Indian Gaming > Crime rose, then fell, after opening of casino

February 22, 2005

Crime rose, then fell, after opening of casino

The chief of police in a town near the Fond du Lac Ojibwe Reservation said crime rates rose after the tribe opened its casino but fell a few years later.

Wade Lamirande was a detective when the Black Bear Casino opened in the early 1990s. He said gambling-related thefts rose and the number of pawn shops increased from one to four.

After a few years, the number of gambling-related thefts and two of the pawn shops closed. He said a small percentage of residents are problem gamblers.

In 1994, a state survey showed 3.2 percent of adults had experienced problems because of gambling and 1.2 percent showed signs of being pathological or compulsive gamblers, The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.

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Taking a chance on casinos (The Minneapolis Star Tribune 2/22)
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