Perhaps the most important political advantage of casinos is their tax revenue. In many states, gambling legalizations make up a very small percentage of state tax revenue (usually less than 5%), but the casino tax makes it easier for politicians to avoid Toto spending cuts and other tax increases. increase. 안전놀이터 Gambling in casinos in Connecticut and Rhode Island is one of the motivations for many Bay State residents to legalize casinos. If new casinos keep hundreds of millions of dollars of casino revenue in the state, it will be additional tax revenue.

Problem gambler

Researchers believe most of the costs come from problem gamblers, who make up about 1% of the population. They suffer from a variety of problems, including low productivity at work, financial problems, bad debts, bankruptcies, crimes to finance gambling, and lying to friends and family.

Interestingly, the spread of casinos across the United States may not have resulted in a significant increase in the prevalence of problem gambling. Studies show that gambling addiction rates increase in the short term when casinos expand into a particular area, but that rate levels off over time. As a result, the prevalence of problem gambling remains fairly stable regardless of location and time. Since the 1990s, researchers have attempted to put a monetary value on the social costs of problem gambling. Unfortunately, such measurements are difficult.

Researchers estimate that about 70% of problem gamblers have other problems, such as drug or alcohol abuse. Therefore, it is impossible to attribute a social cost to a person’s gambling problem. However, the scientific literature on difficulties associated with problem gambling is well developed.

Elimination of competitors

Critics of casinos usually argue that casinos harm other industries. This is the so-called “industrial cannibalization”. New businesses competing with existing businesses do the same. This is part of the market economy.

Incumbents 안전놀이터 do not like increased competition. But again, new casinos will create new options for consumers. Consumers will not spend money in casinos if they do not enjoy gambling. What about the impact of casinos on lotteries? Recently, there have been allegations that casinos could do a lot of damage to the Massachusetts lottery. Recent empirical evidence from a study we conducted in Maryland tends to the contrary.

Lottery sales dropped about 2.75% when casinos opened in Maryland. This isn’t a big impact, but it’s not surprising. Although Massachusetts is the most successful lottery company in the nation, the negative impact of casinos on lottery sales is likely to be minor. On the net, though, casinos will almost certainly increase gambling tax revenue.

How to assess the impact of game

Policy makers across the country are taking different approaches to understanding the impact of casinos. Some states have requested comprehensive investigations, while others have acted without much empirical evidence. Massachusetts commissioned a comprehensive, multi-year study of the economic and social impact of the introduction of casino gambling.

Casinos certainly have a variety of influences on their host communities. Casinos generate both costs and benefits, neither of which may be as important as those who strongly support or disagree with the claims. But from a purely economic standpoint, the benefits from casinos are likely to outweigh the costs, even given the difficulty of measuring them.