Another case in point on whY the good gambling produces FAR FAR outweighs any negatives it might bring to a region.......
With more than $625 million having poured into the coffers of Northwest Indiana cities and counties with riverboats since 1996, gambling revenues have made significant impact on local economies and can't be dismissed.
"It has filled a gap," said Dan Lowery, executive director of the Northwest Indiana Quality of Life Council and a professor at Indiana University Northwest.
The boats arrived just as manufacturing jobs began deserting the region, with a nearly 10,000-job decline in steel production alone.
"If you go back 10 years and look at how much we had not foreseen, the collapse of steel employment, I just can't imagine the desperation Northwest Indiana would have experienced over the last 10 years," Lowery said.
"We also perhaps would not have foreseen the balance of pros and cons of the gambling boats."
On the positive side, "all of the boats are investing heavily," Lowery said. Casinos have built hotels and parking garages and made other improvements, adding to the value of their property.
Taxes paid by the casinos have funded countless road projects, paid for a baseball stadium and reduced property taxes for some.
But Porter County need not regret its choice to deny a riverboat casino, Lowery said. "I don't see the fact Porter County turned it down as part of a problem," Lowery said.
In a decade, Porter County has experienced tremendous growth, particularly in home sales, Lowery said.
"They have benefited from growth in ways that Lake and LaPorte counties have not," he said. "For Northwest Indiana as a whole it seems we have the right mix of opportunities for folks. Porter County elected to preserve a certain identity."
Cities with riverboats appear just as happy to forego identity for the gains they've made.
"We're glad to have them in town," said John Schaefer, city controller for Michigan City, home to Blue Chip Casino.
If not for gaming revenues of more than $70 million since 1997, "we probably would not have been able to do most of the things we have done."
The city was smart, putting most of its gambling revenues in the ground, Schaefer said, referring to street improvements. "We've been able to pay as you go," he said.
For the city of Gary, which landed two riverboats, gambling revenues have been "a good economic development tool," said the city's controller, Husain Mahmoud.
"Without it, property taxes would be higher and there'd be less improvements," Mahmoud said. "We would not be on this track right now at the pace we're at."
Hammond streets are paved with casino revenues, almost literally, assistant city engineer Mark Gordish said.
About 35 percent of city streets have been rebuilt using gambling dollars, Gordish said.
"We average about 40 road projects a year since 1997," he said. "Prior to gambling we had three to four projects a year."
Communities have seen substantial gains from gambling revenues, said Morton Marcus, an economist and a retired professor at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business.
Hammond's Lost Marsh Golf Course and The Steel Yard baseball stadium in Gary are prime examples, Marcus said.
"But by and large, the economic well-being of these communities has not changed. Each still has a fundamental problem," he said. "You still have considerable economic deterioration in downtown Gary, and there are problems attracting business to downtown Hammond, despite tremendous efforts.
"We have not seen a transformation of the economies of these areas because of the gambling."
Porter County has found other ways to weather tough financial times, said Michael Aylesworth, one-time Porter County republican chairman.
"It's called living with less," he said. "It means living within its means. Those other counties are bloated with riverboat money, and they're spending it wildly. I don't think that's something we wanted in Porter County."
There's no point thinking of what might have been, said John Shepherd, economic development consultant for the city of Portage, which would have hosted a Porter County boat.
"It's difficult to think in those terms for me. The people voted, and they made a decision. I don't know what kind of money it would have generated. It's just beyond me to think of it."
With more than $625 million having poured into the coffers of Northwest Indiana cities and counties with riverboats since 1996, gambling revenues have made significant impact on local economies and can't be dismissed.
"It has filled a gap," said Dan Lowery, executive director of the Northwest Indiana Quality of Life Council and a professor at Indiana University Northwest.
The boats arrived just as manufacturing jobs began deserting the region, with a nearly 10,000-job decline in steel production alone.
"If you go back 10 years and look at how much we had not foreseen, the collapse of steel employment, I just can't imagine the desperation Northwest Indiana would have experienced over the last 10 years," Lowery said.
"We also perhaps would not have foreseen the balance of pros and cons of the gambling boats."
On the positive side, "all of the boats are investing heavily," Lowery said. Casinos have built hotels and parking garages and made other improvements, adding to the value of their property.
Taxes paid by the casinos have funded countless road projects, paid for a baseball stadium and reduced property taxes for some.
But Porter County need not regret its choice to deny a riverboat casino, Lowery said. "I don't see the fact Porter County turned it down as part of a problem," Lowery said.
In a decade, Porter County has experienced tremendous growth, particularly in home sales, Lowery said.
"They have benefited from growth in ways that Lake and LaPorte counties have not," he said. "For Northwest Indiana as a whole it seems we have the right mix of opportunities for folks. Porter County elected to preserve a certain identity."
Cities with riverboats appear just as happy to forego identity for the gains they've made.
"We're glad to have them in town," said John Schaefer, city controller for Michigan City, home to Blue Chip Casino.
If not for gaming revenues of more than $70 million since 1997, "we probably would not have been able to do most of the things we have done."
The city was smart, putting most of its gambling revenues in the ground, Schaefer said, referring to street improvements. "We've been able to pay as you go," he said.
For the city of Gary, which landed two riverboats, gambling revenues have been "a good economic development tool," said the city's controller, Husain Mahmoud.
"Without it, property taxes would be higher and there'd be less improvements," Mahmoud said. "We would not be on this track right now at the pace we're at."
Hammond streets are paved with casino revenues, almost literally, assistant city engineer Mark Gordish said.
About 35 percent of city streets have been rebuilt using gambling dollars, Gordish said.
"We average about 40 road projects a year since 1997," he said. "Prior to gambling we had three to four projects a year."
Communities have seen substantial gains from gambling revenues, said Morton Marcus, an economist and a retired professor at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business.
Hammond's Lost Marsh Golf Course and The Steel Yard baseball stadium in Gary are prime examples, Marcus said.
"But by and large, the economic well-being of these communities has not changed. Each still has a fundamental problem," he said. "You still have considerable economic deterioration in downtown Gary, and there are problems attracting business to downtown Hammond, despite tremendous efforts.
"We have not seen a transformation of the economies of these areas because of the gambling."
Porter County has found other ways to weather tough financial times, said Michael Aylesworth, one-time Porter County republican chairman.
"It's called living with less," he said. "It means living within its means. Those other counties are bloated with riverboat money, and they're spending it wildly. I don't think that's something we wanted in Porter County."
There's no point thinking of what might have been, said John Shepherd, economic development consultant for the city of Portage, which would have hosted a Porter County boat.
"It's difficult to think in those terms for me. The people voted, and they made a decision. I don't know what kind of money it would have generated. It's just beyond me to think of it."
