Casino gambling remains a controversial issue, mostly due to personal and religious views on the negative effects (gambling addictions) it has on society. However, there seems to be very little controversy relating to the role the casino industry has in the state’s economic and tourism development. The purpose of the paper is to provide a synopsis of the role Mississippi’s casino industry has played in the state’s economic and tourism industry. The report focuses on three jurisdictions: Tunica, Greenville, and the Gulf Coast. The report supports my theory that the Mississippi casino industry unequivocally has a positive impact on the state’s economy and tourism industry.
Casino Industry’s Impact on Economic and
Tourism Development in Mississippi
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Once labeled “America’s Ethiopia”, Tunica County was ranked in the 1980 census as the poorest county in the United States and ranked dead last by virtually every social and economic measure (Kifner, 1996). Nearly four years after gaming began in Tunica County, there were 6,000 new hotel rooms, most built by the casinos, and Mississippi was the third largest gaming jurisdiction behind Nevada and New Jersey, taking in over $213 million in taxes and employing 32,273 people (Kifner, …show more content…
One mayor even called the casinos’ effect a “mixed-bag” (Green, "Community Profile: Making Connections in Greenville, Mississippi"). Another critic stated, “Although gaming employs nearly 900 residents, most of the jobs pay low wages and offer few benefits.” (Green, "Community Profile: Making Connections in Greenville, Mississippi"). Even Mayor Heather McTeer, Greenville’s first black and female mayor elected in 2004, who refers to herself as the “ultimate optimist”, had lukewarm comments about the gaming industry. McTeer views the lakefront casinos she inherited, for better or worse, as part of their community. The casinos brought some social problems, but they have also brought money into the city budget. (Seawright, "The Mayor"). When McTeer became mayor, she stopped contributing casino-generated revenue to the general fund so that if the casinos left, the city would be able to survive (Seawright, "The
The Las Vegas and Atlantic City locations have lost revenues in recent years. In addition to the economic slowdown, these gambling locations are also facing new competitors in the market that are providing attractive choices to the customers. Though there are some external forces beyond their control, it seems that attractiveness and accessibility are very important focus areas for these cities.
However, perhaps due to Texas' extreme conservatism, many Texans opposed the idea. Since then, other states have joined Nevada to allow unlimited gambling in their state. From record economic growth to billions of revenue dollars for state expenditures, these states continue to reap from their bold decision while Texas remains watching from the sidelines. Rather than enjoying the same profits as its fellow states, Texas has found it hard to meet its state budget year after year. Instead of taking the road well-traveled--increasing taxes, Texas should take a page from the success stories of these states and legalize casino gambling as a legitimate way
With the Corporate Gaming Act of 1969, Las Vegas began a slow transition towards “respectability.” Gambling in Las Vegas was gaining in popularity in the 1950’s and 1960’s, but the mob presence itself was preventing Las Vegas from attracting the necessary outside funds to turn it into a dominant Metropolis (204). “Nevada seemed to be shedding this image in favor of the many new family-oriented “theme resorts” that were being built, especially in Las Vegas (204). Then there’s The Rat
The efforts to make Hispanics feel more welcome are designed to show that the casinos are sensitive to this demographic group's real needs and wants. New amenities include bilingual dealers and Spanish-speaking musicians. This shows the clear principle of segmentation. Instead of trying to appeal to all customers in a universal fashion and compete with the biggest-name casinos (a virtual impossibility in Las Vegas), these smaller casinos are trying to attract and grow this specific, targeted population base. The Hispanic demographic seems to have an interest in gambling and entertainment, and has
First, when allowing casinos into parts of the state, it brings with it multiple opportunities for employment, i.e., construction jobs, manager positions, server positions, gaming technicians, etc. When casinos enter a state, research has proven that the unemployment rate dropped significantly. According to the University of Chicago, National Opinion Research Center (NORC), “communities closest to casinos experienced a 12 percent to 17
In the early 1990 's, Mississippi approved for the construction of the first gambling establishments on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. At this time, there were few things to do when you went to the beach. You had Marine Life, various restaruants, and certain shops, but nothing big that people would come from all over for. The Gulf Coast desperately needed something to boost their economy and officials felt that casinos would do just that. The only stipulation was that the actual gambling areas must be on the water. This led to the casinos being constructed on top of old barges.
