Casino news source: Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal - http://twincities.bizjournals.com/
Study: Rural areas gain most from tribal casino jobs
Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal - 12:43 PM CST Tuesday
by Carissa Wyant
Staff Writer
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A new study released Tuesday by the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association (MIGA) shows that rural Minnesota communities got the lion's share of a statewide $429 million in direct economic benefit from 2005 tribal casino employment in the state.
The study said rural Minnesota derived $285 million in direct economic benefit from tribal casino jobs in 2005, including $211 million in payroll, $65 million in employment taxes, $48 million in health care benefits, $10 million in retirement savings, and $4 million in other employee benefits such as child care accounts, education and tuition assistance.
The study shows that the 9,100 rural casino employees are more likely than other leisure and hospitality workers to have health care and retirement benefits, paid time off, life or disability insurance, and other benefits such as flexible savings accounts and tuition assistance. Tribal casino workers are also more likely to be full-time employees and have higher starting wages than other leisure and hospitality workers.
Statewide, the $429 million in economic benefits from 12,900 tribal casino jobs includes $335 million in payroll, state and federal employment taxes of $90 million, medical and dental health care benefits of $66 million, retirement savings of $15 million and more than $7 million in other benefits such as life and disability insurance, flexible childcare savings accounts and tuition assistance.
The study also noted that the slight decline in casino employment from 13,339 in 2000 to 12,900 in 2005 may reflect the maturity of the gaming market. Over the past six years, new capital investment on tribal lands has been in ancillary facilities such as hotels, marinas and golf courses, and not in new or substantially expanded gaming operations.
The study was conducted by University of Minnesota researchers C. Ford Runge, Ph.D., Distinguished McKnight University Professor of Applied Economics and Law, and Barry Ryan. |
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