WHAT ECONOMISTS SAY
Ask economists who compare crime rate rise to the rise in casinos and rise in the number of problem gamblers in a community! http://www.casinowatchfoundation.org/information/quick_overview.html
Economists David B. Mustard and Earl L. Grinols find that crime rises almost exponentially with the rise in problem gamblers and access to gambling. http://ideas.repec.org/p/wpa/wuwple/0501001.html
After studying the issue over a 20-year period, Mustard and Grinols discovered, "Casinos were non-existent outside Nevada before 1978, and expanded to many other states during our sample period. Most factors that reduce crime occur before or shortly after a casino opens, while those that increase crime, including problem and pathological gambling, occur over time. The results suggest that the effect on crime is low shortly after a casino opens, and grows over time. Roughly 8 percent of crime in casino counties in 1996 was attributable to casinos, costing the average adult $75 per adult per year."
WHAT ARE THE GAMBLING PROMOTERS UP TO?
Is the four-state area of Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma really prepared to pay for the increase in crime?
i.e.. Will the intermediate and long-term goal for the county and region actually be to then (1) build more prisons in order to (2) handle the rise in crime by hiring more law and order personnel and thus (3) provide more jobs to under-employed locals in the 4-State area who will be subcontracted out to service the growing prison or police population?Another worrisome trend is this report which claims that evidence from around the USA has shown that in recent years the number of children's games that promote gambling has increased in the USA as well. http://www.ncalg.org/Library/Bulletins/BOB%20V3N1%20Jan%2005%20.pdf
Is America trying to raise (1) not only a nation of capitalist risk takers but(2) a nation of gambling addicts as well?
INDEBTEDNESS GROWS, TOO
Let us not forget that indebtedness grows with casinos, too.
Nichols, Stitt and Giacopassi (1999) have shown in their report, "Casino Gambling and Bankruptcies in new United States Gambling Jurisdictions" that bankruptcies certainly increased in 7 out of 8 counties studied, i .e. in counties where gambling had been recently introduced.
Let me guess, there is also likely negative backwash on the housing market and banking industry when bankruptcies are seen to increase in any region. Right?
I'll bet on it!
ONE MORE THOUGHT
LET'S PUT OUR HEADS TOGETHER and THINK OF WAYS TO MAKE positive CHANGES away from the current saddening trends in our regional, state and county economic planning and practices, OK?
I will also bet that most of us would like to have and build a better economy than legislators and politicians have left us with as of August 2008.
LET'S CONSIDER TAKING RESPONSIBILITY AND CLEARING the senates and houses across America of bad candidates by the end of this fiscal year. (Look for candidates that don't depend on prisons, gambling, or raising children to be gamblers and potential criminals or bankrupted Americans.)
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