Should North Carolina allow casino gambling? (Charlotte, Raleigh: 2015, how much, hotels)
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Looks like Virginia could be close to allowing casinos in their state. Currently the only casinos allowed in North Carolina are on Indian reservations. There is a Harrahs Casino in Cherokee, NC. Also another casino called Harrahs Cherokee Valley River which opened in 2015. But imagine casinos opening in Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro or Wilmington.
Danville, VA is planning to build a casino once the state approves casino gambling. Danville is on the NC/VA state line bordering the Triad. Its a little over a half hour north of Greensboro along Highway 29/future I-785. Before NC got a state lottery, Greensboro residents drove to Danville to get lottery tickets. Looks like until Casino gambling is allowed in our state, Greensboro residents will once again travel to Danville.
I support casinos because its an easy way to attract major tourism to a city that doesn't have natural attractions such as beaches, mountains or rivers. They attract thousands of high paying jobs, spin off tourist attractions and they are great for helping to attract conventions.
Harrahs Cherokee Casino in Cherokee, North Carolina. This is one of two 1,000 plus rooms in the state. The other one is the Sheraton Four Seasons in Greensboro. I'd prefer a site at the Four Seasons Town Centre/Sheraton Four Seasons/Koury Convention Center complex. There would be major redevelopment along Gate City Blvd between the convention center and the Greensboro Coliseum Complex.
Groundbreaking took place last year on a convention center, retail, restaurants, entertainment attractions and what appears to be two other highrise hotels at Harrahs Cherokee Casino. None of the major spin off development would never have happened without the casino.
Harrahs Cherokee Valley River Casino in Murphy, NC.
Imagine a casino with similar surrounding development in uptown Charlotte, a casino in North Hills Raleigh or a casino at the Grandover Resort and Conference Center or the Four Seasons complex in Greensboro. I prefer Four Seasons in Greensboro for a large casino in our area because there is an on-site regional mall, 1,000 room hotel/convention center as well as a multiplex theater and Round One Bowling Entertainment Center. It would spark a lot of life in the mall and attract development and more large hotels along Gate City Blvd between the convention center and the Greensboro Coliseum Complex. Bringing major tourism along that corridor would also attract larger conventions which would lead to expanding the size of the Koury Convention Center and would help attract more large events at the coliseum.
I'm personally not a fan of the gambling industry in general (whether it's the state lottery, casino operators, or some shady "sweepstakes" operator) because it tends to exploit people who are poor, gullible, desperate, compulsive, depressed, have something off in their brain that doesn't let them see when gambling is a bad deal for them, or a combination of these. Bringing casinos may bring revenue in but it also exacerbates social costs associated with gambling addictions:
Casino owners don't build fancy facilities like this because they're operating a charity and the proprietors are going to make sure they have the upper hand when it comes to raking in the $$$$$, that's for sure.
From a more pragmatic/fiscal point of view though I can see where there would be some pros and bringing in some revenue and spurring some tourism.
It also is probably the "lesser of two evils" compared to the even sketchier "sweepstakes" and "business ("biz") center" operations that popped up randomly (like cockroaches) in random storefronts despite law enforcement trying to crack down on them as illegal gambling operations. A segment of the population wants to gamble, that's the way it's been throughout history and prohibition isn't an effective strategy to discourage it.
And yes, I know there are some people who can be more responsible with visiting a casino.
So there you have my soapbox with pros and cons. I respect that other reasonable people may have a different opinion.
I think the benefits outweigh the negatives. While there would be gambling addiction problems, I also don't agree with the government telling us how we want to spend our money. NC has already opened the door to gambling with the lottery. Think of the tax revenue which could help build our roads, schools and other infrastructure. However there should be ordinances in how many casinos can be licensed to operate in any given city to avoid becoming Las Vegas and changing the character of our cities. It would prevent mom and pop gambling halls from popping up everywhere There has to be some heavy regulation because too much of a good thing can be bad. This would vary from city to city. Having very few casinos is probably best. But coastal cities would want more. Eastern NC has been struggling to turn its economy around. If a casino can attract that kind of development in a little town like Cherokee, imagine what one would do in a large population center in NC.
Yes. I don’t care to gamble but if people want to spend their money on it then they should be able to do it. Plus I agree that it could help revive a lot of the Eastern NC towns that have been dying since we sent our manufacturing jobs overseas.
Unfortunately I think it may take another generation before it becomes reality. Even today lawmakers try to fight the construction of casinos on reservation land which by federal law they are allowed to do. The proposed Hard Rock Casino in Kings Mountain 30 miles west of Charlotte has stalled. A few lawmakers in South Carolina want to allow casino gambling in their state and they eye two particular locations. South of Charlotte and the Grand Strand in Myrtle Beach which would be the Atlantic City of the south. But South Carolina is even more conservative than North Carolina.
And interesting thought. I can definitely envision your idea and would imagine Greensboro would be most likely to do something the quickest. And a big yes to how much it could help Eastern NC.
I support casinos because its an easy way to attract major tourism to a city that doesn't have natural attractions such as beaches, mountains or rivers.
I have said for years that the I-40 / I-95 intersection would be a great place for casinos. All four corners are undeveloped. It would draw visitors going to/from Florida as well as beach traffic.
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