Executive Summary Effects of Casino Gambling on Crime and Quality of Life in New Casino Jurisdictions Grand Award 98-IJ-CX-0037 With the dramatic increase in casino gambling in the 199Os, one of the most important domestic policy questions became, What impact do casinos have on. Apr 01, 2003  The authors conclude that crime does not inevitably increase with the introduction of a casino into a community, but that the effects of casinos on crime appear to be related to a variety of variables which are only poorly understood. When considering crime in the top five gambling cities, one point is unmistakable: Atlantic City is no picnic with its No. 1 spot for overall crime per 100k and the same ranking for both robbery.

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Back in 2001, Toronto police weren’t painting a rosy picture of the neighbourhood surrounding Woodbine Racetrack.

Crime spiked, they said, after 1,752 electronic slot machines came on the scene in March 2000.

In the vicinity near the racetrack, overall criminal offences rose from 994 in 1999 to 1,267 the next year — a 27.46 per cent increase, according to a 2001 police report. Broken down, violent crime jumped 28.57 per cent and property crime 15.98 per cent. Just north, traffic offences under the criminal code, such as impaired driving, shot up 41.51 per cent.

The data, while somewhat dated, shows gaming can cause ancillary problems for a neighbourhood — at least initially.

While police said Friday that more recent statistics for the area around the slots were not immediately available, one officer on the beat for the last 10 years said he’s seen a steady decrease in crime.

It’s an issue GTA residents will have to ponder when deciding whether they want a casino in their midst.

The province is reopening the issue of casinos as part of a reorganization of gaming, arguing it could add $1.3 billion to public coffers. But it has left any final say up to municipalities.

This week, Toronto City Council postponed deciding whether to hold a referendum, instead voting to send the issue to an executive committee. In 1997, residents of all six of the former municipalities that now make up Toronto rejected allowing a casino.

The 2001 report was prepared for the Toronto Police Services Board for the purpose of asking for 18 additional officers to deal with the onslaught. While police were careful to say the slots were not solely responsible for increases in crime, the report said their introduction was a “contributing factor.”

One indicator of the effects of gaming on the neighbourhood was that more pawn shops and second-hand stores were popping up, it said.

Toronto police Supt. Ron Taverner said crime rates around the racetrack these days are relatively low compared with other areas of the city. “From a policing perspective, I don’t see any issues at all,” he said, adding that fears of increased prostitution, loan sharking and even traffic flow and parking problems didn’t pan out.

On Thursday, Police Chief Bill Blair echoed the sentiment, saying, “I certainly don’t perceive it’s been a significant public safety issue for us. It’s a well-organized, well-managed business, and they work very closely with the police.”

Gambling Crime Rate

At the time the report was prepared, Julian Fantino, now the Conservative MP for Vaughan, was Toronto’s chief of police.

Retired Queen’s University law professor Stanley Sadinsky isn’t convinced that crime automatically comes with casinos. In Windsor, Ont. — home to one commercial casino — crime rates actually went down, he said.

Sadinsky added that he thinks police departments have also seen the introduction of casinos as an occasion to increase their manpower. “There was this worry that there would be a problem, and monies were suddenly available to municipalities. If I were the chief of police I’d make the case for more resources as well.”

Increasing Crime Rates

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