review of the National Policy Toward Gambling. 1976. Gambling in America. Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office.
Van Der Slik, Jack. 1990. “Legalized gambling: predatory policy.” Illinois Issues (March): 10.
Wartzman, Rick. 1995. “Bayou Backlash: Gambling Is Proving To Be a Poor Wager For State of Louisiana: Business Is Disappointing And an FBI Graft Probe Roils a Jaded Electorate.” Wall Street Journal. September 11, p. 1.
Worthington, Rogers. 1995. “Poor get poorer at tribal casinos, says study of Wisconsin ‘gamers’.” Chicigo Tribune. April 11, p. 1.
but Kindt, Grinols, Goodman, and Gazel immediately set off the alarm bells. Completely debunked nonsense and I will respond to that. First I want to see If you’ve offered anything new in your links. I will tell you up front, that if any of this if from the “Institute Of American Values” and Why Casinos Matter, it’s not worth the paper it’s printed on.
You know, you can’t expect to be taken seriously if you just dismiss evidence based on your undisclosed anonymous expertise. If you want to refute evidence with evidence, please go ahead.
I’m not sure what’s acceptable here.
that directly support a point you want to make are fine, and in fact are encouraged. A post with a string of links, however, will be flagged by our spam filter, so use discretion.
feel free to delete anything you find unacceptable. Basically the point I want to make is that the claims of Griols, Kindt, ect are not what they appear to be. I also want to make the case that the statement that these are jobs that nobody could possible want or need is false, I want to provide facts on the ground to debunk the idea that these facilities bring rampant crime, ect… If Grinols, Kindt, are to be taken as authority then I want to use a few links that are obviously located on sites of the pro-casino variety but written by independent sources.
And that somehow prevents you from actually backing up your points and makes it ok to simply assert a whole collection of papers is bogus because of some imagined association with some outside organization that you want us to believe is inherently bad because you say it is?
And we should believe you because of how obviously right you were about how the SJC ruling was going to come out? 😉
As to “Why Casinos Matter”, I’d love to see a link debunking that report, where is it?
preview is definitely a button to be used before bloviating.
…because if comment editing were allowed, unscrupulous commenters would be able to change what was said after other commenters reply.
Same thing with Why Casinos Matter. Not even a study. Patchwork cherry picking of studies already debunked. Of course we will never agree john but isn’t it ok to hear both sides ? The people should be able to judge which side they believe. It worked out fine for your side in several communities and in others it didn’t. Both sides should be heard. Of course you can say the AGA is biased. But certainly Grinols and Kindt have never denied where they stand and who they’re working for and that is the National Anti-Casino-Gambling Movement. Why are they above being questioned. In many cases they’ve be debunked by their own intellectual peers with no skin in the game at all.
You say they’ve been debunked, but provide no proof. As to both sides should be heard, that’s the same nonsense we’ve heard over and over through the years – tobacco, leaded gasoline, creationism, global climate change, I could go on and on.
Provide proof, or admit you have none.
Why does the lack of a repeal indicate that there are no negative consequences of casinos on other businesses or to the state or region as a whole? I don’t think *anyone* expects casinos to get shut down involuntarily once they are opened, regardless of negative outcomes. That is exactly why we don’t want them open in the first place. It is almost impossible to get rid of casinos once a region becomes dependent on them as a source of revenue and, to some degree, jobs.
and in not one single instance has there ever been a repeal of those facilities in any community that sites one.
Well, what do you expect? Think it through for a moment, and it’ll be apparent that even where there’s a legal avenue to do it, once a casino is sited and operating repeal will be wildly unlikely even where that casino is a disaster for its host community. It’s always easier, and much safer, to decide not to authorize a dangerous business in the first place than to get rid of it if you try it and it doesn’t work out, or if the overall harm of allowing the business to continue turns out to outweigh any associated benefits.
That’s especially true of casinos as the model has been presented to us. Part of what makes them a dangerous investment is their too-big-to-fail impact on many communities. If MGM Springfield doesn’t work to revitalize the whole city, and instead its presence drives out any remaining non-affiliated businesses and opportunities to start businesses, and if it’s not as profitable as MGM hopes (hardly an unreasonable fear, with casinos failing elsewhere and competition coming on line all over the Northeast), the city will be considerably worse off than if it hadn’t gone down this road in the first place. And what sort of leverage do you think Springfield would then have when MGM came to them to ask to renegotiate the host community agreement in MGM’s favor?
