Student 1

Sample Student

Instructor Name

English 101 C99

9 November 2011

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner: A Plan for Local Economic Revitalization

The South Carolina Budget for 2012 includes funding for various state agencies such as

The Department of Education, Health and Human Services, Department of Corrections, and The

Arts Commission. The budget will experience a $700 million shortfall. Where will the missing

revenue come from? Will we have to dig into the South Carolina Education Lottery? Will we

have to cut spending on roads, public safety, or maybe cut funding to various social services

programs such as Medicaid or Head Start? As of this writing, South Carolina Governor, Nikki

Haley has already vetoed $2 million that was slated for the State Arts Commission, $80 million

for public education, and another $6 million for educational television. How can we even begin

to imagine a child growing up without experiencing “Sesame Street” or “Mr. Rogers”? The need

for a viable revenue and employment generator is obvious. The solution may be as simple as

rolling the dice. A casino may very likely be the answer.

Gambling is nothing new to South Carolina. The state government currently has a

gambling monopoly: the lottery. Video poker machines are all over the state, hidden in bars and

restaurants. Big poker games are played throughout the state. Bingo parlors are everywhere.

Casino boats take tourists three miles out to sea where they can gamble their vacation money.

With the exception of a seven dollar per passenger port tax for casino boats, South Carolina

receives no tax revenue from these gambling venues; it’s time to put an end to that. Let’s play

our cards and claim our fair share of the pot.

 Student 2

There are several benefits to opening a casino in the Grand Strand area. One of the key

benefits will amount to more tax revenue from tourists. Building a casino in Horry County will

limit the amount of money state residents spend on gambling, while maximizing the amount of

money tourists spend on gambling entertainment. Tourism is what our local economy is

dependent on. The need for year round visitors to our area is evident by the numbers of people

that have been laid off from restaurants, hotels, and golf courses due to the “slow season” which

typically runs from October to March. Aside from gambling, casinos provide additional

entertainment in the form of restaurants, concerts and fine dining. While some people would

argue that a casino would lessen the revenue generated from the South Carolina State Education

Lottery, keep in mind that the lottery revenue is almost solely generated by the residents of South

Carolina themselves. A casino would cater to tourists, not the local residents. My twenty years

of experience in the casino industry leads me to agree with renowned casino industry expert Dr.

Von Hermann’s assertion that “[c]asinos are the latest and best example [of a way to rejuvenate

the local economy]…especially in poor or economically depressed areas…the new jobs they will

create…the new tourists they will attract” (Von Herrmann 6). In making this statement, Dr. Von

Hermann urges policy makers as well as the general public to consider the amount of revenue

and tourism that a proposed casino will generate. Tourism is the heartbeat of Horry County. We

need to keep it beating strong.

Additional tourism revenue is not the only upside to the casino proposition. Additional

tax revenue is a big plus. Currently, when a person hits a slot jackpot on a casino boat, the state

gets no part of the action, the winner pays not one dime in taxes to the federal or state

government. Also, the state gets no part of the revenue generated from these slot machines. At

the time of this writing; every state that has a casino or casinos operating in its jurisdiction
 Student 3

receives both a share of the slot revenue from the casino and revenue from the slot player in the

form of a tax on his or her winnings. Revenue will also be generated from the many jobs a

casino will create in the form of state income tax. In a study conducted by Peter D. Hart

Research Associates, Inc. of over 200 community leaders where casinos are operating,

community leaders agreed that casino tax revenue had helped to fund key projects without

having to raise any additional taxes (Hart 3).

Those opposed to casinos argue that social decline in casino communities is almost a

guarantee. “Does America need another… so badly that it is willing to add another social

problem to the list that it already deals with, such as crime, alcoholism, teen pregnancy, illegal

drug use, and so on?” (Grinols 51). Facts found in an unbiased study commissioned by the US

Senate and House of Representatives dispute the opposition. Crime increases as the population

increases, just as crime increased in Orlando, Florida, after Walt Disney World opened its gates

to the public. One way to help with this potential problem is to require the casino operator to pay

a public safety tax which would pay the salary for additional police officers. The opposition to

casinos also argues that betting on games of chance and skill is immoral. If the opposition

wishes to play the morality card, we can trump them with the lottery card. Aside from slot

machines, most casino games are games of skill not chance. The state lottery is a game of

chance, a game geared towards the wallets of our residents, not the wallets of our tourists.

