Casino Gambling Acts as Rainmaker for Oklahoma Economy
Oklahoma tribal casinos are enjoying a great period of prosperity, with gaming revenues in the state up eighteen percent in the last year. And Oklahoma residents are seeing a rising tide that's lifting all boats, as the gambling boom is helping development and growth throughout the region.Businesses in Lawton, Oklahoma, say they are benefiting from consumers brought to the area by tribal casino gaming. Hotels, restaurants, and stores are all reporting increased traffic related to casino tourism.
"It's great to have casinos because the trend nowadays with the increase in prices and the instability in the airline industry is what we call stay-cations, vacations that you can drive to," said hotel manager Kimberly Staser.
Staser says the hotel she works at hosts a number of casino visitors each week. And she notes that money being spent on rooms indicates a much bigger impact on the town overall.
"The average person spends four times the amount on what they spend in their room out in the community," said Stasertaser.
Casino manager Darrell Nott says not to forget the direct creation of jobs by the casino, and the spending of dollars generated by those jobs.
"Everybody spends, everybody buys homes, they rent places, they buy cars, and they spend that money on goods and services," said Nott.
