Tuesday, October 18, 2005

Gambling Tax

KipEsquire wonders why casinos work in Vegas but not in Atlantic City.

I think his answer is too simplistic and misses the mark for several reasons.

The location of Vegas and Atlantic city certainly contribute to the relative success of each city, but the reasons that Vegas flourishes and Atlantic City does not, is that Vegas is a destination. Vegas has the shows and the larger than life hotels and a night life that Vegas rightly advertises as sinful. Atlantic City, and all of the newly created 'riverboat' casinos and no more than places to go gamble. If gambling was the primary reason for people to visit Vegas it would have floundered a long time ago as it is rare to have to travel more than a state away anymore to finda table of slot machine. The internet age has even made traveling at all obsolete.

What casinos have become, for most states, are revenue generating machine where the tax payer voluntarily hands over their purse to the state.

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