Casinos in Orlando

[old lady]

I heard Disney is fighting against Casino lords putting Casinos near the happiest place on the earth or in Orlando. Casinos are saying that Disney is taking all their business. Disney says they will and it will no longer be considered a family area and will bring in the wrong crowd. Religious groups say it will be bad for Orlando's reputation as being a christian town, and it will stop conventions from going to Disney as a top convention place? I don't see how since casinos conventions are more adult oriented than Disney conventions anyway?

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Yeah those casinos really stopped conventions from going to Las Vegas.

 

[disneysteve]

This certainly isn't anything new. Disney has been fighting against casinos for years. I think the nearest one is in Tampa, about an hour away, though I could be wrong about that.

I have mixed feelings about this. I love Disney but I also enjoy casinos. I have no personal interest in seeing casinos built anywhere near Disney. I think the area already has more than enough to do and is already congested enough. I also think the country overall has too many casinos. Every new one that gets built cannibalizes the market of the existing ones (hence the reason that 3 Atlantic City casinos have closed this month). So, for example, opening a casino in Orlando would negatively impact the casino in Tampa because folks who currently drive an hour to gamble wouldn't need to do that anymore. More casinos does not create more gamblers. It just spreads them out more.

I'd prefer to see the Orlando area remain a mecca of family entertainment with Disney, Universal, Sea World, water parks, go karts, etc.

 

[jwlnroe]

There is one at the Hard Rock in Tampa

 

[staceyrhood]

The closest ones are at port Canaveral or the one in Tampa.

 

[ArwenMarie]

I wouldn't want to see casinos in Orlando just because they are not my thing, but I can see how they would do well there. I think it would increase convention business.