But even under those circumstances, MGM would be the only game in town. Springfield wouldn’t be calling for repeal because whether there were as many jobs as rosy predictions promised or not, whether they were good jobs or not, and whether MGM were generating the kind of revenues the city had hoped for or not, it would be trapped. Those jobs and that revenue would be all there was, and if MGM closed down it would be a nightmare. Springfield — any city — needs a diversified and reasonably strong economy to already exist in order to have any protection at all against this kind of result.
“Nobody else has repealed gaming authorization!” just isn’t even a half-decent demonstration that it’s a successful economic strategy. Perhaps you could tell us about all the places that look like Massachusetts and that have had success with this model in recent years, and that have casinos that aren’t in any trouble at all, instead?
” Springfield — any city — needs a diversified and reasonably strong economy to already exist in order to have any protection at all against this kind of result. ”
Yes, that is true, but no solutions are forthcoming. It’s feel good talk, most often uttered by professional class Progressives and Conservatives without a plan. Bio-tech and life science jobs for all sounds good on paper, but it is not a reality on the ground. You cannot snap a finger, and produce some alternative reality because you wish it so.
Further, at Plainridge, we are talking about real people with real jobs on the line. We are talking real construction people with boots on the ground. We are talking about a Harness Racing industry with horse farms spread throughout the state in jeopardy. Thousands of real people involved. The people of Plainville overwhelming approved of the expansion at the facility. Harness Racing in Foxboro was booming decades ago drawing tens of thousands daily with little to no problems. What makes you think a facility like the one proposed will present problems. Do you seriously think that people who attend the facility at Plainridge are not already going to the facility at Twin Rivers and to the CT casinos ? Patriot Place is an enormous complex that operates up the road where the Raceway used to sit. The facility being proposed in Plainville will produce 1/5th of the traffic trips that Patriot Place does.
Further, the protections in the Ma. Casino Law are the most stringent in the country with protections that exist in very few locales. The host and surrounding community process is unique to put protections in place. Honestly, no I don’t really care for the model. As I stated to Ryan’s Take at the Globe, I never liked the region idea, I hate the idea of 100 percent smoke free casinos without even minimal smoking areas, I think the final locations absolutely suck except for the central location of Plainridge Park and the Taunton location. No, I don’t think we needed three destination resort casinos and I thought one destination resort with medium sized facilities at the tracks — Suffolk, Raynham, and Plainridge was the way to go. That’s not how it worked out and obviously the voters in Revere, Everett, and Springfield disagree and think they have the best locations. I still fully support implementation of the casino law for the jobs, revenues, construction jobs, blue-collar trades ect…
If horse racing is no longer a viable business on its own, there is no reason to prop it up with totally unrelated gambling. If people don’t want to watch horse racing any more, then why should we be subsidizing it? It is bad enough to be exploiting horses for cheap entertainment, but to be doing it when no one is watching?
that’s pretty funny. If horses could speak Secretariat or Niatross would hardly talk of being exploited. They loved to run and race. You’ve obviously never been around horses. Although, there exists a minute section of trainers and owners who nefariously do exploit horses that shouldn’t run or continued to be raced.
I see this entire thread became its own forum, so let me just respond to this directly:
“Where are the provisions in the casino law that offer benefits for the thousands of local establishments who will lose jobs if the repeal fails ? ”
Actually, this is what the non-casino funded research says, and its very clear. I will devote a separate post to a full look at the research rather than spam this thread with more. I urge you to look into a few of the classic case examples, like for instance: Detroit. Atlantic City. Queens. Cleveland. At the state level, where are the country’s worst economies? Nevada has been the bottom-dweller for decades, but Rhode Island is finally creeping up. Also Illinois, Mississippi, Michigan. These are economies literally devastated because billions of dollars go directly from their residents to casino owners. This is not magic, this is by design.
Just because you use the word “logically” doesn’t make the argument logical. How is a slot parlor supposed to create more sustainable jobs than are already in an economy? People take their money, put them into a row of machines, and a few people are there to watch them.
This is the economy of the future you want to see? This is what you think works to build a solid foundation on?
Where are these mythical strong economies casinos have built?
That logic worked great in Detroit, which was the first city in American history to go bankrupt last year after they tried to “revive” the city with 3 resort casinos. It’s weird, its almost like people started spending their money on the casinos, where the profits leave the state, rather than spending it on Detroit businesses.
http://www.ksfy.com/story/14462556/thousands-show-up-to-sioux-falls-casino-job-fair
(Excerpts)
1,000 people show up to casino job fair
This weekend is the start of the Grand Falls Casino Resort job fair.
