Bringing Legalized Casino Gambling to Galveston TX

Legalized Gambling in Galveston

In the city of Galveston, Texas, it has been proposed to legalize gambling in order to support and encourage economic growth. Certainly legalizing gambling has been proven to increase revenue both in terms of development monies to the city and then also in the tourist trade as those who live in regions without gambling will likely travel to Galveston since it would be a closer cite for legal gambling than say Las Vegas, Nevada or Atlantic City, New Jersey. However, there are also several negatives associate with the legalization of gambling in any location, particularly in locations where there are no current systems of legislation allowing for it in any close proximity, such as would be the case in Galveston.

The primary benefit to the community of Galveston, Texas to the legalization of gambling would be economic. For a community which has limited economic prowess in other venues pursuing gambling is a solid way in order to stabilize and vastly improve their economy. According to Melissa Kearney (2005), "Gross revenues from legalized gambling reached a record-high $72.9 billion in 2003" (page 2). Of course, this is a number which represents large gambling destinations like the ones named above. Were gambling legalized in Galveston, it can be easily assumed that there would be quite a lot of money that would be going into the economy of the city. Such an increase in economic strength would allow for development of schools, creation of quality hospitals, development of culture for entertainment, higher property values, of course the increase in employment through the casino and subsequent businesses, and in general terms a higher quality of life for the people of Galveston.

Galveston, Texas is not a large tourist attraction. Although there are certain locations within the city which appeal to some persons, there are far more attractive vacation spots within the state of Texas, such as San Antonio and Dallas for example. By legalizing gambling in the city, Galveston would become a tourist destination for those inclined to gamble who had not the means or opportunity to travel to further places (Kang 1996,-page 71). People from Texas and other nearby states would be more likely to travel to Galveston for gambling than Las Vegas or Atlantic City. This would then allow for other forms of growth within the city, such as the development of hotels and restaurants and other forms of entertainment which might appeal to other members of the family who either were disinclined to gamble or who had not reached the age to do so.

The main negative that is associated with legalized gambling is the fear of promoting an activity which many people feel to be sinful. Similarly, it is a difficult proposition to undo once it has been legalized (Goodman 1994,-page 15). When gambling is legalized in a community, the casinos become the primary source of income. With economic success comes growth in the individual business which then allows the casino to provide even more jobs and thus the community becomes even more dependent on the casino. It becomes a cycle in which the people depend on the gambling and the casino owners then depend on the people of the community for continued economic success.