The USGRI has been funded for most of this year by a grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation of Chicago. Part of the work we are doing under that grant is the creation of a database of factual information about casinos and communities. That information is available on this web site under the heading “INFO SHEET,” or by clicking here.
In another project, the USGRI worked with a group of Presbyterian churches in the Atlantic City, N.J. area to put together a portrait of the relationship between the church’s members and the casino industry. We surveyed and interviewed church members to gather this information and found significant ambivalence in people’s attitudes about the casino industry. To access the full study, including profiles of casino workers, click here.
A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of California at San Diego shows a widespread increase in suicide rates in major gambling communities. The increase is true among both residents and visitors. You can find the complete study by clicking here.
The United States Gambling Research Institute was asked by the Missouri Council on Economic Integrity to produce an impartial review of the study, The Economic Impact of Gaming in Missouri, by Charles Leven and Don Phares, prepared for Civic Progress of St. Louis, MO, and released in April, 1998. The goal of our analysis was to examine the validity of the methodology and data used in the Leven-Phares Study. We conclude that revised economic impact estimates are warranted to provide a more comprehensive assessment of both the benefits and costs of the casino industry to the Missouri economy. It is our hope that this review and our revised impact estimates will contribute to a fuller and more accurate understanding of these impacts. Click here for the full report.