Commission: Economic Impact
After a two-year study of legalized gambling in the United States, the congressionally mandated National Gambling Impact Study Commission found numerous benefits of casino gaming. The following are conclusions reached in both the 1999 NGISC final report and commission-funded research:
- ‘As it has grown, it [gambling] has become more than simply an entertainment past-time: the gambling industry has emerged as an economic mainstay in many communities and plays an increasingly prominent role in state and even regional economies. …’
(NGISC Final Report, Chapter 3: Gambling Regulation, p. 1) - ‘Research conducted on behalf of the commission confirms the testimony of … casino workers and government officials that casino gaming creates jobs and reduces the level of unemployment and government assistance in communities that have legalized it.’
(NGISC Final Report, Chapter 7: Gambling’s Impact on People and Places, p. 9) - ‘Gambling appears to have net economic benefits for economically depressed communities.’
(National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academy of Sciences, Pathological Gambling, Executive Summary, p. 3) - ‘… a new casino of even limited attractiveness, placed in a market that is not already saturated, will yield positive economic benefits on net to its host economy.’
(Adam Rose and Associates, The Regional Economic Impacts of Casino Gambling: Assessment of the Literature and Establishment of a Research Agenda, p. 22) - ‘Those communities closest to casinos experienced a 12% to 17% drop in welfare payments, unemployment rates and unemployment insurance.’
(National Opinion Research Center, Gambling Impact and Behavior Study, Report to the NGISC, April 1, 1999, p. 70) - ‘The Commission also heard from a number of local officials in jurisdictions where casinos are located. Among those who informed the commissioners with their testimony were Elgin, Illinois Mayor Kevin Kelly, Mayor Scott King from Gary Indiana, as well as mayors from Bettendorf, Iowa and Alton, Illinois. The Commission also heard from Mayors A.J. Holloway, Bobby Williams, Bob Short and Eddy Favre of Biloxi, Tunica, Gulfport and Bay St. Louis, Mississippi respectively. Without exception these elected officials expressed support for gambling and recited instances of increased revenues for their cities. They also discussed community improvements made possible since the advent of gambling in their communities and reviewed the general betterment of life for the citizenry in their cities and towns.’
(NGISC Final Report, Chapter 7: Gambling’s Impact on People and Places)
The commission also made numerous recommendations supporting the conclusion that casino gaming can have a positive impact on the economy:
- ‘The Commission recommends to State, local and Tribal governments that (when considering the legalization of gambling or the repeal of gambling that is already legal) they should recognize that, especially in economically depressed communities, casino gambling has demonstrated the ability to generate economic development through the creation of quality jobs.’
(NGISC Final Report, Recommendation 7.1) - ‘The Commission recommends to State, local and Tribal governments that (when considering the legalization of gambling) casino development should be targeted for locations where the attendant jobs and economic development will benefit communities with high levels of unemployment and underemployment and a scarcity of jobs for which the residents of such communities are qualified.’
(NGISC Final Report, Recommendation 7.3) - ‘The Commission recommends to State, local and Tribal governments that when planning for gambling-related economic development, communities with legal gambling or that are considering the legalization of gambling should recognize that destination resorts create more and better quality jobs than casinos catering to a local clientele.’
(NGISC Final Report, Recommendation 7.5)
