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The Economics of Casino Gambling is a recent book by Douglas M. Walker (College of Charleston). This book is of interest as it relates to an academic debate between Walker and two other economists, Mustard and Grinoles. This series of papers is controversial.



The controversy surrounds the impact of casinos on local crime. This is an interesting question. Having read some of this work I tentatively support Douglas Walker's stance on this issue but at the same time, the Review of Economics and Statistics is a top economics journal. By rejecting two of my previous papers they are already showing they usually maintain very high standards. I will read more carefully before commenting further.

A cynic would say could say that this is a battle of lobby groups with the American christian right presenting ant-gambling results and the gambling lobby group funding Walker to undertake research that produces favourable results. Surely economists would not tailor results to fit an ideology?

Here is the paper PDF:

HERE

the PDF reply to the reply is

HERE.

Dr Walker has published a range of interesting papers in this area. This is the list from his website.

Research papers

FORTHCOMING ARTICLES

"Katrina and the Gulf States Casino Industry," with J.D. Jackson, Journal of Business Valuation and Economic Loss Analysis (2008)

"Clarification on the Social Costs of Gambling," Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting, and Financial Management (2008)

"The Diluted Economics of Casinos and Crime," Econ Journal Watch (2008)

"Market-Based "Disaster Relief": Katrina and the Casino Industry," International Journal of Social Economics (2008)


PUBLISHED ARTICLES

"Do U.S. Gambling Industries Cannibalize Each Other?," with J.D. Jackson, Public Finance Review (2008).

"Do Casinos Really Cause Crime?," Econ Journal Watch (2008).
[Published with a reply from Grinols and Mustard.]

"Ongoing Challenges in Research on the Social Costs of Gambling." Chapter in Economic Aspects of Gambling Regulation: EU and US Perspectives (2008)

"Do Casinos Cause Economic Growth?," with J.D. Jackson. American Journal of Economics and Sociology (2007)

"Problems with Quantifying the Social Costs and Benefits of Gambling." American Journal of Economics and Sociology (2007)

Book Review: Gambling in America, by Earl Grinols. Southern Economic Journal (2007)

"Kindt's Paper Epitomizes the Problems in Gambling Research." Managerial and Decision Economics (2004)

"Methodological Issues in the Social Cost of Gambling Studies." Journal of Gambling Studies (2003)

"Is Professional Gambling a Directly Unproductive Profit-Seeking (DUP) Activity?" International Gambling Studies (2001)

"The Social Costs of Gambling: An Economic Perspective," with A.H. Barnett. Journal of Gambling Studies (1999).
[Published with a comment by Richard McGowan and a response by Walker and Barnett.]

"State Lotteries, Isolation, and Economic Growth in the U.S.," with J.D. Jackson. Review of Urban & Regional Development Studies (1999)

"Legalized Casino Gambling and the Export Base Theory of Economic Growth." Gaming Law Review (1999)

"New Goods and Economic Growth: Evidence from Legalized Gambling," with J.D. Jackson. Review of Regional Studies (1998)

"Comment on 'Legal Gambling as a Strategy of Economic Development'." Economic Development Quarterly (1998)

This is a very interesting debate (for economists at least).