As Irving’s City Council approaches an important decision regarding casino gaming, a prominent theology professor is questioning the potential bias of the council and how it may impact the University of Dallas, a private Catholic institution in Irving,
Dr. Christopher Malloy, PhD, a professor of Theology at the University of Dallas (UD) and the chair of the department, has raised concerns about Councilman Al Zapanta’s potential interests regarding the casino and how it may impact the surrounding area, specifically that a casino could benefit the city to the university’s detriment.
Malloy argues that whatever the proposed casino benefits might be, these advantages would potentially come at a cost to the university. Specifically, he suggests that the casino’s presence could negatively impact the UD community, possibly affecting the university’s reputation, diminishing student enrollment, or creating competition for local resources.
This situation raises questions about whether Zapanta’s support for the casino is in the best interest of the university and the community.
“To me, it is a question: How can one serve both capacities when there could be a potential conflict of goods from the different viewpoints of the city and the university?” said Malloy.
The professor added that the casino could have “devastating” results for UD’s enrollment and future.
Malloy explained that the university heavily depends on tuition and nearly all of it comes from intellectually “serious and Catholic students.” UD’s website describes itself as “The Catholic University For Independent Thinkers.”
The professor pointed out that the Newman Guide to Catholic Colleges directs many of these students to UD. “They rank Catholic colleges in terms of Catholicity and social, academic, [and] moral standards. My worry is that if a casino and all its attendant dangers were to happen across the street—within walking distance—they would have to reflect that in their guide, and then my worry is that… we would potentially suffer a big drop in enrollment.”
Malloy mentioned several dangers he believes exist in bringing a casino to the city, including the potential for the casino to take advantage of college students. He noted that research has found this age group is more than twice as likely to become pathological gamblers as the older adult population.
Malloy said having a casino in Irving could put UD in a bind and trigger a faculty exodus.
“If enrollment were to drop from our primary constituents, then UD, if it were to pivot to a less academically serious and not as Catholic devout population, then there would be a different trigger effect: A lot of faculty are here not because of salaries… We’re here because we love the student body and the curriculum.”
Referring to the February 27 City Council work session, Malloy noted that Zapanta gave the impression he supported a casino and the aggressive three-week timeline to approve the project.
Pro-casino arguments espoused by Las Vegas Sands Corporation Senior Vice President Andrew Abboud at a recent City of Irving District 5 Town Hall Meeting contend that casino development would be a boon to the economy.
Abboud said a casino would bring billions of dollars in economic activity, 80-90k permanent jobs, and 185,000 construction jobs.
The Sands-supported Texas Destination Resort Alliance website states, “Revenue raised from these new sites could provide funding for public education and public higher education, for the arts as well as for public safety and law enforcement.”
However, economists from UD said that these estimates and forecasts of major benefits are misleading.
Drs John Soriano and Malcolm Kass explained to The Dallas Express that these estimates are done in comparison to doing nothing with the land near the former Dallas Cowboys Stadium. They explained that a better economic analysis would consider the potential benefits of a casino with other types of business development that would have less socially deleterious effects.
Other professors have spoken in direct opposition to the casino. On March 18, Dr. Debra Romanick Baldwin, a professor of literature who was speaking in her personal capacity, rhetorically asked the Planning & Zoning Commission why the rezoning vote that could allow a casino was “such a bad idea.”
Answering herself, Baldwin warned of a wave of organized crime and human trafficking she believed would surely accompany the casino and an unappealing design for the building. She noted that the process was too rushed and effectively endorsed a crime.
When Baldwin concluded, she said, “As Planning & Zoning Commissioners, your responsibility is not to a private land owner – it is to your city, your council [and] its residents.” As she walked away from the podium, DX reported that some of the pro-casino protestors could even be seen clapping for her.
This action appeared to align with other reporting from DX, which indicated that at least some of the pro-casino protestors had been compensated for their protests and signed non-disclosure agreements.
Ironically, just a few days before these protestors carrying signs that read “Paid for by Las Vegas Sands Corp” showed up to the P&Z meeting, Abboud had condemned the more than 100 anti-casino protestors at a town hall event as being “sponsored” by the Oklahoma Indian casinos.
The Irving City Council will vote on the casino gaming rezoning measure on March 20.
If it passes, this vote alone would not bring casino gambling to Irving. However, it would be the first step in a multi-step process that could bring casinos to the area. Later steps would include changing the state’s gaming laws, which can only be achieved through two-thirds approval in the Texas House and Senate and a majority of voters on the statewide ballot.
Zapanta was contacted for a response to Malloy’s comments, but he did not immediately return comment.
The Dallas Express’s interview with Malloy was predicated on a recent editorial he wrote for the student newspaper asking whether a potential casino would bring supposed benefits to the city at the university’s detriment.