Border Towns Should Beware Springfield Casino
By Editorial
Towns that border Massachusetts had better prepare for the costly and more violent crime that might follow a new casino in Springfield.
A study by a state university professor has found that the value of property stolen in several southeastern Connecticut towns increased in the years he examined from 1999 on, when Foxwoods and the Mohegan Sun were both up and running.
Also, the number of violent crimes (murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault) increased in those towns in those years — contrary to a nationwide drop in violent crime in that time period. However, the number of certain nonviolent crimes such as burglary, larceny, vehicle theft and arson did decline in the towns near the casinos, mirroring the national trend.
But though the number of theft crimes went down, the value of the property stolen in them went up.
Property losses from larceny, for example, jumped from $8.8 million in 1992-96 to $12.4 million in the years Mr. Muska studied — 1999, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2011. (Foxwoods opened in 1992 and Mohegan Sun in 1996.)
The author says that, given the higher cost of the crimes committed, "the economic benefits of casino gaming for the state of Connecticut still remain questionable."
The state might argue that its share of the casinos' slot machine revenue went to a lot of public good. But that revenue came at a price to the communities surrounding the casinos. Enfield, Suffield and other towns close to Springfield, take note.
http://www.courant.com/opinion/editorials/hc-ed-crime-rate-casino-towns-20141128-story.html
But though the number of theft crimes went down, the value of the property stolen in them went up.
Property losses from larceny, for example, jumped from $8.8 million in 1992-96 to $12.4 million in the years Mr. Muska studied — 1999, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2011. (Foxwoods opened in 1992 and Mohegan Sun in 1996.)
The state might argue that its share of the casinos' slot machine revenue went to a lot of public good. But that revenue came at a price to the communities surrounding the casinos. Enfield, Suffield and other towns close to Springfield, take note.
http://www.courant.com/opinion/editorials/hc-ed-crime-rate-casino-towns-20141128-story.html
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