'We've got 23 now, and from what I can tell they certainly haven't lived up to their billing in terms of creating this economic engine that people tell you they're going to create here in Michigan.' 'How many of these do we need?' asks Gary Post, a Muskegon developer who opposes the ballot measure. Ballot measure opponents argue Michigan is nearing the casino saturation point and that gambling expansion hasn't done much to boost overall economic development, since the state has the nation's highest unemployment rate. Detroit's three casinos saw combined revenue decline in 2009 for the first time. The state already has 23 casinos, including one under construction, giving Michigan one of the nation's largest gambling presences. Sports betting would be allowed at Michigan casinos if the measure becomes law. The measure would allow developers to open casinos in Benton Harbor, Detroit, Flint, Lansing, Muskegon, Romulus and slot machines at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. 'We have to be smart to generate new forms of revenue, and I think this is one way to do that.'Ī coalition called Michigan Is Yours, co-chaired by Cooke, needs to collect more than 380,000 voter signatures by July 5 to make the November ballot. 'High unemployment, foreclosures - we've been hard hit,' Cooke said. That's why Mayor Wilce Cooke backs a proposed ballot measure that would allow casinos to open in Benton Harbor and six other Michigan locations, potentially creating jobs and dedicating a slice of the tax revenue to local governments. The local government's budget situation is so bad the state might appoint an emergency financial manager. The city has lost more than 15 percent of its population in the last two decades.

(AP) - Jobs are hard to come by in Benton Harbor, a recession-ravaged town of 10,800 on the Lake Michigan shoreline.

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