The job fair is being held until 5 p.m. Sunday at the Hilton Garden Inn in
Sioux Falls which is north of the Louise exit on I-229.
Organizers say people were lined up outside before the job fair started. They were expecting about 500 people but more than 1,000 people showed up.
The casino is hiring for various positions.
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20110408/news/704089967/?interstitial=1
(Excerpts)
Thousands try their luck at casino job fair in Rosemont——-
‘We’ve already exceeded 3,000 applications on that website. Obviously, after (today) that’s going to go up tremendously. It’s going fantastic, the flow is nice, the quality of people is wonderful.’
Des Plaines Mayor Marty Moylan urged unemployed city residents to apply.
‘If we didn’t have a casino, we wouldn’t have this opportunity,’ he said. ‘By the turnout here, obviously jobs is the number one issue.’——–
The $445 million Rivers Casino will house 1,200 gambling positions and several restaurants and bars on about 20 acres off Des Plaines River Road between Touhy and Devon avenues. It is expected to generate millions in annual gambling tax revenues for the state, city and area communities.
Moylan said between the casino and Rosemont’s development of a 200,000-square-foot entertainment district off the Tri-State Tollway, residents throughout the region will benefit.
http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2011-11-02/business/fl-casino-job-fair-20111102_1_new-casinos-florida-casinos-job-seekers
(Excerpts)
Job seekers see potential in South Florida’s gambling industry.
Nearly 4,000 job applicants stood in line for hours, a few all night, to interview Wednesday for one of 800 new jobs at the expanding Seminole Casino Coconut Creek.
The casino, which could only interview about half the job seekers who attended the job fair on Wednesday, gave interview appointments through Tuesday to those in line.
Altogether, the Seminoles employ more than 10,000 workers at seven Florida casinos, including about 1,000 current employees at the Seminole Coconut Creek.
http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/business/750-new-jobs-go-up-for-grabs-in-abq
(Excerpts)
ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) – Its a big week for thousands of New Mexicans looking for jobs as two businesses have more than 700 new jobs to fill and they’re going all out to hire people.
While thousands of jobs have been lost in New Mexico during the recession, a big bump in new work has hit the Albuquerque area all being showcased with huge job fairs this week.
Thousands of people showed up at one of those job fairs on Monday at Albuquerques new Downs Racetrack and Casino. The venue hosted day one of its two day job fair on Monday to long lines of people with high hopes.
The Downs is hiring a long list of positions.
http://www.theindychannel.com/money/thousands-line-up-to-cash-in-on-casino-jobs
(Excerpts)
Thousands Line Up To Cash In On Casino Jobs
Indiana Live! Job Fair Draws Lines Of People
Thousands of Hoosiers lined up outside a casino on Friday to try their luck not at the tables, but at hitting the jackpot with a new job.
Organizers were looking to fill 350 positions at the new Indiana Live! Casino, but more than double that number showed up for Friday’s job fair, lining up out the door and down the street to get an interview, 6News’ Sarah Cornell reported.
General Manager Mark Hemmerele said with so many people looking for work, attitude might trump experience.
Thousands of people without work, scrambling for the scraps casinos have to offer.
Do you find it odd that the economy is so poor in Indiana? I mean they have 12 casinos, shouldn’t their economy be booming by now? If one casino is going to create wealth here in Massachusetts, its incredible 12 haven’t made Indiana’s economy the top in the country.
Instead, Indiana is 5th in the nation in bankruptcies. Who holds the top spot? The article linked tells the story: “Nevada holds its sad crown” as the top state for bankruptcies many years running.
This is the casino economy: casinos proudly throwing out scraps to the communities they’ve devastated.
http://www.dmschools.org/news_release/prairie-meadows-community-betterment-grants-awarded-to-10-dmps-programs/
(Excerpts)
Prairie Meadows Community Betterment Grants Awarded to 10 DMPS Programs—–
“We are grateful for the generous contributions Prairie Meadows continues to make to the Des Moines Public Schools,” said Dr. Nancy Sebring, superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools. “The grant funds received by our schools and programs will provide many needed resources, such as new books and school uniforms for our students, and the opportunity for the use of innovative learning tools, such as the video modeling project for autistic students at Ruby Van Meter.”
