Gabe discusses economic analysis models for Press Herald article on proposed casino

Todd Gabe, an economics professor at the University of Maine, spoke with the Portland Press Herald for an article about a proposed casino in York County. Backers of the casino say the business would create more than 2,000 jobs and $45 million in annual tax revenue, but history shows those numbers are not a sure bet, according to the article. David Evans, principal of Florida-based Evans, Carroll & Associates Inc., is one of the authors of the York County casino study. He said the economic analysis his firm produced for the project was based on a widely accepted methodology known as the regional input-output modeling system. Gabe said there are a number of accepted models that can be used to perform an economic analysis, including the model used for the York County casino study. Still, he said all of the models allow for a degree of flexibility, and that economic analysts have to make certain judgment calls while doing their work. “A lot of people, when they hear the word ‘model,’ they think it’s a black box that everyone uses,” but that’s not the case, Gabe said. “There’s an art and a science to doing an economic impact study.”