Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TABLE 8.2 Top 20 U.S. Casino Markets by Annual Revenue
2009 Annual Revenues
(USD in millions)
a
Rank
Casino Market
1
Las Vegas Strip, NV
$5,550.0
2
Atlantic City, NJ
3,943.0
3
Chicagoland, IN/IL
2,092.0
4
Connecticut
1,448.0
5
Detroit, MI
1,339.0
6
St. Louis, MO/IL
1,050.0
7
Tunica/Lula, MS
997.0
8
Biloxi, MS
833.5
9
Shreveport, LA
779.7
10
Boulder Strip, NV
774.3
11
Kansas City, MO
(includes St. Joseph)
758.0
12
Reno/Sparks, NV
715.2
13
Lawrenceburg/Rising Sun/Belterra, IN
691.2
14
Lake Charles, LA
662.6
15
New Orleans, LA
653.1
16
Black Hawk/Central City, CO
596.3
17
Yonkers, NY
540.5
18
Downtown Las Vegas, NV
523.8
19
Laughlin, NV
492.5
20
Council Bluffs, IA
430.7
a
Gross revenue is earnings taken before taxes, salaries, and expenses are paid—the equivalent of sales, not pro
t.
Source: The Innovation Group and the American Gaming Association.
In deciding whether to add casino gaming to a community or to the mix of gaming already in
existence, it is important that voters and their elected representatives have the correct information
and statistics so that their decision, either pro or con, is an informed one. The National Gambling
Impact Study Commission (NGISC), signed into law in August 1996 to conduct a comprehensive study
of the social and economic impacts of gaming in the United States, released its report in 1999. The
final report concluded the following:
As it has grown, [gambling] has become more than simply an
entertainment past-time: the gambling industry has emerged as an economic mainstay in many
communities and plays an increasingly prominent role in state and even regional economies.
''
1
Indian reservation gaming in the United States became a growth industry when the U.S. Supreme
Court in 1987 recognized Indian people
''
s right to run gaming. It ruled that states had no authority to
regulate gaming on Indian land if such gaming is permitted outside the reservation for any other
purpose. Congress established the legal basis for this right when it passed the Indian Gaming
Regulatory Act (IGRA) in 1988. The National Indian Gaming Association reports that 233 Indian tribes
in 28 states use Indian gaming to create new jobs, fund essential government services, and rebuild
communities. In 2008, tribal governments generated $25.9 billion in gross gaming revenue;
$3.2 billion in gross revenue from related hospitality and entertainment services; created 636,000
jobs (direct and indirect); contributed $8.0 billion in federal taxes and revenue savings, $2.5 billion
state taxes, and over $100 million in payments to local governments. Nationally, charities gained $150
million in contributions from gaming tribes. Across the United States, 231 tribes in the lower 48 states
and two Alaska Native villages operate 411 Indian gaming facilities,
'
including casino operations,
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