First off, I fully realize that I nearly had my blogging license revoked. A month without posting? Yikes! (My apologies.)
Anyway, a week ago I was up in northern Michigan for a wedding on the beautiful Lake Charlevoix. It was a nice time, and perhaps what meant more to me personally was the fact that I used to vacation up in that area as a kid with my family. Of course, I had to be somewhat prepared for changes in the area. After all, nothing stays the same and "hidden gems" of land are eventually found, developed, and turned into commerce centers. I'm not necessarily against that, and if I were, I would just constantly be mad at the world. Sometimes you just have to roll with the flow.
Anyway, while driving around up there, one thing caught me a little off guard: A brand new, big casino.Â
Now don't get me wrong, my initial surprise lasted less than one second. But nonetheless, it was a change that I had previously not associated with that part of the country. Naturally, I started to wonder what implications this would have on the surrounding area.Â
I thought to blog about this today because I just read an article about illegal gaming facilities in Texas becoming an increased target for crimes.
Granted, this is comparing apples and oranges (after all, in one case we're talking about illegal gambling and in the other it's legal). However, I think it's safe to say that all casinos bring a little more "action"--and any time you have a little more "action" you're going to need a litte more security to go with it.
I guess change is inevitable; and casinos sure bring a lot of change. (And if you're lucky, you can even win some of that "change.")
BTW, what are your thoughts about casinos as they relate to a local economy? I'd be glad to hear them... could be a good discussion below!
-Greg
