For those of you who are undecided or aren’t sure which candidate they should support. As you know, Dr. Berwick is the only one on the Democratic Ballot for governor who opposes Casinos for Ma.
A CASINO TOWN HALL will be held at Doyle’s Cafe, 3484 Washington St in Jamaica Plain Mon, July 7th at 7pm. If you haven’t heard cogent arguments against Casinos, this is an opportunity to do so. Further it is an opportunity to size up this candidate as a potential governor.
I am sure he will take questions from those who attend. Hope you can make it.
Please share widely!
We have thousands of legal mini-casinos across the Commonwealth in convenience stores, restaurants and retailers…the smallest Richdale’s can squeeze in a booth or two for those who would rather sit when they play KENO. The Lottery generates millions of dollars annually and cities and town s enjoy that extra revenue coming in. Scratch tickets, weekly jackpot games, keno…step right up…the same arguments that anti-casino folks are using to defeat casinos can apply to the Lottery. But, few of those people are calling for the closing of the Lottery. I have no problem with Casinos or the Lottery…no one forces me to go to casinos or play the Lottery…it’s a choice…so I guess I am 100% Pro-Personal Choice and Personal Responsibility.
While no one is thrilled about it, the lottery is very much an established part of our state budget so no candidate is talking about ending it including Don. He does believe that Casinos would pull money away from the lottery as they would be competing for the same dollars. Most important is that Don understands well and speaks about the fact that it is not good public policy to promote something new that we know ahead of time will do harm to individuals, families and communities and the evidence is clear that Casinos will.
There is a compelling moral argument to be made against introducing casinos in MA, but there is an even more compelling fiscal argument.
Economists have long known that there’s casino saturation in the US, especially severe in the Northeast, so why are some Massachusetts politicians so eager to introduce casinos now? The news is so bad, and the returns that other states hoped to reap are diminishing so quickly, that it’s hard to imagine anyone making a cogent argument for a State to get into the casino business now.
Moody’s has just downgraded the outlook for the national gambling industry to negative, but in the Northeast the news is even worse. Delaware’s been his with a preciptious decline in revenues from casinos, impending casino layoffs and now a $10 million dollar casino bailout! Foxwoods is in $2.3 Billion in debt and is counting on a new outlet mall for its salvation. Atlantic City is facing a wave of casino closings and bankruptcies. Gaming revenue in New Jersey has fallen 42 percent since 2007, annual revenues are down by over $2.5 billion and it’s not just the casinos that suffer, but State programs large & small that counted on their tax revenue:
How can some Gubernatorial candidates say (with a straight face) that they’re being “realistic” when they propose that we depend on Casinos for new revenue to fund vital programs in Massachusetts? Looking at the evidence, that’s a ridiculous bet to make.
This is where I keep getting confused. It sounds to me like these casinos are private businesses, but sometimes they are spoken of as if they will be a state owned/operated enterprise like the Lottery. Which is it? If I were to patronize one of these establishments what portion of my dollar goes to the casino, the state, and the occasional winner?
I admit I hit the recommend button accidentally, but you’re raising a fair enough question. It may not be obvious why there’s a difference between the lottery and casino gaming, since people have choices about both and since anecdotal evidence, at least, suggests that the lottery is a regressive revenue source.
But the lottery really isn’t the same. It’s not fueled by technologies carefully designed to keep participants engaged until they’re wiped out. It’s relatively hard to play: you need to stand in line, you’re surrounded by people who want to get to the register, buy other things, talk about other things. You’re not in an environment designed to be immersive and to remove all cues to the passage of time. You’re not playing a machine designed to fool you into thinking that you’re only betting a penny or two. And so on.
The simplest proof of difference, though, is the simple fact that the state is pursuing casino gaming as a way of raising what it hopes will be a great deal of new revenue. If the lottery didn’t have brakes on it that made it a different creature from casino gambling, we’d presumably already be capturing that revenue, and casinos would be redundant. It only makes sense as a strategy for revenue or for an economic boost if you assume that it’s going to result in a massive increase in betting overall. And by the same token, if you don’t believe it will do that, you’re essentially arguing that all it will do is divert money from the lottery — in which case, what’s the point of doing it at all?
In rereading, I see that I could be read as meaning to say that the original comment wasn’t worth uprating, and that I regretted having done it. If so, I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to imply that at all, and I’m sorry if I did.
… you must be very new to BMG:)
Some haven’t and, yes, maybe there are indeed newcomers to the site. Not very welcoming language. I also see a number of questions about Don Berwick’s position. So again if you can make it to JP tonight, go and hear what this candidate has to say. He tends to be quite straight forward, and will make his position clear and why. Reading it in the newspaper is second best. Further compared to the others in the race, he does not dance around the issue. Also the electorate is approaching 50% that would like to repeal this law. Because some idea has a superficial appeal does not mean it is a good fit for this state. Once put in place, we are stuck with it for some time.
… How did it go?
despite the bad thunder storm and tornado warnings. I was told by their video guy that it should be up at Don’s web site within 48 hours.
This candidate is the real deal and you can see from the video that he is not one sided in terms of from what political spectrum he will seek input. If Republicans want a stronger voice in Mass Government, it is ironic that of all the candidates he should have a strong appeal from Republicans and Independents. Since taxes are always on the front burner, Dr. Berwick wants to close loopholes, and tackle health care that makes up 42% of the state budget and who knows how much of local towns and municipalities. Before anyone puts in his time at CMS as a problem, he left the agency 2 years before the implementation of the ACA. He did however go to hospital CEOs asking for 50 regulations that Medicare should remove. He listened and one upped the bargain to 100. This man should be our next governor.
For those of you who want to get a measure of this candidate who expresses himself well on an issue stance no one else in the gubernatorial race takes on, here’s the link. It is an hour long, and worth watching. Don starts speaking at minute 33 to get a shorter version. The prior presenters, one bipartisan, the other a Republican shows the appeal of Don’s approach on specific issues that cross party lines.
Casinos are fine if one has not other options. I can understand why Las Vegas has them – what else does Las Vegas have to offer? I can understand why our oppressed indigenous tribes resort to casinos after they had their land and culture stripped away – what else could they do?
But Massachusetts? Have we nothing more to offer? Have we lost our edge with manufacturing, design, engineering, the arts, education, medicine and so much more?
Come to Massachusetts “We have Casinos”? Is that our new direction?
Let’s not lose sight of the fact that the casino traffic in Las Vegas and Atlantic City is waning. Just last month, another casino in Atlantic City folded. Take a trip to Foxwoods and see the empty rooms.
Don Berwick is claiming the moral, economic, and practical high ground on this one, and it’s one of the many reasons I support his candidacy for governor.