Prairie Meadows has given more than $1 billion through taxes, grants and charitable donations to the state of Iowa. More than $435 million of that has remained in our community to promote education, economic development, agriculture, jobs and tourism.
http://www.grbj.com/articles/68065 DORR
(Excerpts)
The Allegan Area Educational Service Agency, formerly known as the Allegan Intermediate School District, is an unlikely advocate for the expansion of casino gambling into West Michigan. The organization, along with member districts Wayland, Hopkins and Allegan, have all publicly supported the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians’ efforts to develop a tribal casino in Wayland Township.
“When you start talking to superintendents across the state, you find that every place a casino has gone in it’s had a positive impact to local school districts,” said AAESA Superintendent Ron Fuller. “That’s why I’m here — for increased opportunities for kids in AlleganCounty.”
http://www.peoriatimes.com/news/article_9cbc8d90-b82d-11e2-9b1e-0019bb2963f4.html
(Excerpts)
Joe McCord, a member of the Peoria Unified School District Governing Board, gave reasons why he supports the resolution. He said when the issue first came to the public’s attention, “I didn’t pay much attention to it until I kept hearing negative reports, until some people said a casino would be detrimental right next to a high school. “As a responsible public elected official, I had to find out for myself.
McCord said he drove to Tucson to visit both of the casinos operated by the Tohono O’odham Nation. Then, he met with two school district superintendents near the casino. He said he went at his own expense, and cleared the visit with the president of the PUSD governing board and the PUSD superintendent. McCord said he put the same question to both Tucson school district superintendents: “What effect has the casino had on your schools?” “Both said, ‘Nothing but good,’” McCord said. He said both superintendents told him the casinos had created jobs for local people, and had also donated grants to the school districts, all kinds of funds for kids. Also, they told McCord they had “no problems whatsoever with kids trying to get into casinos.”
There are plenty of examples of meat packing facilities that have long lines of applicants seeking what is considered one of the worse jobs to have. At a Tyson plant, there was even pushing and shoving. All for a job that has 100% turn-over rate due to the stress and physical demands.
Regardless, should MA ramp up its efforts and try to open up a few slaughter houses just because so many people would fill those positions?
With respect, your link above is to an opinion piece in a gaming trade magazine. And your links below are all to news articles, which aren’t intended to provide anything resembling rigorous analysis of long-term effects. As the saying goes, the plural of anecdote is not data.
Do you have anything peer-reviewed? With citations, or footnotes, or anything indicating actual scholarship by independent analysts?
there is ZERO peer reviewed research by anti-casino forces. That you think Grinols and Kindt could pass as peer reviewed is laughable. This is David’s site he can remove what he wants. It matters little as it will be presented elsewhere. As I said, there are two sides and the anti-casino mind games will not work with me. You are hoping that only your side is presented to the general public as fact. It is far far from fact. As I said, facts on the ground matter. There is little evidence of increased crime with these facilities and nearly every Police Department in the country agrees. There is little evidence of increased addiction and bankruptcy caused exclusively by casino facilities being introduced. If people want to gamble to excess they will find a way. The United States Treasury Department confirmed that in a study. There is very little evidence that exists for any of the hysterics that the anti-casino movement thrives on except in isolated cases. Those are the facts whether you chose to believe them or not.
I think if you look back over this thread, you will find that I didn’t say anything about Grinois or Kindt. I can’t, since I don’t know their work and haven’t reviewed it. But even if they turned out to be charlatans, it wouldn’t make what you’ve presented here a reliable guide to an enormous risky investment.
Of course facts on the ground matter. But scattered news articles aren’t even reliable facts on the ground unless and until you put them into context and see how what they say fits into the broader landscape. Your newspaper pieces can be totally accurate snapshots of their moment in time, and still not tell us anything reliable about the broader picture. Do we know how all those communities, and all those casinos, are doing now? Are the ones that are doing well good models for the environment a Massachusetts casino would face today? How are the happy stories distinguished from the much less happy one of the Revel, which is declaring bankruptcy for the second time? Actual research answers this kind of question. A pile of curated newspaper articles, with no guide even as to what the curators might have found and decided not to include, doesn’t take its place. And an editorial by a gaming industry booster, in a gaming trade publication, certainly doesn’t, for reasons I trust are too obvious to require any elaboration.
Shaffer, Hall and Vander Bilt, Estimating the Prevalence of Disordered Gambling Behavior in the United States and Canada: A Meta-analysis, Harvard Medical School Division on Addictions, December 1997, pg. iv.
Harvard’s conclusion casts serious doubt on the argument that the introduction of casino gaming in the new jurisdictions has led to any increase in disordered gambling.
