An interesting take on legal gambling and it's fiscal positives and social negatives is excerpted below. Focusing on the casino industry in Michigan, it details the highs and lows of casino expansion throughout the state.
Within the MGM Grand Detroit Casino, customers can grab a Starbucks latte, get a massage at the spa, buy a cocktail dress, sleep in a luxurious king size bed, get cash from the ATM, and dine on everything from Great Lakes walleye to New York strip steaks.
And, of course, they can gamble 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
It’s a self-contained city within a city. And when the gamblers are done, they can hop on a freeway to head out of Detroit with little trouble.
So what’s wrong with this picture? Nothing, but take a wider angle lens and the view through the camera turns to something else. Just a short drive from any of the three multi-million dollar casino complexes are desolate neighborhoods, boarded up shops, vast swaths of long-ago abandoned houses.
It would be interesting to see an article of this kind focusing on the positives and negatives of charity bingo and other nonprofit gaming. But, as we all know bingo is an activity that is seldom covered much.
For the complete article, please see Laura A. Bischoff, Exec: Casinos are ‘a great economic development tool,’ not a silver bullet, Dayton Daily News, August 22, 2009.
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