So THIS is the silver bullet for malls? I don’t think so. York, PA is not Las Vegas. As someone who keynotes in Vegas multiple times a year I can tell you the buzz is off gambling in Vegas with fewer and fewer people at the game rooms and more at the pools and events. When I’ve been to Atlantic City and other cities that have casinos it is still a sad experience. People who buy are hopeful. Malls are positioned as family places. I think the stigma about gambling is still very much alive. I wish them well but suggest they #tryagain.

Are casinos the answer? Probably not. In my area at least, there are multiple casinos within easy driving distance, so they’re not the novelty they once were — and some of us never gamble. It might be time to acknowledge that we are over-stored, and re-purpose some of this property to residential.

If malls are turning into entertainment centers (restaurants, theaters, ice rinks, etc.), why not casinos? The question is whether a casino customer is willing to do a little shopping when they win. Seriously, will this increase mall foot traffic in the right way?

Shopping development operators should be free to develop their malls to create a good business environment for their tenants. If adding casinos is legal as it is in Pennsylvania, why not? If it works, that’s good news for the tenants. If it doesn’t, it may be the last try for mall operators. Negative perceptions about casinos have lessened over the years and will be acceptable in mall settings.

I don’t object to adding casinos to the mix as we reinvent malls as destinations, but I am not at all convinced they will consistently draw traffic to places outside the four walls of the casino. Just as we are over-stored, many places are beginning to be over-casinoed. I think there are plenty of other more interesting options for some of these big spaces in malls, but in certain markets maybe casinos will work.

Interesting idea, especially when we look at the trend of adding theater and entertainment to the shopping experience. But, with that being said, casinos and gambling bring a whole different vibe to the shopping environment that may not be a benefit to retailers.

You know, yesterday we discussed serving alcohol in shopping centers to help bring in more customers, so why not casinos as an option?

We have a mall here in Columbus, OH that turned into a casino, which I pass often and I just have to say, I’m not sure you’d want frequent casino visitors rambling through your store every day. Looks to me like two totally different elements: shopper vs. gambler (other than in Vegas where everyone is both), at least on a local level. Bad idea IMO.

For the mall owner, it is probably an upgrade in ROI. But I don’t think it adds much for the retailers in the malls. The success of malls was based on the fact that they offered a leisurely shopping experience. One would go, walk by multiple stores, enter some, and eventually buy.

While I think some shoppers might swing by the casinos to throw a few coins in the slots, I doubt that those whose destination is the casino are going to take that shopping stroll.

As I said yesterday, malls must do something if they don’t want to close. Though closing may be the best option for many.

This is going to be a win/lose proposition. On the win side we have new jobs, new,traffic for the malls, more retail operations that will survive, and a new tax base. On the losing side we have the potential for a higher crime rate, addiction problems, and the fact that the people who lose the most at gambling are the ones who can afford it least (a hidden tax).

Such is the desperate state of retail landlords and perhaps their tenants too, to the extent that they support this strategy. Casinos are in business to take their customers’ money. Period. That is their business model and the odds are dead set against their customers, by definition.

How is this good for a retail tenant that needs that money too? Las Vegas was built around and for gambling and part of its strategy in attracting visitors is offering retail in the same way it offers entertainment.

The original Macy’s, 35+ years ago, was among the first to recognize shopping as entertainment. While gambling is much the same, that’s their only commonality.

Good luck landlords and retail tenants who are sharing real estate with “anchor” casinos.

“Regular” gamblers aren’t the same as “regular” shoppers. It’s pretty sad and feels a little exploitative too. I just hope they tax the hell out of it.

This is a double-edged sword! It is definitely a good way for mall development companies to generate revenue from vacant space and existing retailers in the mall may generate extra traffic. The downside is the potentially undesirable aspects that casinos attract: gambling addicts, inebriated customers, and people that have lost all their money and may resort to theft at stores. Malls don’t have a lot of choices and I suspect many will weigh the increased revenues to be more important than the potential pitfalls.

I’m with you Bob Phibbs 100 percent on this one. Rich and I have worked in Las Vegas six to 12 times a year for as long as I can remember. Vegas has changed, gambling is no longer the big money maker – or draw – that it used to be.

As I write this I am sitting in a nearly deserted local mall, waiting to meet with a client. Both Sears and Macy’s will close here in February, Carson’s bailed last year. There’s a lot of empty space but the clientele is still families. Moms pushing strollers, kids in play areas, people meeting for coffee. As tempting as it might be to fill empty spaces, I just don’t see casinos in malls as a good thing.

There definitely needs to be some innovation injected into many malls to keep them viable. Some malls have great, consistent traffic. Those malls most often have high-end food courts and restaurants. That is what is attracting the people. Casinos thrive on their food and retail offerings, so I’m not certain that casinos, alone, will be the big draw.

Is it a silver bullet to all existing mall development? No. If you have an underperforming mall, putting a casino in may draw more traffic, but obviously the location and other factors are involved for the success to the rest of the merchants. I think a well-run casino can co-exist in retail; you see many casinos with retail close by already.