Eco Alley

Living Green with Connie Pumphrey

My husband and I visited two casinos this year- the Imperial Palace (IP) in Biloxi, MS and the Borgata in Atlantic City, NJ - the first we’d been to in 20 years.
The Imperial Palace is a great hotel that happens to run casinos.  The lobby and common areas are modern and chic with wonderful art and decor.  It’s also slots-free and restaurants and shopping are accessible without crossing gaming areas.  Families enjoy swimming pools, tennis courts and the close-by Gulf.  The staff is very friendly and takes pride in their jobs.  Guards stand at the entrance to casino areas which are designated either smoking or non-smoking.  Harrah’s, the owner of IP, has made strides in and received awards for their environmental efforts.  Baths have water saving devices, courtesy shampoos, etc. are in paper containers, they ask guests to use linens for a couple of days and to be mindful of HVAC and lighting when not in rooms, recycling is encouraged, and its newer buildings are LEED certified.  (Biloxi was devastated during Hurricane Katrina when a 26’ storm surge swept away almost everything.  It’s making a big comeback but in a different way.) 
The Borgata makes no effort to be anything but a casino that happens to have restaurants and hotel rooms.  The moment we entered the lobby, the sound and visuals of slots flashing and dinging overwhelmed everything else.  The Borgata gets very high marks in the players world and was busy hosting a major poker tournament when we were there - it’s a big dog’s world.
Both places provide revenues and jobs for their respective communities and are managed in a no-nonsense manner, maintaining protocol and civility at all times.  If Maryland is going to allow gambling casinos, let them be great places with good reputations.  Let’s use judgment instead of hysteria and ask real questions. Power consumption is HUGE - can we provide it? Water & sewage needs? Traffic congestion? Locations with least/most environmental impact?  Strong ownership/management team that understands the issues?  Proper oversight?  Those are my questions - not whether the mall can still supervise teenagers when they are dropped off by parents. 

| Email to a friend |
Comments (0)
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 10/19/10 at 04:06 AM

---