This document discusses the potential economic, social, and environmental impacts of gaming tourism. It outlines both the positive and negative impacts across these three dimensions. The positive economic impacts include increased tax revenues, jobs, and multiplier effects on other industries. However, the negative economic impacts can include increased costs from issues like crime and money laundering. The social impacts are mixed as well, with potential benefits like new jobs but also costs like problem gambling and changes to local values. Overall, the document examines how communities can balance these impacts from gaming tourism development.

1. Gaming tourism An overview of potential impacts
Stanislav Ivanov, Ph. D. Academic Director: International University College, Bulgaria Editor-in-chief: European Journal of Tourism Research E-mail: stanislav.ivanov@vumk.eu

2. Gaming tourism
An overview of potential impacts
Content:
• Tourism impacts dimensions
• Positive impacts (benefits) of gaming tourism
• Negative impacts (costs) of gaming tourism
• Finding the right balance

3. Gaming tourism
An overview of potential impacts
Tourism impacts dimensions:
Tourism
Economic
impacts
Social
impacts
Environmental
impacts
• Specific
• Critical mass of gaming
tourism development
• Perceived impacts by
the local community
• Positive and negative
impacts
• Measurement
• Control

4. Gaming tourism
An overview of potential impacts
Positive impacts of gaming tourism:
Economic impacts
• Balance of payments receipts
• Jobs and incomes (Garett, 2004)
• Tax revenues from governments and municipalities
(e.g. Madhusudhan, 1996)
• Multiplier effect on other industries (Rephann et al.,
1997)
• Changes in the structure of the economy
• Decreased seasonality and prolonged top season
• Economic growth

5. Gaming tourism
An overview of potential impacts
Positive impacts of gaming tourism:
Social impacts
• Jobs with higher than average salaries (in
developing economies)
• Revitalisation of local area
• Improvement of service quality to match tourists’
requirement

6. Gaming tourism
An overview of potential impacts
Negative impacts of gaming tourism:
Economic impacts
• Economic crimes – money laundering, smuggling,
tax concealment
• Leakage of national income (import, dividend
payments)
• Increased price level (Pizam and Pokela, 1985)
• Secondary costs and missed benefits –
substitution of other businesses, traffic
congestions, increased police/security costs etc.

7. Gaming tourism
An overview of potential impacts
Negative impacts of gaming tourism:
Social impacts
• Crimes – prostitution, drugs, robbery (not
supported by Stitt, Nichols, and Giacopassi, 2003)
• Personal bankruptcies (Goss and Morse, 2005)
• Preference to “easy money” – search for short-term
profits rather than long-term investments
• Demonstration effect on local residents – changes
in values, norms, customs (see Caneday and
Zeiger, 1991)

8. Gaming tourism
An overview of potential impacts
Finding the right balance:
• Predominantly economic benefits
• Predominantly social costs

9. Gaming tourism
An overview of potential impacts
References:
• Caneday, L., J. Zeiger (1991) The Social, Economic, and Environmental Costs of
Tourism to a Gaming Community as Perceived By Its Residents. Journal of Travel
Research, 30(1), 45-49
• Garett, T. A. (2004) Casino gaming and local employment trends. Federal Reserve
Bank of St. Louis Review, January/February 2004, 86(1), pp. 9-22.
• Goss, E., E. A. Morse (2005) The Impact of Casino Gambling On Individual
Bankruptcy Rates from 1990 to 2002. SSRN Paper 801185. Available at
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=801185
• Madhusudhan, R. G. (1996) Betting on casino revenues: Lessons from state
experience. National Tax Journal, 49(3), pp. 401-412
• Pizam, A., J. Pokela (1985) The perceived impacts of casino gambling on a
community. Annals of Tourism Research, 12(2), pp. 147-165
• Rephann, T. J., M. Dalton, A. Stair, A. Isserman (1997) Casino gambling as an
economic development strategy. Tourism Economics 3(2), pp. 161-183
• Stitt, B. G., M. Nichols, D. Giacopassi (2003) Does the presence of casionos
increase crime? An examination of casino and control communities. Crime and
Delinquency, 49(2), pp. 253-284

10. Gaming tourism
An overview of potential impacts
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