Opinion: New casinos don't bring true economic development

The expensive battle between the Potawatomi and Menominee tribes over permission to build a giant new casino in Kenosha, Wisconsin has unending twists, turns, pros and cons, but there is one thing it isn’t.

It isn’t economic development, even though proponents of gaming will make the case that casinos create jobs.

Any economist worth his or her salt will point out that the huge revenues piled up at casinos are mostly “transfer payments,” generally from low to middle income people to the tribes.

The tribes would say the entertainment aspect of gambling constitutes value, but most of us would see no “value added” to society in pulling the handle of a slot machine or throwing dice.

Put another way, if the money weren’t lost by patrons in a casino, it would be spent elsewhere in the economy – for food, medical care or other “value adding” necessities. The money not gambled away would support jobs in other parts of the economy.