Mandalay Bay is a guarded sanctuary for wetland creatures, and has been for some time. Ever since the damming of the estuary at Mason Point, a vast lagoon was created which attracted many species of wildfowl, crocodiles and other protected creatures, most notable of which, the Marabou Stork, has come to live on a year-round basis.

Mandalay Bay is also home to two hundred thousand people, of which some twenty one percent have been unemployed for six months or more. The residents desperately need revenue in the community and most support the decision to build a casino in the bay.

The casino in Mandalay Bay would not only generate income itself, as the plans are for a one thousand room hotel, sports complex, several restaurants and a golf course, all of which would need staff and maintenance, but also the tourism that it would generate would bring revenue to local shops, diners, bars and the small Mandalay waterside resort.

Another argument comes from the sizeable Christian community, who don’t want a gaggle of gamblers to descend upon their hometown. Their opinion counts as well as any, particularly when over fifty thousand people in the Bay area attend church and many are opposed.

Outside of Nevada and Atlantic City the decision to build a casino will always be a controversial one. For the Mandalay Bay casino investors, however, it is a surefire way of generating income and a guaranteed return on their investments. Any other type of complex would be a gamble in itself.

Once the government has given the green light to provide a license, it’s only the wishes of the Mandalay Bay population that stand in the way of ‘progress.’

With any luck a compromise will be reached, allowing wildlife and businesses to flourish, while keeping residents as happy as possible.