What about the jobs it will bring to the area?

Ms Crimmins said last night that 87% of Connecticut casino jobs only pay $22,000/year, which is below the federal poverty level.

The employees who work these low paying jobs will need nearby housing. They will not be purchasing a house in Milford or any other neighboring town. Renting will take a large chunk of their pay. A housing option used near other casinos, because they are full-time shift workers at a 24/7 operation, is to rent out "hot-beds." They actually share beds, each renting them out for 8 or 10 hours a day. Then it's back to work. This CAN'T be good for housing prices in Milford. our properties have already suffered enough in this economic downturn!

Everyone should view the following video before deciding a casino is "good"for Milford. It was produced by the residents of Foxboro during their casino fight. It clearly shows the negative impacts that Foxwoods has had on the town it occupies and those that surround their operation. Casinos promise the world to the host town with pet projects the town has had on their "wish list".....but,, in the end, casinos OVER PROMISE and UNDER DELIVER!
http://casinofreemilford.com/video/

Amy, aren't most of the jobs housekeeping and waitstaff? That's about average for those fields. With unemployment so high I wouldn't discourage any job creation. You can't get middle class wages to go up until the over supply of labor is taken care of. For the record I'm a Milford resident and I haven't yet decided to support or oppose the casino. So keep the data coming.

No thank you, build it somewhere else please!

Michael,
Yes, most of the casino jobs will be low-paying service jobs, which some area residents might want, BUT we probably do not have nearly enough people to fill those positions. in the presentation by Stephanie Crimmins last night, she explained that in Connecticut, the casinos are so desperate to hire workers that they bring them from overseas: China, Russia, Thailand Those workers come to live here only for two to three years. They come with their children, and as a result the local schools are hugely burdened because the schools now have non-English speaking students to educate. In Norwich, CT, the school system has to accommodate students speaking 31 different languages! Can you imagine what programs Milford would have to cut in order to pay for instruction in 31 different languages?! Bringing more jobs to the area should be a goal, BUT casino jobs should NOT be the goal.

Why do people continue to talk about casino jobs being good for Milford? Low wage jobs could be fine for an individual. But it comes at too high a price. The folks who work there could not afford to buy a house here. The best jobs would be the construction ones. But that is temporary and likely not local. And this is funny. The very few people employed by the casino or a good restaurant who make really good money would never choose to actually live here.

CM, no offense but I never take anyone's word for it when they give statistics. So I looked it up for myself. As of January 2013 Milford's unemployment rate was 7.2% http://lmi2.detma.org/lmi/lmi_lur_a.asp

You would have been correct though a few months ago. These are NOT seasonally adjusted numbers and it was as low as 5% in November. I know it will never be zero but most text books I have read generally accept 3-4% as full employment. I will watch the video as soon as I have 30 minutes to watch it.

Geri, you make a very interesting point. Something I think that the Milford Selectmen should bring up in the negotiations IF the casino were to pass.

Michael, I meant that those very well paid casino folks won't want to live here after the casino is built. It won't be the same place at all. Crashing property values no matter what the market is, is just the tip of the iceberg.

Folks i talked to in Las Vegas say it is a constant difficult job to keep organized crime away from the casinos and they have been at it a long time.

Whatever the merits of a casino, the jobs don't need to be low paying. As a condition, the Town should require that the developer enter into agreements with unions as was done recently in MD.
From the 2-6-13 Baltimore Business Journal:
"Applicants for a license to operate a casino in Prince George’s County will have to reach a “labor peace agreement” with unions and provide their employees with health insurance and retirement benefits."

Jim, I really like that idea. And it also shows that if a casino is approved, there are ways and ideas like yours that can be implemented to minimize negative secondary effects.

Fact #1
Resort casinos will generate millions of dollars for the Bay State.
Fact #2
Massachusetts resort casinos will not hurt the state lottery.
Fact #3
Massachusetts resort casinos will help local businesses.
Fact #4
Massachusetts resort casinos will not increase crime.
act #5
Massachusetts resort casinos will not cause increased gaming addiction.
Fact #6
Connecticut’s declining gaming revenues is not a warning to Massachusetts

Thorough explanation provided at link.

http://jobsandgrowthtoday.org/the-facts-on-resort-casinos-in-massachusetts/

Anti-gaming activists and their Poor Scholarship Lives On

While gaming opponents and proponents have debated the costs and benefits associated with commercial casino gaming for generations, the vigorousness of this debate reached new levels during the late 1980s and early 1990s when a number of states, particularly in the Midwest and South, turned to casino gaming as a means for promoting economic development, creating jobs and generating additional tax revenues for state and local government.

Since that time, and through the days of the National Gambling Impact Study Commission, which issued its final report in 1999, a small but vocal cadre of gaming opponents, aided and abetted by an uncritical media establishment, has been “carrying the water” for what probably appears to casual observers and the general public to be a more broad-based movement. Let’s shed some light on the nature and makeup of the central figures in opposition of gaming in the U.S. today and illustrate how shaky the ground is upon which many of their intellectual arguments rest.

Thorough explanation provided at link.Earl Grinols, Robert Goodman,Tom Grey debunked.

http://ggbmagazine.com/issue/vol__7_no__5_may_2008/article/anti-gaming_activists

Stephanie Crimmins is wrong and conveniently does not include tips as compensation in her salary figures.I challenge Stephanie Crimmins and anyone else to find any casino dealer, casino waitress, bartender,or any one of a dozen other casino floor employees that are (not including entry level cleaning and security positions) making $22,000 a year in the gaming industry at any casino in the country.

