| Facts About the Social Impact of Casino Development Crime A U.S. News & World Report analysis found crime rates in casino communities to be 84% higher than the national average. Further, while national crime rates dropped by 2% in 1994, the 31 localities that introduced casinos in 1993 saw a 7.7% increase in crime the following year. (Joseph P. Shapiro, "America's Gambling Fever", U.S. News & World Report, January 15, 1996, pp 58, 60) In the first six years of casino operation in Minnesota, the crime rate in counties with casinos increased more than twice as fast as in non-casino counties. According to an analysis by Minneapolis Star Tribune, the median crime rate in casino counties rose 39% during that period as compared to an 18% increase in non-casino counties. (Dennis J. McGrath and Chris Ison, "Gambling Spawns a New Breed of Criminal," (Minneapolis) Star Tribune, December 4, 1995, p.A6) The total number of crimes within a 30-mile radius of Atlantic City increased by 107% in the nine years following the introduction of casinos to Atlantic City. (Andrew J. Buck, Simon Hakim, and Uriel Spiegal, "Casinos, Crime and Real Estate Values: Do They Relate?" Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, August 1991, p. 295) The Mississippi Gulf Coast experienced a 43% increase in crime in the four years after casinos arrived. Harrison County, where most of the Gulf Coast casinos are located, witnessed a 58% increase in total crimes between 1993 and 1996. (Robert Waterbury, "1996 Mississippi Coast Crime Statistics," Mississippi Coast Crime Commission, May 1997.) To date, there has not been one day that the Connecticut State Police have not arrested someone at Foxwoods Casino or Mohegan Sun Casino. The crimes include rape, murder, larceny and grand theft auto. (Ronald A Reno, "Gambling Impact on Families", from Tribal Nation.) Between 1990 and 1998, a period when the overall crime rates in New London Labor Market Area had declined by 10.8%, the crime rate in Ledyard, Connecticut went up by 300%. If only "out of casino" crimes are considered, Ledyard alone has registered a 70% increase in crime in that same period. (Ronal A Reno, "Gambling Impact on Families", from Tribal Nation.) Crime in American counties with casinos has fallen at a slower rate than it has in non-gambling counties. (Foresight, Vol 6 #4, 1999) Counties with casinos have a crime rate 8% higher on average than counties without casinos based on analysis of 20 years of federal crime data from all 3,165 counties in the U.S., taking into account several variables that may affect crime rates such as income levels, unemployment rates, age, race, gender. (David Mustard, Earl Grinols, University of Illinois @ Urban-Champaign) In the study entitled "Business Profitability vs Social Profitability: Evaluating Industries with Externalities, the Case of Casinos," economists Earl Grinols and David Mustard used an economic cost-benefit analysis and found "the cost of casino are at least 1.9 times greater than the benefits." In other words, one dollar worth of casino profits and other social benefits, costs taxpayers at least $1.90 in "cost-creating activities such as crime, suicide, and bankruptcy,' and the expensive social problems engendered by "problem and pathological gamblers." (Native American Press, "Casinos, Crime and Community Costs" by Clara Niiska, January 25, 2002.) Casinos increase crime in their host counties and crime spills over into neighboring counties to increase crime in border areas. Grinols, Mustard and Dilley analyzed crime rates for every US county between 1977 and 1996. Casinos create crime, rather than attract it from elsewhere," they found. In 1996, the last year for which statistics were available at the time of their study, "casinos accounted for 10.3% of violent crimes and 7.7% of property crime in casino counties." Auto theft is the crime that increased the most; robberies increased by 20%, despite increased expenditures by law enforcement agencies after casinos opened. ("Casinos, Crime and Community Costs," by Grinols, Mustard, and fellow economist Cynthia Hunt Dilley) The data analyzed by Grinols et al, show a time-lag between casino opening and higher crime rates, which typically begin a few years after casinos open and increase over time. They theorized that much of that time lag reflected the addictive processes of problem gamblers, who "according to clinical research, take 2-3 years to exhaust alternative resources before they commit crime." (www.cba.uiuc.edu/grinols/Scribbling/Casino-Crime-15SEP00.pdf) Divorce The number of divorces tripled since the introduction of casinos. (Mississippi State Department of Health, "Vital Statistics Mississippi" for the years 1991-1998) National Gambling Impact Study Commission said, "respondents representing two million adults identified a spouse's gambling as a significant factor in divorce." (National Opinion Research Center, "Gambling Impact and Behavior study: Report to the National Gaming Institute Study Commission, April 1, 1991, p.48) Child Abuse National Gambling Impact Study Commission said, "Children of compulsive gamblers are often prone to suffer abuse, as well as neglect as a result of parental problem or pathological gambling." (NGISC Final Report p.7-28) In Indiana, a review of the state's gaming commission records revealed that 72 children were found abandoned on casino premises during a 14 month period. (Grace Schneider, "Children Being Left Alone While Parents Gamble," Louisville Courier-Journal, July 18, 2000) In both Louisiana and South Carolina, children died after being locked in hot cars while guardians gambled. (Joe Darby, Sitter Indicted in Toddler's Death", New Orleans Times-Picayune, May 23, 1999; "Police: Baby Died of Dehydration in Car While Mom Gambled in Casino," Associated Press, September 2, 1997) Domestic Violence According to National Research Council, studies indicate that between 1/4 and 1/2 of spouses of compulsive gamblers have been abused. (National Research Council, "Pathological Gambling: A Critical Review", April 1, 1999, p.52) Case studies of 10 casino communities conducted for the National Gambling Impact Study Commission revealed that the majority of those communities witnessed increases in domestic violence relative to the introduction of casinos. (NGISC Final Report p 7-27) Domestic violence shelters on Mississippi Gulf Coast reported an increase for assistance ranging from 100% to 300% after introduction of casinos. (Maryland Attorney General J. Joseph Curran Jr. "The House Never Loses and Maryland Cannot Win: Why Casino Gaming is a Bad Idea," October 16, 1995 p.5; NGISC Final Report, p. 7-27) University of Nebraska Medical Center Study concluded that problem gambling is as much a factor for domestic violence as alcohol abuse. (Jon Jejkal, "University of Nebraska Doctor Contributes to National Domestic Violence Study," Daily Nebraskan, January 13, 2000.) Drunk Driving In the State of Connecticut, the State Police Troop E has the highest DWI/DUI rate in the state. This troop is responsible for the area around Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Casinos. In 2000, Troop E made 690 DUI arrests - more than twice the number of arrests of any other Connecticut State Police Troop. (Fiscal Impacts of Foxwoods Casino on the Town of Ledyard Connecticut: Mayor Wesley J Johnson, Sr. Town of Ledyard 741 Colonel Ledyard Highway, Ledyard Connecticut, 06339 December 2001) |