Tax revenues from the Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City, Ind., have funded many city improvements. The Center for Urban Policy and the Environment at Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs led an evaluation of the casino’s effectiveness within the community.

“The city collected $15 million last year from a combination of an admission tax, a wagering tax, and a local development agreement with casino operators.”

“The city is now able to pay cash for large capital projects and purchases that in the past could only have been possible with the help of costly loans that force taxes up.”

“In addition to providing the city with impressive returns for its willingness to host a riverboat, Blue Chip has also met or exceeded each of the financial commitments made as part of the original development agreement, according to the SPEA evaluation.”

“‘The city paid cash for three of the four fire stations built a year ago…The new stations not only provide much better living conditions for the firefighters,’ said Chuck Greis, the department’s public education and information officer, ‘but also amenities like more effective radios, state-of-the-art equipment to improve vision in smoky conditions and an on-site method of cleaning gear.’”