A new study by Spectrum Gaming Group, commissioned by the American Gaming Association, shows that the nation’s casino industry helps drive small business growth by supporting 350,000 small business jobs nationally—to the tune of about billion annually.
More than half of those jobs are not in the gaming industry and include such businesses as restaurants and shops that see more business as a collateral result of patrons visiting local casinos.
Using the Gaming Industry’s Impact on Small Business Development in the United States study, the AGA is starting a national tour called the American Gaming Small Business Jobs Tour to raise awareness of the facts.
“Gaming is a small business driver and champion,” declared Geoff Freeman, president and chief executive officer of AGA. “This new report makes clear that the industry is a critical force behind good paying American jobs from coast to coast.”
The study showed that casinos tend to impact small communities more than they do larger cities.
Michael Pollock, managing director of Spectrum Gaming Group, said “Our analysis recognizes and documents that the casino industry has had a powerful impact on small-business development through various means, ranging from its purchases of goods and services to its impact on increasing employment and visitation in multiple markets.”