Dr. Peter Reuter, School of Public Affairs, University of Maryland
The Impact of Casinos on Crime and other Social Problems: An Analysis of Recent Experiences
Professor Peter Reuter concluded:
There is a surprising consistency in both the statistical and interview data. Casinos have had quite modest effects on the measured social problems of the cities in which they have been introduced to in recent years.
that’s really not what I had in mind. I was hoping you could make a concise point, and link to the study – not take over the thread with extended excerpts which, to be honest, nobody is going to read through. Plus, long quotations without additional comment put us in danger of violating copyright rules. Striker57’s comment upthread is a much better example of how to use links to support your position. I have deleted a couple of your comments that I thought went too far in terms of lengthy quotations.
thanks for the chance to rebut. You may remove anything you feel might present a problem. I just felt that hrs-kevin assumed there was nothing to back up the commentary. You have a good site here and there are more important issues, obviously, that are discussed here. I hesitated on this for that reason. I don’t think anybody cares for a wall of text so large but I think there is some very valid research in there. It seemed a slow night so I gave it go. Remove anything you want to. Cheers and thanks for the chance to rebut again.
Construction Jobs Estimated Annual-Hourly For Massachusetts Casinos—–
Construction/Extraction $24.60 – $51,000
Supervisors/Managers $33.04 – $68,720
Stonemasons $24.70 – $51,370
Carpenters $24.25 – $50,440
Tile and Marble Setters $26.14 – $54,370
Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers $22.77 – $47,370
Construction Laborers $20.72 – $43,090
Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping
Equipment Operators $26.66 – $40,980
Pile-Driver Operators $30.65 – $63,760
Operating Engineers, and Other
Construction Equipment Operators $26.66 – $55,460
Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers $23.26 – $48,380
Electricians $26.90 – $55,950—-
Glaziers $19.69 – $40,960—-
Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, Wall $17.32 – $36,020—-
Painters, Construction and Maintenance $20.82 – $43,200—-
Pipelayers $23.71 – $49,310—-
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters $27.53 – $57,25—-
Sheet Metal Workers $23.32 – $48,500
Structural Iron and Steel Workers $28.84 – $59,990
Helpers- Brickmasons, Blockmasons,
Stonemason,and Tile and Marble Setters $20.90 – $43,480
Helpers-Carpenters $15.88 – $33,030
Helpers-Electricians $14.96 – $31,120
Helpers-Painters, Paperhangers, Plasterers,
and Stucco Masons $10.77 – $22,390
Helpers-Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters,
and Steamfitters $13.43 – $27,940
Helpers-Roofers $15.88 – $33,040
Helpers, Construction Trades, All Other $12.89 – $26,820
Construction and Building Inspector $22.98 – $47,790
Elevator Installers and Repairers $34.20 – $71,130
Fence Erectors $15.93 – $33,130
Hazardous Material Removal Workers $17.46 – $36,310
Highway Maintenance Workers $18.70 – $38,900
Septic Tank Services and Sewer Pipe Cleaners $16.90 – $35,150
Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas $19.00 – $39,520
Helpers- Extraction Workers $12.65 – $26,310
Jobs breakdown for proposed Massachusetts casinos projected-estimated positions. Hourly-Annual.
Slot Service Attendants $12.16 – $ 25,293 (no tips included)
Slot Technical $17.26 – $35,901
Slot Supervisory $17.35 – $36,088
Slot Shift Manager $32.28 – $67,142
Exec Director Slots $53,42 – $111,114
Dealers $8.18 – $17,014 (Base Rate no tips included)
Tables Supervisory $20.38 – $42,390
Table Games Shift Manager $32.28 – $67,142
Exec Director Table Games $53.42 – $111,114
Poker Dealers $8.18 – $17,014 (Base Rate no tips included)
Poker Supervisory $20.38 – $42,390
Poker Shift Manager $32.28 – $67,142
Poker Director $53.42 – $111,114
Casino Cashier $11.59 – $24,107
Casino Credit Clerk $11.59 – $24,107
Pit Clerks $11.59 – $24,107
Cashier Supervisor $20.38 – $42,390
Casino Cashier Shift Manager $32.28 – $67,142
Count Room $11.59 – $24,107
Count Room Supervisor $20.38 – $42,390
Director Casino Accounting $53.42 – $111,114
Surveillance $14.65 – $30,472
Surveillance Supervisor $20.38 – $42,390
Surveillance Shift Manager $32.28 – $67,142
Surveillance Director $53.42 – $111,114
