When you talk to people about the effects of casinos on the local economy you are bound to get mixed reviews. Those employed by casinos along with winners at casinos will tell you of the great effect they have on the economy; whereas those who lost at casinos may tell you of the awful effect they have on the economy. After researching the subject I found that most of the research you will find will tell you of the negative effect of casinos on the economy; but I must disagree with the bulk of the research.
I work at Downstream Casino Resort and have since day one. Not only have I witnessed the positive effects on the economy firsthand, but I have also experienced them. When Downstream Casino opened in July 2008, it opened with 1,250 employees, most of which fro the Four-State area. Not only did Downstream Casino creat 1,250 jobs, but when those people left their current jobs to become Downstream Casino employees it opened up they positions that they previously held. Almost two years later Downstream Casino still boasts over 1,100 employees and is one of the few local businesses that has experienced growth and prosperity during the recession. Downstream Casino, along with other local casinos, have had a positive effect on the local economy by decreasing the unemployment rate.
Another way that Downstream Casino, along with other local casinos, have had a positive impact on the local economy is through the flow of revenue. As of August 2009, a little over a year after opening, Downstream Casino had paid $21.5 million in gross payroll. A good majority of that $21.5 million was then spent in the local community on a number of things; rent, mortgages, groceries, gas, as well as other things. Not only did employees spend their paychecks in the local community, but Downstream Casino and Quapaw Casino also generated revenues for the state of Oklahoma to the tune of about $4.5 million. This exclude the millions of dollars that local vendors have received. Oklahoma vendors received $58 million Missouri vendors received $16 million; Kansas vendors received almost $2 million; and Arkansas vendors received about $1.5 million. Downstream Casino alone, excluding all other local casinos, noted a $107 million impact in it's first year. Not only does Downstream Casino, along with other local casinos, contribute to the local economy through payroll, revenues, and vendors, but they also helped to improve the economy by bringing in people outside of our community. Of Downstream Casino's 1.9 million guests in the first year, 65% of them came from outside of the immediate area, which means that they spent their money in our community which in turned gave our local community a boost.
Another way that local casinos boost the economy is through those players who win. Not only do those players then redistribute their winnings back in to the local community through rent, mortgages, groceries, gas, etc; but sometimes they even do things that have a much more significant effect on the community, like opening a business; such as the case of Terry Garrett. Terry had been itching to start a bakery for quite some time but had given up on her dream when she realized that she simply couldn't afford it. That is until she won a $21,000 jackpot at High Winds Casino is Miami, Oklahoma. After winning that jackpot she was then able to open her now successful bakery, Garrett's Bakery, in Southtown Plaza in Joplin, Missouri.
For those of you who believe casinos have a negative impact on the economy, I beg to differ...
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