RT Article
T1 Yelping about a good time: casino popularity and crime
JF Criminal justice studies
VO 32
IS 2
SP 140
OP 164
A1 Sosa, Virginia
A2 Bichler, Gisela
A2 Quintero, Lianna
LA English
YR 2019
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1733108610
AB Electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) is fast becoming a standard medium of communication when people are looking for information about where to go for a good time. Exploring the content of reviews posted online could expose criminogenic conditions associated with properties, thereby providing an opportunity to examine crime problems afflicting private facilities with public data. This study investigates whether Yelp comments, together with property characteristics, can account for crime and deviance occurring at or near casinos in Southern California. While a correlational analysis revealed that two Yelp-based variables - property magnetism and star ratings - were associated with fewer reported issues of crime and deviance, a multivariate analysis revealed the complex nature of risky facilities. Holding all other factors constant, perceived staff friendliness and casino magnetism are significantly related to higher crime rates. Notably, the presence of slot machines is associated with lower crime, irrespective of crime measure used. Study limitations restrict generalizability; however, these findings suggest that public data can be used to investigate the criminogenic capacity of risky-facilities.
K1 Casinos
K1 Crime attractors
K1 Crime generator
K1 Crime Pattern Theory
K1 Magnetism
K1 Risky facilities
DO 10.1080/1478601X.2019.1600820