Casino Gaming in Ontario: Its Role In Local Economic Development

Abstract

Casinos are a fundamental pier within the U.S. and Canadian economies. This paper examines the early legalization of casinos in the U.S. and Canada, focusing on casinos economic impacts on the economies of the two countries. The investigation is constrained in providing further analysis of the impacts of casino business on culture and society from a social perspective. Casinos were first legalized in Nevada, and soon, Las Vegas appeared as the casino city. Canada followed later and legalized casino in 1969, since then, casinos have made significant economic contributions to the standard of life in both the U.S. and Canada. Thousands of jobs have been created as a result. In addition, the tourism industry has seen a significant rise in earnings resulting in billions of dollars in revenue. It is crucial to understand the role of casinos in community economic development. Communities that are home to casinos directly benefit from a rise in employment, income, land values, and capital investments, such as, restaurants, hotels and bars. The casino business is great for communities as it generates an influx of tourists that will create human traffic and congestion.