And the Winner Is . . . 0
The idea that casino gambling could replace honest taxation to support state and local governments has always been a mug’s game. The state mark might win in the short-term, but, in the long-run, the mark always looses.
The casino industry has grown exponentially over the last decade as revenue-hungry states have moved to claim business that once went across state lines to Atlantic City, New Jersey, or the tribal-owned megaresorts in Connecticut. After Nevada, Pennsylvania has emerged as the country’s No. 2 gambling marketing, overtaking Atlantic City, where four of 12 casinos closed last year.
As long as politicians are too chicken to fund public needs through honest taxation, they will remain marks for the privatization scam of the day.