You know times are tough when a 79-year old grandma walks into a bank in Texas and tries to rob it with a toy gun.

Down here in South Florida, property taxes and insurance along with skyrocketing mortgage payments have residents feeling squeezed more than ever before.

Theaters and entertainment establishments like the Coral Springs Center for the Arts are feeling the pinch too. One of of our biggest problems that is here to stay is the ever growing expansion of casino gambling in our own backyard.

Just ask the folks at some of the smaller theaters in Broward County, down at the Fort Lauderdale Riverfront, and the downtown restaurant and bar owners who used to thrive before the Hard Rock Casino opened in Hollywood, FL.

With recent news that the Coconut Creek Seminole Casino is also gearing up for massive expansion, including a 2,500-seat theater, one has to wonder how much more erosion will take place within the current entertainment industry in Broward County. There's a lot of disposable income down here, despite the current mortgage and property tax crisis, but casinos, especially large, sprawling entertainment complexes like the one in Hollywood (and the one planned for Coconut Creek) spell deep trouble for those who make a living entertaining people.

They are the 800-pound gorilla in the room...and they are here to stay.