2011 Average Casino Pay by Function
Casino……………..$43,472.55
Rooms……………..$45,484.11
Food…………........$41,989.84
Beverage….……….$31,576.02
Other……….…..….$48,336.99
G & A………..….....$65,095.44

This is based on a comprehensive 22 year study covering ALL Casino employees by UNLV in Las Vegas.

Compensation is higher in the Northeast and compensation ranges can also be higher when including tips for various beverage, room, dealer and floor personal.Like any other business, some casino jobs are entry level, most are not and pay much higher wages.

http://gaming.unlv.edu/reports/lvstrip_emp.pdf

Community Leaders' Perceptions of Gaming Industry's Effects
Comprehensive study done by Dr.Peter Hart (pdf)

Google link and click on first result Community Leaders' Perceptions of Gaming Industry's Effects for the pdf.file by Peter Hart.

http://www.google.com/search?q=%22Community+Leaders%27+Perceptions+of+Gaming+Industry%27s+Effects%22&hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&prmd=ivns&ei=S7RDUZfODdLI4APiyIGgBA&start=0&sa=N

Host Communities Reap Benefits of Casinos

http://waddell.casinocitytimes.com/article/host-communities-reap-benefits-of-casinos-22347

Crime fell around Connecticut casinos since openings

http://www.masslive.com/talk/index.ssf/2012/02/crime_fell_around_connecticut.html

Actually, I'd be far more inclined to believe Ms. Crimmins. She uses her real name.

Boom or bust? Casino gaming and host municipalities.

"Several conclusions can be drawn from the results presented in this study. First, in the opinion of those surveyed, legalized casino gaming is an important revenue generation endeavor for the majority of the communities examined here. It offers an opportunity to reap millions of dollars annually when few (if any) other options exist. Second, most officials view gaming as a valid, important, and legitimate economic development option for their respective communities, one that spurs secondary or tertiary development near the casino development and elsewhere in the community. Third, casino profits allow host municipalities to undertake projects and fund programs that would normally not be fundable without casino dollars, particularly large capital improvement endeavors. Fourth, communities that possess non-Native-American gaming (especially riverboat gaming) reap the largest financial rewards from legalized gambling. Fifth, gaming appears to represent a sustainable economic development presence over time, rather than simply being a short-term novelty, for most of the communities studied here. Finally, with regard to long-term economic development success, destination-type casinos that attract non-local gamers offer the greatest benefits for host municipalities."

http://www.biomedsearch.com/article/Boom-bust-Casino-gaming-host/134676972.html

Gaming facts - which casino are you associated with/ what is in it for you?

My comment is not an attack? I am inquiring about your interest and extensive knowledge of the casino business.

Sorry Gamingfacts, don't think Peter's post was a personal attack, but a valid question. You posted 8 times, in some cases with great zeal, in favor of a Casino. Almost seemed scripted.

'Methinks thou dost protest too much'

Maybe the better question to gamingfacts is 'Do you work for, have interest in, or represent a Casino?' Another question I would pose to gamingfacts... 'Do you live in Milford?'

I do live in Milford and have concerns about traffic, safety, water supply and many other issues- That I know of.. none of these concerns have been addressed by Mr. Nunes directly to the people of Milford. It would be nice to have these concerns addressed in town, in person, in front of the people of Milford.

Just an average citizen as are you. I have no affiliation whatsoever with the casino industry. My extensive knowledge of the casino business comes from doing the research needed to form an opinion on the matter over the years and a desire to stop the lies and falsehoods spread by vicious and hateful anti-casino groups.They have destroyed the careers, reputations, and jobs of countless people with malicious slander of anyone who dares stand in the way of their agenda.They will use racism, slander of 'uneducated workers', and every other means available to denigrate the people who work in the industry.They were trounced in their efforts state wide to stop casinos from coming to this state and they have vowed to move in locally and destroy all debate in prospective host communities that favor casinos.They will use any means possible to confuse and cloud the issues and they will denigrate anyone and any town leader who has the gall to be pro casino in a prospective host community as was proven in Foxboro.

Somebody asked why no information was being offered up from the pro side a short time back. I had some time tonight and provided some information for those who might be interested in hearing from both sides. Those who take the time to read the information can choose to use it how they wish. It will be the citizens of the town of Milford that decide the issue if the process gets that far.

MD2002

One of my other consideration is with a casino so close who's to say your mother's, father's, brother's and other family members find it very convenient to get to the casino. Along with other Milford residents. It's not hard to blow your salary at a casino in one night. Then you can't pay the mortgage and so on and so fourth. I know everyone is responsible for themselves but as someone who had a gambling problem. It's a sickness, and once it starts it doesn't stop. You lose everything and don't realize it. You just want to gamble more. People who may have never stepped foot in a casino or have never gambled; all of a sudden find themselves in debt from "checking out the casino" and it turns into an every weekend thing. This is not being over dramatic either. It doesn't take long before you realize your loved ones are throwing away all their money. I lived it, it's not fun.

I can second that. Foxwoods caused my aunts marriage to disintegrate and my cousins college funds to be gambled away. The gambling losses were hidden until it was too late. I find gaming facts statement that they are an average citizen to be completely disingenous and the facts offered are slanted. Crime decreasing in ct as a whole has nothing to do with the casinos. To draw a parallel is misleading. Crime in ledyard ansolutely went up and the impact on surrounding towns has been significant. I have several family members who lived through it or witnessed it first hand. So Gaming facts may cite"studies" But first hand accounts cannot be disputed. One study often cited selectively examined crime statistics. Sure facts can be presented in a certain light By both sides. But citizens opposed to casinos have no monetary interest and are only concerned with the health and well being of fellow citizens. Gaming moguls Have one interest and one interst only: money. So who should the people believe? the answer is quite apparent.