Should Foxboro Massachusetts Have A Casino ?

A website entitled nofoxborocasino.com posted the following:

We recently posted a report written by the Mayor of Ledyard, CT (home to Foxwoods Casino) in 2001 entitled: “Report, Fiscal Impacts of Foxwoods Casino on the Town of Ledyard, Connecticut. Mayor Wesley J. Johnson, Sr.; Town of Ledyard; December 2001.”This was written 9 years after Foxwoods opened.

We believe Foxwoods is a good case study of what happens to a small town when a casino is built. Note Ledyard’s population was 15,000, similar to 17,000 in the Town of Foxboro today.

Some Important Statistics Cited in the Report (read the full report here):

  1. The crime rate in Ledyard went up by 300%.
  2. There was a 200% increase in traffic volumes.
  3. Ledyard went to having the highest DWI / DUI rate in the state.
  4. Foxwoods averages 55,000 visitors a day (that is almost equivalent to a Patriots home game–365 days a year!)
  5. Jobs were created, but they were low paying jobs making under $25,000 per year.
  6. And the report concludes with “…. the social cost of problem gambling, inability to regulate land use and uncertainty about where and how future development will occur, will continue to effect the financial stability, rural character and quality of life in our town.”

I understand that a casino brings in revenue, but the experience of Ledyard seems to indicate that it also adversely impacts life in the town. Hopefully Foxboro residents will have access to information on both sides of the issue before they vote.

Enhanced by Zemanta