What not to do with your gambling revenue: the failure of Tunica, Mississippi

[pbrower2a]

It looks like horrible priorities. The revenue practically all went either to show projects or to cutting taxes for the rich.

"So who benefited? The plantation owners!"

To be sure, the casino jobs paid badly, so they did not support a growth in retail businesses. Tax revenue did not get spent on such luxuries as schools, streets, or public health.

...Mississippi is one of the crookedest states in the Union because white people will vote for a white Republican crook over a black Democratic reformer and black people will vote for a black Democratic crook over a white Republican reformer. 

[pbrower2a]

Morally questionable activity doesn't save a region?  Color me surprised!

What's morally questionable about gambling?

Not really gambling itself, but the gaming industry. It tends to prey upon people who gamble with money they can't afford to lose. So long as people gamble with money they don't need, it's not any more objectionable than any other recreational activity people spend money on.

Las Vegas gets a little bonus from gambling: it is far enough from other large cities that people who gamble much stay in Las Vegas. The nearest real city to the Las Vegas area is St. George, Utah. Greater Las Vegas gets the hotel and motel business of gamblers. Reno is much the same. But contrast some other cities that have turned to gambling: Atlantic City and Detroit practically get commuters who don't get tired and have to sleep over in those cities.

Tunica, Mississippi is in a God-awful area. Why would anyone from elsewhere want to stay there? Memphis has much entertainment. Surrounding areas in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee are very poor.  Tunica basically gets commuters as gamblers, largely from Greater Memphis. Atlantic City can draw upon Greater New York and Philadelphia. Detroit gets to draw gamblers from Rustbelt cities. Tunica?

Tunica got a boom from initial construction, but once that was over it got a low-wage, no-value-added business. It would have been better off with manufacturing.

[pbrower2a]

The local political leadership would have f---ed up had they instead gotten a windfall from oil extraction or refining -- except that Big Oil would have called more of the shots on local and state politics.