Housekeepers $10.82 – $22,506 (No tips included)
Housekeeper Supervisory $19.09 – $39,707
Public Areas $12.57 – $26,146
Public Areas Supervisor $19.09 – $39,707
Housekeeping/ Public Areas
Shift Manager $27.38 – $56,950
Director Housekeeping/Public
Areas $27.80 – $56,950
Director Hotel Operations $27.38 – $56,950
Front Desk $11.60 – $24,128
Front Desk Supervisor $19.74 – $41,059
Bell Services $11.39 – $23,691
Valet Attendant $10.19 – $21,195
Valet Cashier $9.38 – $19,510
Valet Supervisor $19.74 – $41,059
PBX Operator $13.07 – $27,186
PBX Supervisor $19.74 – $41,059
Massage Therapist $31.49 – $65,499
Spa Attendant $12.41 – $25,813
Spa Manager $46.52 – $96,762
Spa Supervisor $19.74 – $41,059
Health Club Attendant $12.46 – $25,917
Health Club Supervisor $19.74 – $41,059
Pool Supervisor $23.45 – $48,734
Life Guard $11.10 – $23,088
Grounds Keeper $14.19 – $29,515
General Maintenance $20.72 – $43,098
Painter $20.82 – $43,306
Electrician $26.90 – $55,952
Carpenter $24.25 – $50,440
Plumber $27.53 – $57,262
HVAC $23.48 – $48,838
Facilities Supervisor $48,26 – $100,381
Facilities Shift Manager $48.26 – $100,381
Exectutive Director Facilities $60.64 – $126,131
Security $12.24 – $25,459
Security Supervisor $23.43 – $48,734
Security Shift Manager $32.28 – $67,142
Executive Director Security $53.42 – $111,114
Convention Services $12.99 – $27,019
Retail Manager $27.38 – $56,950
Retail $12.14 – $25,251
Retail Supervisor $19.84 – $41,267
Bartender $11.32 – $23,546 (no tips included)
Bar Porter $10.05 – $20,904 (no tips included)
Beverage Server $10.72 – $22,298 (no tips included)
Food Server $11.01 – $22,901 (no tips included)
Bus Person $10.05 – $20,904 (no tips included)
Greeter $9.77 – $20322
Stocker $10.78 – $22,422
Food and Beverage Supervisor $15.98 – $33,238
Food and Beverage Shift Manager $24.67 – $51,314
Director Beverage $46.42 – $96,544
Exec Director Food and Beverage $53.24 – $110,739
Banquet Beverage $11.32 – $23,546 (no tips included)
Banquet Server $10.72 – $22,298 (no tips included)
Banquet Manager $15.98 – $33238 (no tips included)
Director Catering/Convention $46.42 – $96,554
Room Service Food Server $10.72 – $22,298 (no tips included)
Room Service Attendant $10.05 – $20,904 (no tips included)
Room Service Order Taker $9.38 – $19,510 (no tips included)
Cafeteria $10.05 – $20,904 (no tips included)
Uniforms Attendant $15.23 – $31,698
Room Service Supervisor $15.98 – $33,238
Butler $11.01 – $22,901 (no tips included)
Director Room Service $46.42 – $96,554
Cooks $12.43 – $25,854
Sous Chef $20.71 – $43,077
Stewards $8.95 – $18,616 (no tips included)
Steward Supervisor $15.98 – $33,238
Executive Chef $24.67 – $51,314
Box Office Supervisor $19.74 – $41,059
Box Office $12.04 – $25,043
Entertainment $20.79 – $43,243
Stage Managers $28.79 – $59,051
Promotions Booth $16.31 – $33,925
Promotions Supervisor $19.74 – $41,059
Telemarketing,Reservations $16.31 – $33,935
Bus Greeter $16.31 – $33,925
Hosts $20.78 – $43,222
Player Development Exec $56.01 – $116,501
Executive Director Player Development $56.01 – $116,501
Director Advertising $56.01 – $116,501
Director Public Relations $53.02 – $110,282
Director Database Marketing $56.01 – $116,501
Director Marketing Operations $56.01 – $116,501
Hotel/Food and Beverage Cashier $9.38 – $19,510 (no tips included)
Accountant $30.29 – $63,003
Accounting Clerks $17.90 – $37,232
Casino Controller $53.49 – $111,259
Director Financial Analysis $53.49 – $111,259
Director Financial Reporting $53.49 – $111,259
Controller $53.49 – $111,259
Director Hotel Accounting $53.49 – $111,259
Purchasing Manager $44.66 – $92,893
Warehouse Supervisor $25.74 – $53,539
Warehouse Attendant $15.23 – $31,698
Director IT $56.53 – $117,582—–
Information Technology Techs and
Programmers $27.22 – $56,618
Computer Operator $18.42 – $38,314
Internal Audit $30.29 – $63,003
Executive Director Internal Audit $53.49 – $111,259
Human Resources Supervisors/
Professionals $30.44 – $63,315
Executive Director Human Resources $53.12 – $110,490
Director Employee Relations $50.64 – $105,331
Director Personal $52.90 – $110,032
Human Resources Administrative $18.66 – $38,813
Executive Directors $39.98 – $83,158
Administrative Professionals $17.16 – $35,693
Vice Presidents $73.12 – $152,090
http://www.biomedsearch.com/article/Boom-bust-Casino-gaming-host/134676972.html
(Excerpts and summary)
Several conclusions can be drawn from the results presented in this study.
