The speaker told host Emily Rooney that he has heard gambling opponents “loudly and clearly” and plans to fund addiction recovery programs through funds reaped from the gambling expansion.
–Statehouse News Service 2/10/10
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Reality-based commentary on politics.
We need to have slot gambling, which will literally double the rate of addiction, so we can have the funds to reduce the threat of addiction. Whee!!!
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p>There’s no money or permanent jobs to be had here, Speaker. If slots cost the state lottery 10% of its revenue, that’s $100 million being pulled away from cities and towns every year. That’s on top of the thousands of people who would face layoffs or reduced hours and benefits at local small businesses within about 50 miles of the casino, on top of the hit to to the community in terms of increased social costs from needing more police to schools who may suddenly get an influx of students they weren’t prepared for, on top of the huge costs to the state in terms of regulations and oversight (New Jersey has 1,000+ state employees that look over gambling — that was the reference point Coakley used when she said we’d need to have a huge amount of state employees in a new bureaucracy while giving testimony at the statehouse), as well as other costs (infrastructure, state police, more prisoners).
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p>It costs $45k a year to put house someone in prison. Have we calculated the cost of what it would be if, say, casinos led to even 100 more prisoners a year — people who’s slot-fueled addiction caused them to steal or embezzle, or who’s free drinks at the casino led them to drinking and driving, with disastrous results? 45,000x 100 is $4,500,000 — what if it were more, and what if those costs just increased as the years went by, because people who end up in prison often end up stuck there for years — and end up repeat offenders? It could skyrocket to tens of millions in prison or court costs. I’m not saying that’s what that cost would be, but these are the things we have to consider when we get into this sort of business — we have to study these kinds of issues. What are the real costs?
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p>This is why we need a real, full costs and benefits analysis — something we’ve yet to truly do as a state. Independent academics who have studied this issue have said that for every dollar a state gets from slots, there’s $3 in costs. Unlike Clyde Barrow, these people aren’t earning up to tens of thousands of dollars a year from the casino lobby on the side. It’s way past time for Speaker DeLeo and Senator Murray to agree with Governor Patrick and fund a real, comprehensive, nonpartisan study on all the costs and benefits, that isn’t done by someone who’s had connections to the industry in the past. This is a bare-minimum this state needs before there’s a vote on this issue. Shame on ANY state legislator who votes in favor of a slots bill without having first funded this study to completion.
He IS open to allowing sports betting through the Lottery, as is done in other states, but opposes destination casinos.
Ross and Stein have both always opposed casinos
Mihos is a strong supporter of slots at the racetracks.
Is there anything you self-appointed moralists do other than blog endlessly, moralizing incessantly on how you demand others conduct their lives? What is it with this politically-correct wing of my Dem party that has led to this increased moralizing with religious overtones, from that religious crusader in Monson who prays and meditates before every selectpersons’ meeting, to that sad recluse who mean mouths anyone who dares disagree with him on gambling. Your finger-waving pronouncements on public policy disagreements only serve to keep driving progressive but pragmatic Dems and Independents toward snake-oil salesmen like Scott “The Clown” Brown and Charlie “The Big Dig is on time and on budget” Baker.
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p>Keep moving the governor so far left that his base resembles that of Ron Paul on the right — a cadre of politically correct “over my dead body” adherents who make every public policy issue a “single-issue litmus test.”
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p>You have no understanding of how much you have damaged the governor with working-class Democrats. Those same working-class Dems and moderates who should have been with Coakley come hell or high water were susceptible to nuances enunciated by Clown Boy Brown. Now your incessant anti-casino rhetoric has the governor moving toward another study of the issue — when studies upon studies have already been done. All he’s doing is trying to placate a ridiculously naive group of complainers who cannot and will not accept the fact that a majority of Massachusetts residents believe the benefits far outweigh the costs of casinos and racinos — new tax revenues, new jobs, new tourim and small biz growth.
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p>But the nutcake crowd refuses to accept the truth, so they’ll drive the gov further and further toward delay and indecision, which is exactly what Republican operatives in this state want to see happen. Because if the governor cannot point to millions in licensing fees and thousands of construction jobs coming on line by mid-to-late summer, he will not be re-elected. And so you nutcakes will end up with casinos anyways — and a Republican or Independent governor, and several more Republicans in both our House and Senate.
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p>Do us a progressive but pragmatic Dems a favor, please, and just join the Republican Party and do to them what you’re now doing to our state Dem party. Of course, sometimes I think that some of these people — like the Monson Moral Scold, the Recluse, and United To Stop Slots are really Republican operatives. Because no one can be that irrational without a purpose and a scheme.
I just noted your insipid comment regarding costs…
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p>I went on line and checked the regulatory and enforcement costs of several states with casinos and racinos…
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p>New Jersey has 11 casinos — count them, 11! The state’s entire regulatory and law enforcement costs, paid out of casino revenues, is $70 million.
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p>Mississippi, with seven casinos, is $26 million.
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p>Nevada, with the most casinos in one political jurisdiction, costs $22 million.
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p>But Bosley and Sanchez throw around numbers like “$80-$100 million” for three casinos and two racinos in Massachusetts.
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p>That’s why people just don’t trust legislators like Dan Bosley and Jeff Sanchez, because they either lie, or they don’t know what they’re talking about. And, apparently, neither do you.
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p>For instance, the Connecticut Division of Special Revenue, Connecticut’s version of our department of revenue, publishes state lottery figures. Since Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun opened, the CT state lottery has experienced sales increases for 13 of the past 17 years.
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p>Understand?
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p>The state that hosts the two largest casinos in the western hemisphere has, since those casinos opened, experienced sales increases for 13 of the past 17 years.
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p>Not surprisingly, the CT state lottery’s sales’ history is stronger than the Massachusetts State Lottery’s sales history during the past 17 years.
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p>Yet there are Massachusetts state legislators who are so anti-casino that they’re quoted in the media stating unequivocally that the Massachusetts State Lottery will suffer a revenue loss if Massachusetts approves casinos and racinos.
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p>That’s a perfect example of why more and more people do not trust incumbents. Or people like you who refuse to acknowledge reality.