/ Editor / 03 April 2008 / Leave a Comment

THERE are almost 1,500 casinos in the USA.

But how many more can there be?

Over the newswires, the Casino Anorak learns that casino operators are pushing to get slot machines, roulette wheels and blackjack tables into more states.

But not everyone wants gambling. The Governor of Kentucky, Steve Beshear, is not for casinos. And a week ago Massachusetts' burghers rejected a measure that would have allowed three casinos to open there.

Ohio and Nebraska have previously declined the offer of more casino space.

The wonder now is if this is emblematic of a wider policy. After two decades of rapid expansion, is the US now saturated with casinos? Over the past 30 years, 37 states have welcomed some form of legal gambling.

"We've got states that are identified with three different regions of the country -- the South, Midwest and Northeast -- that are rejecting the casino agenda," says John-Mark Hack, a businessman who led the fight against casinos in Kentucky. "It's clear that a trend is emerging."

Holly Thomsen, spokeswoman for The American Gaming Association, counters this. Says she: "I don't think it's true that there is some trend out there showing people are routinely rejecting casinos."

This November, Maryland locals will vote on whether or not casinos should open in the state.

Casino Money

The locals should know that casinos make money. The American Gaming Association puts nationwide gambling revenues in excess of $32 billion in 2006. As reported, more than $5 billion in taxes were paid to the cities and states where the casinos are located.

Casinos are good for jobs, employing more than 366,000 people in 2006, generating more than $13 billion for staff.

But is the rejection of casinos just part of the perceived economic downturn? In Atlantic City, casino operating profits fell 9.6 percent to nearly $1.25 billion.

The falls is attributed to competition from Pennsylvania's new slot machines arcades, the partial casino smoking ban and the economy.

Of course, in the US players are barred from gambling for money online. In the UK, and much of the rest of the Free World, players can gamble online at casinos that ebb and flow with the punters.

The debate in the US should not be how casino expansion can be stopped but how in the great consumerist capital of the world the customer can be given what they want...

Play online and take advantage of a great bonus...

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