First, in the opinion of those surveyed, legalized casino gaming is an important revenue generation endeavor for the majority of the communities examined here. It offers an opportunity to reap millions of dollars annually when few (if any) other options exist.
Second, most officials view gaming as a valid, important, and legitimate economic development option for their respective communities, one that spurs secondary or tertiary development near the casino development and elsewhere in the community.
Third, casino profits allow host municipalities to undertake projects and fund programs that would normally not be fundable without casino dollars, particularly large capital improvement endeavors.—–
Fourth, communities that possess non-Native-American gaming (especially riverboat gaming) reap the largest financial rewards from legalized gambling.
Fifth, gaming appears to represent a sustainable economic development presence over time, rather than simply being a short-term novelty, for most of the communities studied here. Finally, with regard to long-term economic development success, destination-type casinos that attract non-local gamers offer the greatest benefits for host municipalities.
Thus, based on the opinion of economic development officials surveyed for this study who can offer unique, professional, and reliable insight regarding the gaming phenomenon and its impact on host cities, legalized casino gaming is both a viable revenue generation and economic development strategy for host municipalities.
http://www.ubplj.org/index.php/jgbe/article/view/535
Evaluating Crime Attributable to Casinos in the U.S.: A Closer Look at Grinols and Mustard’s “Casinos, Crime, and Community Costs”
Professor Douglas M Walker
Abstract
This paper examines problems in studying the relationship between casinos and crime, with a focus on a recently published, influential study (Grinols and Mustard 2006) which concluded that casinos cause a significant amount of county-level crime in the U.S. Five key issues are examined. First, the most serious problem with their analysis is that it uses a crime rate that excludes the visiting population at risk, thereby overstating the crime rate in casino counties. Second, the crime data used are potentially inaccurate. Third, the results may suffer from a bias caused by counties self-selecting into the “casino county” category. Fourth, the dummy variables used to account for casinos do not allow the authors to isolate the crime effect caused by casinos. Finally, the authors make conclusions that are not supported by their data, analysis, and results. An examination of these issues is important because it will shed additional light on the debate over the effects of casinos, and provides valuable information for subsequent researchers who study the casino-crime relationship.
http://www.gettysburgtimes.com/news/local/article_bfaba9b0-ba3f-528d-801d-421a26eb4c37.html
(Excerpt)
Eight out of the nine Pennsylvania counties presently home to casinos report no increase in crime associated with those facilities. One county district attorney wasn’t able to report, citing a lack of statistical data.
Gettysburg businessman David LeVan and former state lawmaker Joseph Lashinger have proposed converting the Eisenhower Inn in Cumberland Township into an exclusive slots resort: “The Mason Dixon Resort & Casino.” Opponents of the plan argue that casinos bring increased crime, domestic violence, debt, prostitution and other misbehavior to communities. Independent research conducted by Adams County District Attorney Shawn Wagner and the Gettysburg Times indicates otherwise.
The point is this guys and girls. There are always two sides as much as both sides would like to ignore that fact. I’m sure there are good situations and some bad situations and some failing casinos. I believe the bad are in the minority by large numbers. That being said. If a Lowes or a Home Depot gets shut down in one state, should all of them shut down ? If an entertainment venue goes bankrupt in one state, is that a reflection on all entertainment venues. If a sports franchise goes bust, is that a reflection on every other sports franchise ? Anyway that’s a bit of the other side. Thanks for the chance to post it.
Of course people are interested in jobs. Any jobs. Their backs are against the wall. (Say, who put those backs there?)
Of course cities and towns want revenue. Any revenue. Their budgets have been cut to the bone by the legislature.
