The contribution of casino tourism towards the Maltese economy

Abstract

Researchers have presented different theories to enlighten the reasons behind casino gambling. Castle (2008) considers life itself a gamble, and it is in ''human nature to take a chance in hopes of a great reward''. According to Kusyszyn (1984), gambling ''can elicit pride, courage, self-esteem, self-blame, and self-remonstration'' and he further stated that gambling ''provides an opportunity to experience other emotions'', such as anger and aggression. Kusyszyn also suggests that one reason behind casino betting is the excitement, due to the outcome's uncertainty, that the activity delivers... In the available literature, researchers argue that states and countries are likely to opt to casino development as a means to enhance the tourism industry. Candido (2004) considers casinos and tourism as ''Siamese twins'', as both activities are closely linked, and depend on leisure. However, a casino alone is not enough to have a significant impact on tourism, so parties are interdependent. On the other hand, there is an ongoing concern as to whether casino development really leads to increased tourism inflows (The Tourism Company: 2008). Despite this, casinos can form an essential part of the tourism product, as these are ''packed and sold'' in order to diversify and enhance the tourist experience (McCartney n.d.: 43)... The casino representatives were asked a set of 16 questions, while the MTA representatives 6 questions, LGA 13 questions, and the sociologist 7 questions. All the questions were clearly formulated, void of vague words and as simple as possible, in order to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings. Before interviews were carried out, the representatives were asked if they wanted to be recorded, as recordings facilitate th When delivering the questions, attention was paid not to suggest answers or guide the interviewees towards the desired answers. The interviewees were guaranteed privacy and confidentiality, so that they would feel comfortable and provide accurate answers... IV The 2008-2009 recession which hit almost all countries across the globe, had a huge negative impact on the tourism industry as a whole. However, as LGA Employee explained, the casino and gambling industry are known to be recession proof. The casino respondents believe that there will always be people that have sufficient amounts of money to play. Accordingly, Casino Respondent 2 and 3 noted that during this period, the amount of money wagered by tourists increased, resulting in an increase in the Gross Gaming Revenues (GGR), in contrast with the local share of visitors, which slightly dropped. The reason behind this is that during recessions people are desperate to raise their wealth. These tourists try their luck and spend their last bit of cash hoping they will win the money at stake...