How would it affect Saugerties?
Crimes would increase: Crime rates in casino communities are 84% higher than the national average, says U.S. New & World Report. In Ledyard, Conn., originally a rural area like Saugerties, crime tripled between 1990 and 1998 with the growth of Foxwoods Casino — including a rise in drunk driving, drugs, prostitution, burglary, sexual assault, and car theft. A casino also increases local bankruptcies, embezzlements and suicides, research shows. When a new casino is built, gambling addiction rates double within a 50-mile radius, and casinos are linked statistically with increasing debt, DUI arrests, and domestic violence. The one million gallons of water daily (the amount of water used by the Village of Saugerties, Glasco and Malden water districts) would threaten the limited aquifer. Because casinos typically have extremely high turnover rates, a transient workforce would make affordable housing even scarcer. Most casino jobs are low-paying, and because there arent 3,000 unemployed work
