California Indian gaming is a $7 billion/year business already, but it would get substantially bigger, I think, if a casino popped up in the heart of Orange County. From the LA Times:
Even in a city that has entertained the most improbable of dreams, the latest plan to woo tourists and big bucks to Garden Grove is off the charts.
An Indian tribe has formally proposed building a Las Vegas-style casino complex just up the road from Disneyland in the latest and far and away most lavish plan for making Garden Grove a tourist destination.
The Gabrielino-Tongva Tribe’s proposal calls for two opulent casinos housing 7,500 slot machines, two upscale hotels, a 10,000-seat stadium and — the topper— a promise of a college scholarship for every high school graduate in Garden Grove.
The plan, submitted to the city this week, also promises $5.1 billion to the city over 30 years, payment of $100 million for infrastructure improvements within the city and nearly 10,000 permanent jobs.
“Everybody knows Disneyland is a huge tourist attraction and so are big Indian casinos,” said Jonathan Stein, who identifies himself as the CEO of the tribe. “Casinos just generate gobs and gobs of money, and everyone is going to benefit from this.”
But extravagant dreams have come in for hard landings before in this central Orange County city, which longs for identity and revenue but has grown weary of some of the dreamy pitches.
Tribe proposes Vegas-style casino in Garden Grove – Los Angeles Times
Seems like there are long, long odds on this actually happening, but it’s definitely something to think about.