In Las Vegas, Nevada, gambling is king. Gambling is the city’s and the state’s cash crop the way Virginia grows tobacco, the midwest grows corn and wheat, and the way the south grows cotton. Nevada depends on it. Now, Nevada is a bit of an anomaly, but there are other places in North America and the world that a close connection with gambling a casinos. Other places like Atlantic City, the United States Gulf Coast, and even Monaco where the casinos have become as much a part of the economy as any other industry or crop. While it might be a bit of a reach to say that these places would not exist without casinos the way Las Vegas would, it is safe to say that gambling and casinos are a major force in driving the economy and providing much needed funding for social programs.
In Canada the Alberta province knows this first hand. Their economy is driven by the oil and natural gas industry. However, casinos and gambling rank right up there when it comes to keeping the economy going. In an article published by the National Post newspaper suggested that gambling and alcohol play as heavily into the Albertan economy as natural gas and oil.
Some worry about this. “It’s a reliable source of revenue and they depend on it. That’s the worrisome thing,” said Alberta Gaming Research Institute Coordinator, Robert Williams. He noted that the people of Alberta are near the top of gambling dollars per-capita at nearly $951 per person per year.
The other side of the coin is the gambling and casino industry helps fund many programs in the Canadian province. Throughout Canada and the United States, casinos and lotteries help bring money into programs like education, state run agencies, and other social and charity groups. This helps not only the programs, but keeps taxes, which would be needed to fund these programs, down.
