Research conducted on behalf of the commission confirmed that casino gaming creates jobs and reduces the level of unemployment and government assistance in communities that have legalized it. The University of Chicago’s National Opinion Research Center (NORC) found that communities closest to casinos experienced a 12 percent to 17 percent drop in welfare payments, unemployment rates and unemployment insurance after the introduction of casino gaming. NORC also found that communities with casinos have 43 percent higher earnings in their hotel and lodging sectors than those communities farther from casinos