If the economy is really so bad, why are so many casinos and shopping malls so crowded?

I live in Michigan, supposedly the worst state in terms of unemployment and poverty, but my job requires a lot of travel to food court restaurants, and I can tell you that every single shopping mall in the Detroit (Wayne/Oakland) county area, as well as all three major casinos, are nearly always crowded. If there is this much economic activity going on in the poorest area in the country, can things really be that bad?