During the month of September 2011 there were 14,255 unemployed Horry County

residents, some of which are part of the 25,395 households receiving food stamp benefits

(Insights 3). The need for more employment opportunities in Horry County is evidenced by the

number of people who applied for unemployment during the month of September 2011 alone.

Bringing a casino into Horry County would create many jobs within the casino and also with
 Student 4

area merchants and manufacturers. With an economic development contract between the state

and county and whoever builds and operates a casino here, the casino would be required to hire

from the area and utilize local and state merchants for their day to day needs. Those needs would

include items such as: uniforms; fresh food; printing needs; banking; beverages; cups; etc. There

will be a need for these products and services from local merchants, suppliers, and vendors.

Subsequently, there will also be a need for more employees to manufacture these items and fill

these orders.

It is my personal experience that the casino industry offers many benefits: above average

wages; above average medical benefits; tuition reimbursement; 401k retirement plans; industry

training; and paid vacations. The opportunity to learn new employment skills would be available

to local residents who become employed at the casino. Since most casinos use an industry

standard approach; should an employee choose to relocate, these new skills can be used at

virtually any casino in the United States. The jobs created by the casino alone would help to

increase consumer spending, which would benefit area merchants. The quality of life would also

improve for many residents. With the added job security of working for a casino, employees

may feel more comfortable buying big ticket items such as homes and cars. There may even be

fewer home foreclosures. From January to September of 2011 there have been 26,677 home

foreclosures in South Carolina. We need to put an end to or at least lessen the number of families

that are forced to give up their homes because they can’t find a job, or because they have to

choose between paying a mortgage and buying food. With these new employment opportunities,

there would be fewer area residents filing unemployment claims, needing food assistance, and

receiving state paid medical benefits.

 Student 5

Perhaps we should study the casino impact analysis which was commissioned by the

United States Senate and House of Representatives. This study found that in areas where a

casino operated, there was a significant drop in welfare, food stamp, and unemployment

payments. There was also a significant drop in the number of people needing public housing

assistance. This same study showed a forty three percent rise in earnings in the lodging and hotel

sectors. “Casinos are an important source of entertainment, jobs, and income” (National

Gambling Impact Study Commission Act 2.6). Strong words coming from a commission that

was put together by our federal government.

Ultimately what is at stake here is an opportunity to cash in on a much needed revenue,

employment and tourism generator. A casino would stimulate our economy in so many different

ways. A casino would create jobs, revenue, and increase tourism not only for Horry County but

for the entire state of South Carolina.

 Student 6

Works Cited

Insights. SC Department of Employment and Workforce. SC Department of Employment &

Workforce, Sept. 2011. Web. 6 Nov. 2011.

<http://dew.sc.gov/news/Insights_September_2011.pdf>.

“National Gambling Impact Study Commission Act”. Pub. L. 104-169. Stat. 3 Aug. 1996. The

National Gambling Impact Study Commission. U.S Government Printing Office, 18 June

1999. Web. 8 Nov. 2011. < http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/ngisc/reports/intro.pdf>.

Grinols, Earl. "Testimony before the House Committee on Small Business," Gambling: Who

Wins? Grinols Testimony Opposing the Gambling Industry. Ed. Rita Runchock. Detroit:

Gale Group, 2001. 51-52. Print.

Von Herrmann, Denise. Big Gamble: The Politics of Lottery and Casino Expansion. Greenwood

Publishing Group, 2002. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 13 Nov. 2011.

Hart, Peter D. "Community Leaders' Perceptions of Gaming Industry's Effects."

American Gaming Association. American Gaming Association, 2011. Web. 27

Nov. 2011. <http://www.americangaming.org/files/aga/uploads/docs/

whitepapers/community_leaders_perceptions_white_paper.pdf>.