Quality of life issues in a casino destination

Gambling is spreading across North America. Debate has accompanied this diffusion. This study: (1) describes attitudes held by Nevada residents about the effects of legalized gambling and (2) identifies the relationship among resident characteristics, perceptions of the impact gaming has had in Nevada, and perceived quality of life (QOL). Residents recognize that legalized gambling has brought both benefits and costs. Among interesting correlates, individuals with less education and urban residents perceived more social costs from legalized gaming. Perceived social costs are negatively correlated with QOL, whereas perceived job growth is positively correlated with QOL These impacts are similar to those reported for other forms of mass tourism, and the data suggest that equity issues need further investigation. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.