What is the Cost of a Casino?

Wow, God is not finished with America yet! We won major victories recently: Book of Daniel is off the air! The local man breaking into churches was captured and is in jail! Judge Alito was confirmed to the Supreme Court! The President Casino is still in bankruptcy and has been for over 3 years. The city of St. Louis has made parking prices increase around the casino from under $2.00 to nearly $25.00. The President Casino’s revenues are continuing to decline. If we don’t go – they can’t get our money.

There is much that has been done and much to celebrate, but the work is not finished yet. Pinnacle Casinos still have plans to build 3 more casinos in the St. Louis metro area. Their River City casino complex will be built in our own back yard. These are the same guys that have been found repeatedly guilty of flying prostitutes in from other states to “entertain” rich gamblers. Watch for their golf tournaments because these events are used to cover many illegal and godless activities.

What does gambling cost us? In fiscal year 2002 Missouri residents gambled and lost $1,212,125,485 to the casinos. That’s 1 BILLION, 212 MILLION dollars. Imagine if that money was placed into the rescue missions, homeless shelters, free clinics, and schools. Just the tithe on that money would be over 121 MILLION dollars.

Calculating a 20% state tax on that money, the casinos paid $242,425,097 to the state. That is a lot of tax money just from gambling, but what was the social cost to the state?

According to a university study (details available upon request) the cost for each pathological gambler is $13,586. That does not sound like much until you look at the whole picture. The population in our state at that time was 3,997,000 people. The pathological gambler rate is 1.5% of the population. That means, that same year (2002), there were 59,586 pathological gamblers the state was servicing. Multiply 13,586 dollars for each of the 59,586 pathological gamblers, you find the state of Missouri used $814,548,630 to treat the effects of their gambling addiction.

Remember how much the casinos paid in taxes? ($242,425,097) Compare that to what it cost the state to service only the pathological gamblers ($814,548,630). That means the casinos cost the state of Missouri $572,123,533. Add that number to the actual money lost by Missouri citizens at the casinos ($1,212,125,485) and you get a better picture of the cost of the casinos ($1,784,249,018).

Is it worth it? 1 BILLION, 784 MILLION dollars missing from our economy? This number does not reflect the spiritual and moral cost we pay for allowing this sin to continue.

Please visit the bulletin board outside the church office and see which county council members voted for the casinos. These council members voted against the majority of the population, although the majority of the population voiced strong opposition to the casinos. Let’s not forget to “reward” these council members when it comes time to vote. Your vote does make a difference.

In First Timothy 6:8-11 the Bible says:
And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.

Our state motto is: “The welfare of the people shall be the supreme law.” Is it?