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From Small Town to Big Boom

"`The job was good, but the the pay was so low and there were no benefits,'Hardy said.

"So she applied for a job with Circus Circus and was hired to work in the player's club department.

"…In the past eight years, she has risen the ranks at Gold Strike Casino Resort (the new name for Circus Circus) and is now manager of the player's club, in charge of a staff of 24.

"Hardy's story is replicated all across the small rural county, which has been transformed in the past decade to the largest gambling market in the South.

"…Along with thousands of jobs, casinos have brought a new prosperity to Tunica County. Every resident rattles off the same numbers: a drop in unemployment from more than 20 percent to 3 percent, $25 car tags, free garbage pickup and no property taxes.

"For decades, Tunica County was branded as the poorest county in the poorest region of the United States. Now that casinos have created a viable economy, the residents are proud of the positive attention.

"…Despite all of the positives, gambling has brought some bad things to the county: crime has skyrocketed from 689 cases in 1991 to 11,100 in 1996, according to Mississippi State University's Social Science Research Center.

"…Taylor blames much of the crime on transients who figure the rural county is a good place to hide, since it's between three states. Casino-related crimes, such as embezzlement and bad checks, also have increased…"

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