A new economic impact study of tribal gaming finds Wisconsin’s industry has a nearly $3.1 billion output.
That’s compared to $3.4 billion for Michigan, and $3.7 billion for Minnesota.
Wisconsin’s industry supports 26,882 jobs, which receive over $1.1 billion in wages. Associated tax revenue and revenue sharing payments are over $446 million in Wisconsin. The state has 28 gaming facilities.
Michigan’s industry has fewer jobs but workers are paid more. It supports 21,540 jobs, which are paid over $1.2 billion in wages. Tax revenue and revenue sharing payments equal $519 million, and there are 28 facilities.
By comparison, Minnesota has 40 facilities and 29,160 jobs. Those workers are paid a total of over $1.39 billion, and tax revenues equal $516 million.
The only other Midwest state with legal gambling is Iowa, though its industry is comparatively much smaller, with only three gaming facilities. Iowa’s tribal gaming industry output is $274 million, and it employs 1,758 workers who are paid a total of $73 million. The tax revenue and revenue sharing is over $28 million.
This report from the American Gaming Association comes on the heels of another AGA report, which found the entire U.S. gaming industry contributes $261 billion to the national economy. Nearly half of that comes from tribal gaming operators, which are present in 28 states, according to the AGA.
The national gaming industry supports about 1.8 million jobs — up from 1.7 million in 2014 — and generates $40.8 billion in tax revenues for federal, state and local governments.
The state with the largest impact from tribal gaming is California, the new report shows. Its economic output is close to $20 billion, with 124,272 workers earning over $8.9 billion. The state brings in over $3.4 billion in tax revenue and revenue sharing, and has 74 facilities. That’s the second highest number of gaming facilities after Oklahoma, which has 131.
Several other coastal states have large tribal gaming industries. Florida’s economic output from tribal gaming is over $6.1 billion; and Washington’s economic output is about $5.4 billion.
Only 28 states have tribal gaming operators, and Alaska is tied for the least amount with Colorado, Connecticut and Texas. All have only two tribal gaming facilities.
The study was performed on behalf of the American Gaming Association by Meister Economic Consulting. It included both gaming revenue and non-gaming revenue, which covers things like revenue from food and beverages, retail, lodging and entertainment.
Information included in the study comes from calendar year 2016, the latest year for which it’s available.
See study results here: http://www.americangaming.org/sites/default/files/Economic%20Impact%20of%20Tribal%20Gaming%20-%20Two%20Pager%20-%2011.5.18.pdf
See data from the previous AGA report: http://www.americangaming.org/newsroom/press-releasess/american-gaming-association-releases-new-research-economic-impact-gaming
–By Alex Moe
WisBusiness.com
