The state's share of casino revenues has steadily declined each year since reaching a high of $430 million in 2007. An expansion of casino gaming in Connecticut will only prolong the inevitable and will have a higher societal cost than it is worth. According to the Brookings Institution, there is a sharp increase in most crimes after the introduction of a casino, which can cost the average adult in a casino county up to $75 per year. According to the National Association of Realtors, casinos have negative effects on neighboring property values. A casino, unlike a sports stadium, does not encourage non-gaming businesses to open nearby because it is designed to be an all-absorbing environment that does not release its customers until they have spent all of their money. According to the Institute for American Values, people who live close to a casino are two times more likely to become problem gamblers than people who live more than 10 miles away. Rather than worrying about the impact of casino competition in nearby Massachusetts, state legislators should spend their time focusing on the more pressing issue of projected budget deficits that will not go away.Get the Story: