Newsletter Signup
Stay informed with the
NEW Casino City Times newsletter! |
Gaming News
Arizona Relying on Casino Boom7 March 2002ARIZONA – As reported by the Arizona Republic: "Arizona is counting on an unprecedented gambling boom on the reservations to meet the revenue expectations laid out in Gov. Jane Hull's agreement with Indian tribes, according to an independent data analysis. "The number of slot machines in the metro Phoenix area is certain to double almost instantly if the compact is approved by the Legislature. That will create a bigger market for gambling and raise the average percentage of personal income residents will likely wager in Indian casinos. "The total gross revenues from gaming, meanwhile, must balloon 50 percent, to $1.5 billion, within a year if the state expects to receive the $83 million in shared revenue it claims it will receive, according to calculations by Will Cummings, a gaming industry consultant in Arlington, Massachusetts. "The gambling rush in Arizona cities will hurt the local economies in Phoenix and Tucson, argued John Kindt, a professor of business at the University of Illinois and a critic of legalized gambling. "…The new 23-year compacts, which were negotiated in secret between Hull's aides and the Arizona Indian Gaming Association, must be approved by the Legislature…" |