A policy-based analysis of the impacts of casino gambling.

In 2003, as part of a lecture series sponsored by the American Gaming Association, Richard LaBrie and Howard Shaffer issued a ‘concept statement’ titled Toward a Science of Gambling Regulation. They stated, “The set of gambling regulations within a jurisdiction represent that jurisdiction’s strategy for preventing negative consequences….We propose that gambling regulations would be more effective if the regulatory process was science-based” (2003, p. 1). This paper represents a step towards scientifically analyzing variations in existing policies to determine how effective they are in reaching policy goals. A quasi-experimental matching procedure is utilized to assess the impacts of casinos at the county level. Additional analysis examines the effects of various policies on economic development outcomes. The findings suggest that more restrictive casino policies reduce the economic impacts associated with casino development.