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Granite State Coalition
Against Expanded Gambling
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In response to a proposed casino in their town, the Palmer, Massachusetts Citizen's Casino Impact Study Committee was formed to identify costs and benefits, issuing its final report in April, 2009.
Here is a two-page summary of casino cost impacts as estimated by various Palmer town and school department heads. Palmer's bottom line:
Capital costs: $47-148 million
Increased annual operating costs: $18-40 million
Using data provided to the NH Gaming Study Commission by prospective casino developers, (assuming that Massachusetts legalizes and that Seabrook sees the same consequential 31% gross revenue decline projected by the Rockingham developer), New Hampshire casino host towns would receive these annual amounts:
Salem: $8.6 million
Seabrook: $2.6 million
Hudson: $5.3 million
Berlin (phase I): $0.3 million
Members of the Palmer study committee were split, some pro- somebers of the Members of the Palmer study committee were split, some pro-, some anti-casino. But all agreed that, if a casino were to locate in Palmer, local taxpayer cost impacts should be mitigated by the casino developer ... and that requirements to mitigate MUST be negotiated up front before permits are granted when leverage is greatest.
Red alert to unabashed New Hampshire casino supporters:
put away the Kool Aid and fire up your calculators before local taxpayers get the shaft. |
