News & Features

January 26, 2012

Over the last year, discussion on the state level has focussed primarily on a request by the owners of Lincoln's Twin River slot parlor to put forth a ballot measure that would allow them to expand their facility to include table games such as poker, blackjack, and roulette. Newport Grand has only recently entered the fray, but Hurley indicated that the facility would begin making its case.  

"We understand that the burden will be on Newport Grand to communicate with the voters and provide them with information in order to allow them to make an informed decision," she told councilors earlier this month. "No doubt it will be a lively debate, one that we commit to conduct with honesty and integrity."

January 26, 2012

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  • THE END OF CIVIC VIRTUE

    There were many, many reasons, (cited by Gibbon and Toynbee), why the Roman Empire declined, Economic devastation, civic desperation and apathy were considerable and played a large role. It looks like Newport will go the way of Atlantic City. I'm sure all the retired folks around here will enjoy losing their paychecks playing Blackjack (or getting robbed by junkies and crackheads while they're out of the house). Or murdered. But on the bright side, there'll be more prostitutes! Thanks, Jai-Alai!

    From a Forbes article, "Atlantic City Is Dangerous And Depraved" (May 5, 2005):

    But the idea behind Atlantic City wasn't to boost the take of a few hotels; it was to spur development and employment more generally.

    This idea has been stopped in its tracks.

    Even among the casinos, employment is declining. In 2000, the casinos employed 47,426. In 2004, the last year for which data are available, the number dipped to 45,501, the CCC says. It's likely that the casino employment total increased a bit with the opening of the Borgata, but overall it's been pretty flat.

    The wider view is bleaker still. Employment overall in the city, after rising in the 1990s, has fallen from 164,100 in 2000 to 149,500 in 2004, a 9% drop, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Even what the bureau classifies as "leisure and hospitality" employment is down sharply, from 70,300 to 57,400.

    Gambling, oddly enough, is becoming more popular, with "gross gambling revenue" in the U.S. increasing to $72.9 billion from $58.2 billion between 1999 and 2004, according to the American Gaming Association. But just a small portion of the increase has gone to casinos, and none of the increase has found its way to the Jersey shore, Trump's efforts notwithstanding. Although gambling hasn't done much for Atlantic City, others are racing for a slice of its supposed glory, so Atlantic City itself has been running in place.

    Crime in the city is about three times the U.S. average, and the murder rate is twice the national average, according to FBI data.

    Posted by FRED SULLIVAN January 26, 2012 14:07:36

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