However, casino saturation has taken place. Casino communities have now been studied for some years. Harsh reality has finally replaced the empty promises of casino operators. Casinos drain communities of their prosperity as their citizens lose their money at the slot machines. Communities with social problems and large numbers of underprivileged people are hit especially hard.
Casinos steal business from local restaurants, stores, and leisure activities.
When people gamble, they do not have money left to spend in the community. New businesses and industries are unlikely to locate in a casino community because of all the social and economic problems. Beloit has made amazing progress in the past ten years. Look at the Riverfront, the Industrial Park, the new houses, the quarries on Prairie Avenue, the improvements on Fourth Street, the beautified neighborhoods, the successful Merrill Neighborhood Revitalization effort, the newly paved and landscaped streets, and the new businesses and industries. If a casino comes to Beloit, it will scare off new development and erode the progress we have worked so hard to achieve.