The Red Balloon
A Warning from the Casino Industry

Experts in the gambling industry recognize that the heydays of “convenience gambling” are passing away. Like every other form of business, there is a point of market saturation for casino gambling. Gambling industry expert, I. Nelson Rose wrote an article years ago reminding the gambling industry of the inevitability of market saturation. He likened casino gambling to a red balloon. You can only put so much air in the balloon before it explodes.

As a matter of public policy, gambling saturation should be a grave concern to all taxpaying citizens. State and local governments can become addicted to gambling even faster than people. Linking important state and local projects and programs to gambling revenues assumes the gambling dollars will always be around and growing.  The truth is, intense competition in the gambling industry is a real threat to states dependent on gambling revenues. There are only so many gambling dollars to go around. And all across America gambling revenues are dropping.

Read I. Nelson Rose's "The Rise and Fall of the Third Wave: Gambling will be Outlawed in Forty Years" here.