Las Vegas Jobs and Lotteries

In my reading today from the New York Times.. I sometimes borrow a used copy from the Starbucks to read as I contemplate my cappuccino a couple of interesting facts were published about Las Vegas and its growth.

Its seems that the growth rate in LV has slowed this year. The reason.. no new casinos were made. No new hotels that support the casinos were started either. Southern Nevada depends upon the hotel growth and everything that goes with it for new jobs. For every new hotel room constructed, one and half new jobs can be directly tied to the the growth. In addition, one other job is created by extension.

I guess one can conclude everything that happens in Las Vegas stays in Las Vegas.. eh eh eh..

They had an interesting breakdown on who gambles with the lottery. Some states are tying out new higher priced scratchers. The highest priced one is now 50 dollars. The gambling companies want higher payoffs with less going to the middle and lower payouts, While the people that are wanting bigger participation of lower income people want more "chatter." or middle payoffs and more of them. Most of this information is closely guarded and not part of the public eye. Only in Texas is it extensive information on who is gambling to support the state is this information published.

The reports that by race, the afro american is more likely to spend more money with the lottery gamble than the Latino or White persons. No mention was made of Asian gamblers. The higher the education level of the player the less they will gamble as well. The article made reference to the fact that gambling may occur in different forms for more well to do patrons. Some more wealthy people have no problems betting on every hole in golf they are playing, but would not engage in a lottery draw.

The idea that lotteries can cease is not very practical in modern life. The religious right has been fighting for the elimination of gambling since 1991 in Texas.

The use of lottery funds throughout the country is interesting too. California uses its lottery money to support schools directly. It was originally supposed to go to support things like materials for the classroom tech.. etc. Instead, early on, it went to support heating and cooling costs.. under the guise that those monies for classroom materials would have to decrease if the heating and cooling costs of the classrooms were not covered. In Colorado the lottery money goes toward recreation facilities. In Loveland there is a public sculpture acquisition grant that some of these monies are used to buy sculpture in and around the parks of Loveland. Grand Junction may have also done the same thing. Colorado has constructed side by side pathways for bikes to travel off the interstate in places like Glenwood Springs. In the mean time its been difficult for Colorado schools to continue funding its education system. You can't have it both ways.

: ) Pat