Casino Expansion Has Transformed America, Exercise Awareness, Quote Of The Century
1. While we were napping
in the past nineteen years, since the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988, casino expansion has transformed America. Prior to that legislation, only Las Vegas and Atlantic City legalized casinos (in 1978).
According to the American Gaming Association (AGA), at the end of 2006 there were 460 commercial casinos in 11 states which reached a record $32.42 billion in gaming revenues. While four out of five American adults agree that gaming is an acceptable activity, more than 26% of the U.S. adult population visited a casino in 2006:
56.2 million casino visitors
371 million trips
Average of 6.6 trips per gambler
With an increasing number of entertainment options, casinos are attracting visitors looking to do more than just gamble. Twice as many Americans said that the overall casino experience- the food, shows, entertainment and everything else (49%)- is more fun than the actual gambling (23%).
In 2006, U.S. commercial casinos:
Employed 366,197 people
Paid wages of $13.3 billion
Contributed $5.20 billion in direct gaming taxes
Earned $32.42 billion in gross gaming revenue
Consumers in 2006 spent more on casino gambling than they did on retail bookstore sales, specialty coffees or movie tickets; but less than on home remodeling, quick-ser3vice meals, soft drinks and cable television.
The top 20 U.S. casino markets in 2006:
LOCATION REVENUE
1. Las Vegas Strip. Nev. $6.689 billion
2. Atlantic City, N.J. $5.208 billion
3. Chicagoland, Ind./ Ill. $2.595 billion
4. Connecticut $1.734 billion
5. Detroit, Mich. $1.303 billion
6. Tunica/Lula, Miss. $1.252 billion
7. St. Louis Mo./Ill. $ 990.98 million
8. Reno/Sparks, Nev. $ 939.50 million
9. Boulder Strip, Nev. $ 929.70 million
10. Shreveport, La. $ 847.18 million
11. Biloxi, Miss. $ 845.20 million
12. Lawrenceburg/Rising Sun/Belterra, Ind. $ 795.13 million
13. Kansas City, Mo. (includes St. Joseph) $ 751.33 million
14. New Orleans, La. $ 696.47 million
15. Lake Charles, La. $ 656.85 million
16. Downtown Las Vegas, Nev. $ 630.29 million
17. Laughlin, Nev. $ 629.76 million
18. Black Hawk, Co. $554.48 million
19. Council Bluffs, Iowa $477.96 million
20. Charlestown, W. Va. $448.23 million
Gambling revenue: 10-year trends - the following chart shows the growth from 1995 to 2005 in both the commercial casino industry and other gambling venues (pari-mutual wagering, lotteries, casinos, legal bookmaking, charitable gaming and bingo, Indian reservations and card rooms).
Total
Commercial Total
Year Casino Gaming
1995 $16.0 $45.1
1996 17.1 47.9
1997 18.2 50.9
1998 19.7 54.9
1999 22.2 58.2
2000 24.3* 61.4
2001 25.7* 63.3
2002 26.5* 68.6
2003 27.0* 72.9
2004 28.9 78.8
2005 30.3 83.7
2006 32.4 pending
Note: All amounts in billions
* Amount does not include deepwater cruise ships, cruises-to-nowhere or noncasino devises. Sources: American Gaming Association, Christiansen Capital Advisors LLC.
2. Exercise Awareness
In the February 2007 issue of Psychological Science, Harvard psychologist Ellen Langer and her student Alia J. Crum used self-awareness to help 44 hotel room attendants improve their physical condition. Langer and Crum interviewed 84 hotel maids at seven hotels about how much they exercised. Two-thirds of the women said that they did not work out regularly while one-third said they got no exercise at all. Langer and Crum examined these women and found that they had the uncertain health of basically sedentary people. However, the psychologists told half these women that they were cleaning 15 guestrooms a day which involved making beds (Queen and king-sized); throwing sheets, blankets, duvets, pillows and spreads; using vacuum cleaners; scrubbing bathroom floors and tubs. These efforts involved more activity than required by the surgeon general’s recommendations for daily physical activity. The researchers provided specifics of the calories burned by the 44 women, while the control group was told nothing.
A month later, Langer and Crum discovered a remarkable result: The average study-group maid had lost 2 pounds, had a 10 point blood pressure drop and was “significantly healthier”. The only change that caused this improvement was “mind-set”. Psychologist Langer sees the study as a lesson in the importance of mindfulness which doesn’t involve meditation or Buddhism.” It’s about noticing new things; its about engagement,” says Langer.
3. Quote of the Century
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States (1791)
Stanley is available as a featured speaker on the following subjects:
Fair Franchising is Not an Oxymoron
Great American Hotels and Hoteliers
Are Exterior Corridor Hotels Obsolete?
Impertinent Questions in Search of Pertinent Answers
Compliance with AAHOAs 12 Points of Fair Franchising
Stanley Turkel, MHS, ISHC operates his hotel consulting office as a sole practitioner specializing in franchising issues, asset management and litigation support services. Turkel’s clients are hotel owners and franchisees, investors and lending institutions. Turkel serves on the Board of Advisors and lectures at the NYU Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism and Sports Management. He is a member of the prestigious International Society of Hospitality Consultants. His provocative articles on various hotels subjects have been published in the Cornell Quarterly, Lodging Hospitality, Hotel Interactive, Hotel Online, AAHOA Lodging Business, etc. If you need help in negotiating a franchise agreement or with a problem such as encroachment/impact, termination/liquidated damages or litigation support, call Stanley at (+1) 917-628-8549 or email stanturkel[at]aol.com.
