Monday, May 29, 2006
Casinos represented an old development strategy that is primarily appropriate for rural counties located near metropolitan regions.
(The reason has to do with the economic dynamics of gambling. For gambling to be a net positive for a region, you need at least 60% of your patrons from outside the region. That's relatively easy to do with a rural county. It is virtually impossible to do in a large metro region. Gambling works as economic development in Rising Sun, IN, but it is a real moon shot in a place like Cleveland.)
At the same time, other factors are often left out of the equation. Gambling carries tremendous hidden social costs.
Here's a very good series of articles that explore the social costs of gambling: Hooked on Gambling. The series includes some audio interviews. Read more.
posted by Ed Morrison |
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Some Background on EDPro Weblog
The purpose of this weblog is to help economic development professionals -- EDPros -- keep up with the changes sweeping our profession. Strap on your goggles. It's a whole new game. There are no experts any more. The only place to learn about economic development is from other EDPros who are doing it.
One other point: the prevaling approach (paradigm, if you like) in economic development is shifting from competition to collaboration. There are a lot of reaasons underlying this shift, but here's the important insight: You, your community, and your region will do better by collaborating and sharing information.
If you are using a news reader, here is the link to syndicate this site:
Here's the link if you are a bloglines subscriber:
Speaking and workshops on Open Source Economic Development
As the idea of Open Source Economic Development starts spreading, more people are asking about it. Visit the I-Open web site to learn more. My colleagues and I are happy to explain the basic concepts in a talk or a workshop. E-mail Susan Alshuler if you'd like to learn more about workshops and speaking.
Background on Ed Morrison
Download some background information on me here.
Gambling's dark side