Of course construction unions are desperate for work for their members. Any construction project will do. We are still in the second great depression, courtesy of the 1% What do you expect?
We should neither blame these people for accepting the gambling option (when they do), nor cite their acceptance as proof that gambling is good.
The entire enterprise has been based on giving the smallest possible amount to the smallest set of narrowly defined interests for permission to hose off the greatest amount possible from the state and the region.
Revere or Everett will get a windfall but Boston, Somerville, and surrounding towns will get squat plus the costs.
That’s the political calculus behind the gambling law. That’s why individual communities got to vote but the state didn’t. Individual communities can be bought off cheap.
That’s the point.
” The entire enterprise has been based on giving the smallest possible amount to the smallest set of narrowly defined interests for permission to hose off the greatest amount possible from the state and the region. ”
Take out state and region and add – the masses – to the end of your sentence and you’ve just described Capitalism such as it is. That’s where hypocrisy and misguided activism enters the picture. People center their activism and their politics around their own personal beliefs and social station, which has no effect whatsoever on changing oppressive social conditions and gaining the working class power that frees people from poverty and economic inequality. Solidarity is gained by common purpose of all workers, not by individual lifestyle choices and views of a white collar political and professional class. It matters little if the seeds of working class power and better working conditions for blue collar workers and lower paid workers are planted on the floors of a casino, a Walmart, or a factory floor. You would be surprised at how many “caring agents of change” who pay compassionate lip service to their “lessers”, could actually care less about the unemployed, the poor, the elderly, and ‘other people’s rights’ as long as they get to preserve their own economic interests and political comfort zone.
Working class struggle and being poor is not something people choose. Class struggle is human existence and has been throughout human history and casinos – as a single entity – don’t have a thing to do with it in the overall picture. Class struggle is a daily fact of life for a lot of people regardless of casinos. Saying that struggle is defined by the personal lifestyle and moral views and activism of those more fortunate or more enlightened not only portrays an ignorance about that struggle, it portrays an ignorance about history. None of us have the power – individually – to produce some alternative system that will break the chains of a system that caters and funnels wealth to the upper 5-10 percent strata of society to the detriment of the rest. Only mass organization of workers can ever change anything politically. That’s not dogma, that’s fact. History shows that to be true. Militant labor and strong unions produced the New Deal, not lifestyle activism and lifestyle politics. The new generation of various activists with individual causes will never understand that.
A casino is simply another cog in the capitalist machine. Many people don’t have shelter or the bare minimum to survive, the poor don’t have jobs, the cost of living and inflation is through the roof and what do activists respond with … ? Ok then, we will fight to ban a bunch of stuff like casinos, smoking, large sodas and anything else that doesn’t fit into our personal lifestyle view. That is not politics, that is the religion of personal beliefs.
What’s most amazing is the complete and utter failure of much of the activism of upscale progressive liberals and moralist conservatives to bring about any kind of social change – outside of their upscale cocoon- while wrapping themselves in the flag of concern about the poor and disengaged. A casino facility is neither the destruction or the savior of any community or state. They are what they are…simply another corporate industry in a capitalist sinkhole. One that happens to bring about large scale employment.
People who claim that casinos do more damage to the poorest in society – than any other large corporation – is an invalid argument that has no basis in reality when considering the big picture of capitalist society. Further, it is a crutch and a fallback of elitists who would claim that poor people are too stupid to know what’s going on around them. It is an elitist argument at its core. The utmost of arrogance, hypocrisy, and lack of solidarity. If the anti-casino movement and other activists would spend even half the energy that they do fighting for irrelevant individual causes – like stopping casinos – and put that energy into an actual working class solidarity movement for real social change and economic equality for all, then their activism would be a welcome sign. That’s not what this is about, and everyone knows it, including them.
“What hypocrisy to forcibly close petty gambling houses, when our capitalist society cannot do without an immense gambling house, where millions after millions are lost and won, for its very centre!
Friedrich Engels,
“Social Classes – Necessary and Superfluous,”
The Labour Standard, No. 14, August 1881.
.. and even less so for Marxism.
Not a very good cog: it doesn’t mesh well. Starting with the economic paradox that if you need casinos for the jobs you simply don’t have the underlying economic health to support casinos. Simple inductive reasoning.
Which is kinda how I feel about Marx, who lived on Engels rather munificent dime for the better part of his life, so that he could write blistering tracts on how the proletariat was too stupid to know what was going on around them….
Yeah, capitalism sucks. But Marxism sucks even harder and harsher…