Sorry to see Yankton is doing so badly. I have never understood why, they sit on one of the most beautiful lakes in South Dakota. The economic development options on Lewis & Clark, I would think would be endless. Look at what Okoboji has done without a Casino on their waterfront.
Expanding gambling options in South Dakota is NOT the answer. The irony is that they would only be pulling gamblers from Fort Randall and Nebraska Indian Casinos, they would not be creating any new clientele.
Oh, and Gambling SUCKS and is a poor way to fund government. But what is the most disheartening is that this idea is being pitched by a Democrat that should know the pain gambling has caused our state;
“I think the challenge is we need to compete with Omaha, Lincoln and Minneapolis,†Senator Bernie Hunhoff said.
If that was true, which I don’t think it is, why do it with gambling?
I’m extremely disappointed with the short-sightedness of Yankton’s leaders. There is a reason why the Republicans have had control of this state for over 40 years, because the Dems in leadership roll over and play dead.
yeah, the only thing keeping me from going to yankton over omaha or minneapolis for the weekend is the lack of a casino.
” Look at what Okoboji has done without a Casino on their waterfront.”
You can live on Okoboji’s waterfront, you cant live on Yankton’s….. unless its below the dam and who wants to live there.
Then maybe the good folks in Yankton should do something about that and put a change on the ballot?
i would also think a sign saying “birthplace of mike huether” would solve any problems they may have.
Small goverment keep looking for quick rich schemes which always center around vices.
Why are kids leaving Yankton, jobs and oppurtunites. Its been well studied that gambling revenue is shrinking as old folks die. Young people don’t want to waste money in casinos and don’t want to work in them.
Yankton folks should demand to spend money on bringing in quality manufacturing jobs that make quality products. Gambling is a quick rush of money but quickly tires. Just look at the tribes.
Lewis and Clark lake is Corp to Engineers. The offset from building on the waterfront is half a mile or so. There would be more commerce if homes and restaurants could be right on the water.
Sorry, I disagree, gambling should happen. There must be more draw to get people 60 miles off the interstate. I think Washington Pavilion should be sold to a private casino corporation. It’s the best way to get this crumbling failure off the books. Seniors have lots of money they want to spend before they die. Gambling is a safer bet than the stock market.
Don’t let Huether hear of this. We’ll be sending 100 million in taxpayer dollars to Yankton. The city of Sioux Falls builds private tennis clubs and commercial hotels. Why can’t the city of Yankton risk on a casino. There seems to be no distinction between private and public except that government doesn’t pay income and property taxes. Franchises steer clear of Sioux Falls because of the unfair advantage.
Operating a casino as a nonprofit might not fly with the IRS. See this article about Iowa’s Prairie Meadows, one of only two nonprofit-operated casinos in the US:
https://nonprofitquarterly.org/2016/05/25/iowa-casinos-nonprofit-status-may-hang-400-year-old-law/
Do you remember when some “Democrats” wanted to build a casino district over by the Grand Falls/Gitchie Manitou area back in 2010? That too, was merely a pseudo moment in Democratic politics, I am afraid.….
It is unfortunate that Yankton is struggling, however. It’s a town with a lot of character and history, and with Lewis & Clark at its footsteps. But my guess is that it has the same problem as Aberdeen and that is that it is too far from the interstate highway system to continue to grow and not retract.
Not to mention that e-commerce will continue to be a challenge for all of these mini hub cities throughout rural America in the years to come. As long as a UPS truck or an Amazon drone can appear at your farmhouse porch, then there is less need to go to town and spend some money…. And the recent JCPenney closing announcements for Yankton, Watertown, Pierre, and Mithcell are the true “canary in the coal mine” for many of these mini hub cities, when it comes to the threat of e-commerce, regardless if they are attached to the interstate highway system or not…..