Jill Miller Zimon: Americaneer – thanks for reading and leaving a comment. Interesting site you have – I confess, I’m not sure – are you in real estate or travel or both?

Shalom Jill:

I am not a real estate agent but I know a little about it. My hobby is photojournalism. Its encouraging to note that you found my site interesting. Taking advantage of distressed conditions occurs in business and personal scenarios more often than we all realize. Examples of this are vultures smelling blood, casino proponents seeing an opportunity because of the economic conditions.

Certainly, much of the current economic suffering is a result of a recent downturn in the gambling business, but that’s not the same as saying that the gaming industry is to blame.

Here’s a document from the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada that seems to link the foreclosure crisis and other problems to a regressive tax structure.

I apologize for not addressing the rest of what you said. I’ll try to address it this evening.

The reason I asked you if you were saying that NJ has been in decline for decades is because of what you wrote:

“Detroit and Atlantic City were on the decline before Michigan and New Jersey legalized gaming. I’ve seen no evidence that they’re any worse off than they would be without casinos.”

When I read that, I read it to say that Atlantic City, which is in New Jersey, was on the decline before the state legalized gaming. My statement in the prior comment should have been, “So are you saying that Atlantic City has been in decline for decades?” and then added that it would then be an excellent example for me to point to of a situation in which gaming did nothing to alleviate on any long-term basis that decline, since, as you seem to be implying, AC has been declining for decades and continues to decline.

Which leaves me where I was before – what exactly is the point you’re trying to make here:

“Detroit and Atlantic City were on the decline before Michigan and New Jersey legalized gaming. I’ve seen no evidence that they’re any worse off than they would be without casinos.”

My point is that legalizing gaming doesn’t help and that’s what, in large part, is being sold to us. None of the three cities you name have the coast, Jason – that makes them different species completely, in my mind. Camden and Trenton rise and fall in part based on Philadelphia, and Paterson is almost a satellite city of NYC. I really would not compare any of them to Atlantic City (just a biographical note: my mother grew up in Teaneck, my dad worked in Tenafly, and as a kid, we traveled to N. Jersey or NYC where my grandparents lived almost every other weekend but I actually didn’t get to Atlantic City until I was in college.) My point being – these communities are by nature dramatically different, IMO.

Thanks, Jill. We are. I hope all is well with you and your family, too.

“…their foreclosure rate is either the highest or one of the highest in the country.”

It’s the highest. However, I’ve seen no evidence that this is the fault of the gaming industry.

“…gambling has been legal there for decades, right?”

Yes, since 1976.

“So are you saying that the entire state of NJ has been in decline for decades?”

No, and I’m not sure how my previous comment could have been read that way. However, Atlantic City isn’t the only example of urban decay in New Jersey. Is A.C. really any worse off than Camden, Trenton, or Paterson?

Hi Jason. Hope your family and you are well.

I think you need to revisit the news out of Nevada and Vegas – their foreclosure rate is either the highest or one of the highest in the country. I have friends who just moved back here and haven’t been able to sell their home – I’ve been there, in Henderson.

Someone else blogged about a Henderson bank – it’s a suburb of Vegas – just went under (in addition to others that have closed). My understanding is that Nevada and VEgas in particular are do remarkably worse than much of the country.

I’m not sure that saying that Atlantic City was on the decline before gambling was legalized does anything for the pro-casino argument – gambling has been legal there for decades, right? So are you saying that the entire state of NJ has been in decline for decades? I’m not sure that’s accurate – is it?

Anyway – that’s how I see it.

That’s surprising, considering the involvement of Penn National, which owns Raceway Park, and Mr. Jacobs, who has a substantial interest in Mountaineer Gaming which owns Scioto Downs.

“…any leader who wants to tell us that casinos are the answer…”

You’re right, Jill, that casinos are not the answer. Casinos in Ohio would stop much of the flow of money from Ohio to its more tolerant neighbors, which would be a small net positive, but they wouldn’t be some kind of economic panacea.

“…the unacceptable drain that hope in gambling brings to a region (see Detroit, Las Vegas and Atlantic City for starters).

Detroit and Atlantic City were on the decline before Michigan and New Jersey legalized gaming. I’ve seen no evidence that they’re any worse off than they would be without casinos.

Las Vegas had a population of 5,165 in 1930. Since Nevada legalized casinos in 1931, Las Vegas has grown to nearly half a million people. That’s not exactly what I would call a “drain.”