Casino is a bad bet

LETTER: Casino is a bad bet

Published: Friday, September 13, 2013

Much has been written in recent days about the Catawba Indian Nation’s proposal to build a 220,000 square foot Las Vegas-style gambling casino in Cleveland County, North Carolina. Yes, a gambling casino may bring new jobs to the area, but at what cost?

An editorial in the Shelby Star on September 10 suggested casino jobs would be comparable to the employment opportunities provided by Clearwater Paper, AT&T, KSM Castings, and the like. This is not the case. Businesses like these not only employ local citizens but also produce valuable goods and services that benefit citizens, businesses, and the local and state economy. In contrast, the entire purpose of a gambling casino is to separate citizens from their hard-earned dollars without offering any tangible benefits in return. In doing so, casinos cannibalize the state and local economy by diverting consumer spending away from the purchase of goods and services, and into the pockets of the multi-billion dollar gambling industry.

The same editorial acknowledged that the establishment of a casino would inevitably lead to an increase in gambling addiction. This is absolutely true; however, it would not just be limited to “visitors” or “tourists,” as the editorial suggests. Studies show that, on average, five percent of the general population who gamble will become problem or pathological gamblers. Among regular gamblers, problem gambling is estimated to be as high as 20 percent. Moreover, a report to the

National Gambling Impact Study Commission found that the prevalence of pathological and problem gamblers roughly doubles within 50 miles of a gambling facility. Gambling addiction breeds a host of economic and social ills, including increases in crime, embezzlement, bankruptcy, job loss, domestic violence, child abuse, divorce and even suicide. These problems would not only plague “tourists” and “visitors” of the proposed casino, but they would heap devastating consequences on the individuals and families in and around Cleveland County who become victimized by gambling addiction.

Going “all in” in favor of a Las-Vegas-style gambling casino without considering the substantial negative social and economic costs is short sighted at best. Undoubtedly, job creation and economic growth are extremely important to Cleveland County and our State, but the ends simply do not justify the means. A gambling casino would be a bad bet for the citizens of Cleveland County and the State of North Carolina, and for these reasons, this proposal should be rejected.

John L. Rustin
President, North Carolina Family Policy Council
Raleigh

http://www.shelbystar.com/opinion/letters/letter-casino-is-a-bad-bet-1.202071