Look past gaming

EDITOR:

There is a proposed ordinance that would require new gaming establishments here to provide 100 or more hotel rooms.

This seems to be perceived by some as a simple restraint on trade designed to protect large gaming operations from competition by smaller ones. Perhaps. But it may also have a relationship to a larger and more significant issue. And perhaps that's where the discussion should be focused.

UNLV has professors that actually research gaming and its effects. I recall reading of work they've done to determine which casinos are a net benefit to a community and which are a net loss.

I believe their conclusion was that when over 50 percent of a casino's patrons are local rather than from outside the region, the casino becomes a net drag on the local economy. Why? Because the social costs of gambling to the community start to outweigh its economic benefits and because the casino is primarily just recycling local dollars instead of bringing them in from outside the region.

So there is a strong argument to be made that we should be de-emphasizing "local" gaming and emphasizing gaming that predominantly attracts patrons from elsewhere. In this context the proposed ordinance might be viewed as an attempt to assure that our gaming operations remain a net benefit to the community and don't become a drag upon it.

I don't know if the hotel room requirement is the best way to go about that but I believe it would be helpful to put this discussion into a broader context, bring some actual research to bear and focus on what's best for the community socially and economically and not just on the inevitable competitive squabbles between businesses that operate here.

And in the long run, it seems to me we need to look beyond gambling and emphasize our spectacular outdoor environment and attractive small town atmosphere as a way to encourage visitors and new residents. And create lodging, food, beverage and entertainment establishments that are attractive to those types of folks. I somehow doubt the future lies in more smoke-filled rooms with people hunched over video poker machines.

Maybe we should look to regions that have had success in that regard as models. A northwest style alehouse with a broad selection of microbrews on tap and good pub food in an open, airy, sociable atmosphere would be nice. We even have a charming old brick building in a downtown location where that would fit well.

Terry Burnes

Gardnerville