Indian casinos helped get tribes out of poverty and neglect. “ tribal members had to look too country government to access welfare programs, which were often far the remote Indian reservations.” (Kallen 18) When the benefit programs changed, the government continued to fund tribal welfare. “The Indian Nations sought out new revenue sources to help their people. They found it thru gaming.” (Kallen 12). The Indian nation went through many issues such as poverty and unemployment. On reservations, there are not that many opportunities. They did not have a voice when it came to choosing their reservation they were forced to be there. The land is not very useful for agriculture or mining, but gaming was their way of getting ahead in life.
Casinos […] put value back into the local real estate market and cash into workers' pockets' " (Biloxi, Miss., Celebrates... 5). According to the article, "Biloxi, Miss., Celebrates 10th Anniversary of Casino-Induced Prosperity", "Desporte's Biloxi Paper Co. Sells paper goods, office and cleaning supplies, and other products, mostly to casinos and
The Seminole Tribe has had a semi-monopoly over the gambling and casinos in Florida. The Florida State Legislature is considering the options on expanding gambling in Florida. Many Florida residents believe that the expansion of gambling would bring crime and other social issues such as white collar crimes, fraud, credit card, and employee theft. Two of the major opponents of expanding gambling are Walt Disney Co. and Universal Studios. Other Florida residents feel that it is time the expand the gambling industry. Expanding the gambling would help grow the economy by creating jobs and by increasing tax revenue. Even though gambling could bring crime and other social problems, it should be expanded because Florida would benefit from the additional
South Louisiana is a beautiful region abundant with a colorful array of hard working people, hundreds of species of wildlife, and vast areas of gorgeous marshes and swampland. But there exists a threat powerful enough to strip the region of these special resources. Coastal erosion is the enemy that robs the state of its beautiful land. For years, government committees and private efforts have fought to battle this natural occurrence and failed. Now, perhaps it’s time to look at the possibility of using politics to incentivize big business owners to fund coastal restoration projects. One way of doing this is to pass legislation to restrict gambling to one of the barrier islands on the coast, while offering government incentives to casino owners willing to build. Casino
The development of tribal casinos or what is commonly referred to as organized gambling can be credited to Native American reservations. Gaming operations have brought phenomenal success to many native tribes in America, and there has been a new dimension to the existing debate regarding Native American sovereignty in organized gambling. There are over 310 casinos ran by about one-third the nations federally recognized tribes, and generate around $10 billion in revenue which is one-sixth of all revenue generated through legal gaming in the country (Evans, Topoleski, 2002). Many of the tribes are now able to provide for themselves essential services rather than wait for the government. However, most
It all started with Seminole Bingo, being highly controversial but also very lucrative business, making $1 million in a year. Through many issues such as the legality of Seminole bingo, the killing a Florida panther, and the legality of Native slot machines, Chief Billie fought til the end to make sure his voice was heard. Native American gambling has become a highly lucrative business over the years and has allowed the Seminole tribe to be better off economically. The Seminole tribe had acquired the Hard Rock Cafe franchise and have been making tons of money every year. James is still the Chairman of the Seminoles, and continues to live his life in freedom. Overall, the film’s plotline was an interesting and enjoyable one and provoked me to think about global economics and the importance of willpower in many situations. The sound and film quality was excellent, which was very
In the early 1930s, gambling was legalized throughout the state of Nevada and casinos began to flourish (Dunstan, 1997). The economic growth in Nevada, especially the city of Las Vegas, has improved tremendously by the creation of casinos. Many people were employed since the operation of casinos requires a huge amount of labor, skill, and expertise. In addition, local retail sales also increased from casinos when gamblers visit the stores to spend their winnings on various items and products (Garrett, 2003). As a result, many state governments began to legalize casinos in order to boost their economies and increase employment. As of today, there are roughly 1500 casinos in the United States and they generate almost 65 billion dollars in revenue (“Facts on U.S Casinos” 2013). However, casinos use immoral methods to achieve this incredible feat of big profit with few government interventions. While the city of Las Vegas becomes more prosperous than before, many citizens lose their fortunes or even lives by the immoral business practices implemented by the casinos. Even though the
The casino marketing is directed to individuals who want to have fun and those who are willing to risk their mortgages (Klebanow, 2009)
Adding to Native American casino fortunes, their casinos are likely to increase over the next few years. It is noted that several states are reaching agreements to allow the introduction or expansion of Native American casinos because of the additional revenues they can provide. This increases the Native American casinos opportunities and consitutes a high barrier for new entrants. The major source for this entry barrier is the cost disadvantage independent of scale regarding the favorable government polices vis -a -vis the Indian Gaming and Recration Act of 1988.