![]() ![]() “It allowed us to pay the bills without going further and further into debt.” The city has used the money to lower taxes, invest in infrastructure, and reduce tuition for Chester residents at a local community college. “We went from having deficits to having surpluses,” Moore says. The money pulled the city out of a financial hole, says Thomas Moore, who was the chief-of-staff to former mayor Wendell Butler when Harrah’s opened. That’s 30 percent of the city’s operating revenue. Under state gaming laws, Harrah’s pays Chester at least $10 million in gaming revenue. Was the casino a good bet? Depends on who you ask.Ī Budget FixThe casino made a commitment to the city “to take a site that was doing nothing for the community and turn it into a source of broad economic development for the city and the county,” says Harrah’s General Manager Ron Baumann. City officials hoped Harrah’s would bring gaming revenue, jobs, and economic development to the area. Harrah’s was the third casino to launch after the state passed a law approving casino gambling. “Your eyes are going to get bright and hopeful that that’s the panacea.” “You have people that want very badly for a bad condition to end,” Linder says. Mayor John Linder wasn’t in office at the time, but he recalls how desperate people were for the casino to solve the city’s problems. WHYY thanks our sponsors - become a WHYY sponsor
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