Whether or not a casino will benefit a community’s economy can vary greatly. Many cities boast large, diverse populations, but the local economy will still be impacted by the new facility. As a result, local officials should be aware of the effects of new gambling establishments. For example, a casino’s promise of increased employment may not be fully realized in a rural area. While the casino’s tax revenues are a welcome boost to the local economy, the promise of increased jobs may not be realized if the workforce is not drawn from the local area.
In 2005, the National Profile Study, a face-to-face survey of 2,000 American adults, showed that the average casino patron was 46 years old and had a household income above the median. Another survey conducted by Harrah’s Entertainment found that a typical casino gambler was female and over 45 years old, from a middle-class family with available spending money. However, the percentage of women in such households decreased. In addition, gambling in casinos is often more attractive to parents with more free time, more money, and more vacation time.
While the games that a casino offers tend to remain the same, some variations of these games are unique to online casinos or software providers. The popular games such as roulette, blackjack, and video poker machines are complemented by speciality games like keno, scratch tickets, and lotteries. Likewise, some casinos feature arcades, offering a selection of specialty games. However, many of these casinos do not offer all these games. Therefore, it is important to know which games are available at your casino before you play.