Arizona is 30 percent short on its budget and they are considering all resources to increase the state’s income. They opted to revisit and revise their gaming policy that would benefit all Arizonans. The racing industry in Arizona proposed and asked permission to operate casinos on their existing racetracks offering 45 percent of its profits to help address the state’s budget crisis. Some are seeking to increase casino style gambling in the state; allowing gambling to grow across Arizona without limits. If limits will be removed, tribal casinos will be allowed to have additional gambling devices & facilities, such as slot machines, game tables and etc. beyond the original agreement in Proposition 202 in November 2002.
It has been 15 years that tribes in Arizona have enjoyed their exclusive franchise, collecting billions in gaming profits. Tohono O’odham tribe, one of the few tribes has announced their plans to build a casino at 91st Avenue. The site will be at the heart of the fastest growing urban area near the University of Phoenix stadium.
If the state would agree to such proposal it could provide hundreds of millions additional revenue to cover the state’s budget deficit. Additional tax means extra funding for universities/ schools, law enforcement, calamity fund, indigent care, transportation, and other state responsibilities.
However, for the majority of Arizonans, expansion of gambling would have a destructive effect on their economy and families.
According to Professor John Kindt of the University off Illinois & who studied gambling impact in the economy for 20 years, gambling will not boost Arizona’s ill economy. He concluded that for every $1 of earning from gambling, the state must spend $3 on increased social services. Another professor in the name of Earl Grinols made a calculation that gambling is 3:1 ratio. The ratio shows that the expense in gambling outweighs the profit. Money that would have been used on services or goods is wasted in casinos. Thus, gambling does not produce profit to contribute to the economic development.
For the majority group, creating a law that will expand gambling is bad public policy since gambling is a fountain of social and economic dilemma. They believe that turning Arizona into another Las Vegas is a frightening idea for their community and families. Gambling related addiction, creates corruption, bankruptcy, raises crime, suicide attempts, domestic abuse, destruction of marriages and families are some of the social consequences that gambling brings and will bring to Arizonans. Some fear that once the state allows a particular business such as racetracks to have other forms of betting or casino style gambling like slots machines, it will be very hard to prevent its further expansion. Time will come that they will have casinos at the airport or at every resort in Arizona; that would consider Arizona an anti-family environment. Gambling is never a partisan predicament. Gambling is predator to the society. Its not just the gambling addict who suffers, society bears the costs of problem in gambling.
Now, it’s up to the Arizona state policy makers to decide and weigh.
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