Is Gambling Good for Canada?

Tweet

Canadians appreciate the benefits of local casino gambling.

We Canadians can be a fickle bunch, but we know a good thing when we see it, and we aren’t afraid to express our gratitude when one comes along. Establishing casinos throughout sizable municipalities is one thing most of us have come to genuinely appreciate.

It’s not that most of us are gambling fanatics. In fact, the majority of Canadians spend very little time inside the walls of these casinos. Some never have, and never will, set foot inside one. But even most of the non-gamblers can agree that the benefits far outweigh any consequences.

CGA Shows Canadians Appreciate Local Casino Gambling

The Canadian Gaming Association (CGA) is an organization dedicated to the healthy promotion of gaming operations in the Great White North. The CGA advocates for the tens of thousands of Canadians employed by the gaming industry, and the revenue it brings to provinces, municipalities and First Nations that host Canadian casinos.

Year after year, the CGA scours research and revenue reports to see how well the gaming industry is performing, where it’s succeeding, and where improvement is needed. It then published its own compilations in regards to its findings. According to a recent infograph comprised of data from HLT Advisory in 2015, the average approval rating from community leaders is about 76%.

Positive Impacts of Casino Gambling in Canada

Based on the information provided, Canadians saw extreme positives in 5 of the 6 categories. Only that one category—relating to casinos being a catalyst for the propagation of real estate development—received a negative response. About 40% believe real estate growth has been spurred by strategic casino placement.

In all other regards, however, local casino gambling is seen as a boon communities. The most notable of all is employment rates. A staggering 97% believe casinos have a positive impact on employment rates across their respective municipalities.

Coming in a close second is the tax benefit awarded to localities that host a casino in Canada. About 90% believe the millions of dollars gambling venues bring into their local tax coffers are ameliorating to the area, and to the individuals and families who live there.

Furthermore, 74% are impressed with the increasing rate of tourism. 75% have noticed a significant growth rate in the general economic development of their municipalities. And about 82% are pleased by the promenaded range of entertainment options in their community.

All of these advantages are what the CGA refers to as the “ripple effect”; one that goes well beyond what we see with the naked eye. The employment of slot machine attendants is an obvious benefit, but what about the restaurant supply plant up the road, or the seat manufacturing factory across town?

Local casino gambling venues in Canada spent $4.1 billion in 2017 on the “direct purchase of goods and services” necessary to sustain their operations. As such, casinos promote flourishing businesses in sectors we may not even consider.

“Many of the products found at casinos require other businesses to design, manufacture and deliver them, thus spreading around the economic benefits of gaming,” explains the CGA.