Do Urban Casinos Create Positive Effects on Neighboring Communities?

In the next few years, the State of Ohio will see a dramatic increase in casino gambling. With this increase, there understandably has been concern as to what this increase in gambling will have on communities. With the the first casino predicted not to officially open until early 2012, there has been increased debate about the topic. Those who are in favor of casinos tout the positive economic effect a casino may bring to the area, an increase of employment opportunities, an uptick in the region’s tourism industry and a boatload of additional tax revenue.

The City of Cincinnati has been making strides to make sure the coming casino garners a positive economic and social effect on its neighboring communities: the historic Pendleton and Over-the-Rhine neighborhoods and Cincinnati’s Downtown Business District.

Those who have been against the inundation of a casino in these areas have emphasized the additional social obstacles a casino would bring to the area. In addition, they say the adverse change to the community would be too much to handle. An increase in prostitution, crime and an all-around change from a “traditional” community to a more risky environment have also been quoted by some casino naysayers for reasons to oppose the casino.

Since Cincinnati voters legalized casino operation in 2009, the debate has been vocalized and in these debates, oftentimes, reality was rarely separated from hearsay, mostly relying on what a person “felt” may happen in the future instead of relying on hard evidence to support their claim.

In fact, there have been many studies conducted about the economic and social impact of casinos on their surrounding areas, especially in urban areas. Economists, criminologists and demographers alike have toiled over the same debate and conducted multi-level examinations of how casinos impact their surrounding community.

In “Effects of Casino Gambling on Crime and Quality of Life in New Casino Jurisdictions, Final Report” written by Grant Stitt, he found that where casino have been established, there was overwhelming sentiment from community leaders in the casino’s neighboring area that they are a very welcomed establishment, with only a small percentage seeing the ill effects. He also states that in urban areas where casinos have been placed, there has been little evidence that crime has increased with respect to the increase of traffic.

Another study depicts the positive economic effects that gaming has on a community. In “Economic Benefits of American Indian Gaming Facilities in Wisconsin,” published by Wisconsin Indian Gaming Association and the University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension Service, in March 1993, it shows the large economic impact of Native American gaming. This study takes a look and calculates the economics of gaming, saying that it has a very positive effect on the surrounding area.

It does not matter if you are for or against a casino “bellying up to the bar” in your neighborhood, but it’s safe to say that it will not cause too much ill effects to the area and that the bad far outweighs the good. Cincinnati, along with the other Ohio cities that are going to see a casino pop up in their neighborhoods in the coming years, hope and wish they will also see this positive effect. Only time will tell.


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