The Indian gaming casino proposed for San Benito County raises
many questions, both philosophical and practical.
The Indian gaming casino proposed for San Benito County raises many questions, both philosophical and practical. On the philosophical side, we can debate gambling’s influence on society, which many believe to be negative, versus the rights of individuals to spend their money how they wish. We can argue whether allowing Indian nations to erect casinos complies with long-standing treaties or tramples the rights of local governments to control land usage. We can wonder if Indian gaming really benefits Native Americans or the large out-of-state management companies that run the casinos.
No matter how much we debate these big-picture issues at a local level, to a large extent, the debate has been settled.
Despite some negative impacts to society, gambling is a legal activity that adults can pursue, much like smoking, drinking alcohol, or pursuing hazardous hobbies. With the advent of Internet gambling, it has become an industry without borders. Despite the local land-use issues, treaties making Indian nations sovereign entities exist, and they trump much local land-use control.
Many Native American tribes, beset by stifling poverty and limited opportunities, have decided that tribal casinos are their best chance for self-sufficiency and cultural preservation, and are willing to make deals with out-of-state casino managers to take advantage of their expertise. Like it or not, that’s the big-picture reality that frames our local debate.
So, we’re faced with a practical question: Should San Benito County welcome or oppose an Indian gaming casino? As a practical matter, if governmental agencies in San Benito County and south Santa Clara County were to line up against a tribal casino near Highway 25 and U.S. 101, it would be very difficult for the gaming operation to get under way.
If government officials get behind the proposal, the tribal casinos will have a much shorter timeline and less expensive path to their grand opening day.
San Benito County must seem like a promising, easy target for casino operators. Surely, they must reason, a huge casino creating hundreds, perhaps thousands, of jobs and drawing visitors from across the state will be welcome in a county that, like many Native American tribes, suffers from high unemployment and few opportunities for economic growth. And we admit, no one is beating a path to build factories and offices in San Benito County.
But that doesn’t mean we should blindly accept the casino proposal. Instead, we urge our leaders to ask difficult questions and demand well-documented answers.
Here are just a few questions that leap to mind:
• How much are out-of-town casino management firms paid? We need to know how much of money that is spent in a proposed San Benito County casino will stay in our economy, and how much will end up in out-of-state firms’ bank accounts.
• What’s the average salary and benefits earned by various casino worker positions? From janitor to card dealer, from cashier to pit boss, and every other position, we need to know what kinds of jobs the casino is creating. We want to understand if the jobs the casino offers will pay wages that will allow its workers to live in decent conditions in South Valley.
• How many of each type of job will the casino create? We need to know how many of the jobs a casino creates are low-paying, low-level jobs before we can decide how attractive the casino proposal really is.
• How does a dollar spent at a tribal casino impact the local economy? We need to know if a casino dollar turns over several times in the local economy or flows immediately to out-of-state casino operators. This data will help elected officials and residents evaluate whether a casino is worth the tradeoff in noise, lighting, pollution and traffic impacts.
• Speaking of those impacts, how will they be mitigated? Let’s look at the mitigations that have been requested in other California cities, how willing the casinos have been to comply, and how well those mitigation measures worked.
There are many other questions that will concern other South Valley and San Benito County residents. The Indian gaming casino proposal has the potential to dramatically increase jobs and tourism in San Benito and south Santa Clara counties. It also has the potential to negatively impact our rural way of life.
We need to keep open minds, ask difficult questions and demand detailed answers before our community decides whether to welcome or oppose a tribal casino in our midst.
