Last month, a bill for a riverboat casino license went through the Indiana Senate. The bill would have allowed one of the Gary riverboat casino licenses to be transferred to Steuben County in the far northeastern corner of Indiana. Dan Barden wants to consolidate the two Gary Majestic Star Casinos he owns on Lake Michigan into a single, larger operation. Arguments for the casino included, a single, expanded casino would do better and provide at least as much revenue for Gary as the two smaller casinos docked close to each other on Lake Michigan. He also argued that a casino in Steuben County would draw a lot of business from Michigan and Ohio. Meeks argues the move could create 800 jobs. The County had the second-highest unemployment rate in the state in October.
Although the bill did not pass this time around, that doesn’t mean there won’t be more to come in the future. In my opinion, the casino is not a good development. I agree that it will help create jobs, therefore lowering the unemployment rate, but it could tear families apart. The people that will be patrons of the casino will become regulars and it will lead to an addiction to gambling. Because of the immediate rate of gratification, becoming addicted to gambling is easy. The riverboat is probably going to bring in people who live in the poorest parts of the county. In turn, they will go in debt therefore creating more economic problems than before. What do you think about this issue? How would you feel about a casino in your backyard?
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Casinos can bring in millions of dollars (in some cases), but can also cause major problems. The impact on individuals can be devistating without self-control. Depending on the economic status of the area that the casino is introduced, the effects can be balanced. Many people will argue that casinos have more positives, because of the money they bring in. Many Indian reservations thrive because of the income from their casinos. It's a very controversial topic becuase of the extreme positive/negatives associated with gambling.
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