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Originally Posted by Atlanta3000
I work in Big Data Science/Software and IHG and Hilton are some of my biggest clients. Care to share your bio?
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I work in real estate with both private and public clients.
The last I'll comment on the casino will be this: I'm not anti-casino, I think people should be allowed to gamble, I think it should be legalized. But like with any land use, or large scale development, I do think there should be some levels of restrictions.
There are many studies that show the negative externalities of casinos, but the ones I'm most concerned about are those that will stymie the future development of neighborhoods. Things such as thousands of loss-leading hotel rooms which depress nearby ADRs, insular amenities such as music venues, restaurants, etc. that, while draw people in, keep them in and depress revenue streams of outside competitors (these are the storefronts and venues in a neighborhood that make it unique, livable, and enjoyable).
I think people are overestimating the NET benefits casinos have, while only looking at the quick, short term gain. Do I want The Gulch redeveloped? Yes. Would a casino, I suppose, be better than what is currently there? Sure. But we're not limited with a choice between A and B. There are other options out there and I do not believe a casino to be in the best interest of Downtown and/or even the best proposal for The Gulch, for which there are public proposals (and private ones I have seen that are not public) that are out there.
I think a better location for a casino would be somewhere that is a bit more isolated and will allow it to be more of a destination, where dumping thousands of loss-leading hotel rooms, and restaurants won't have a detrimental affect on nearby neighborhoods. If casinos are such the draw and economic boon, then it will do well there, it does not need the downtown location.
Again, my stance is not on the morality of gambling, but on the economic benefit, for which many studies conclude (especially for casinos in urban areas), there is little to negative benefit.