Even though the citizens campaign is struggling financially against the multi-national multi-billion dollar gambling industry we the people who understand the impacts of this predatory industry are pleased to see that the Globe gets it right. In fact, they hit the key realities spot-on. It was and is a flawed law with a special interest and Beacon Hill insider agenda. The economics don’t work – the market is saturated and the “promises” always lead to renegs. Finally, the impacts are too costly both in terms of taxpayer and small business subsidies as well as unfair and warped playing fields but also in terms of human lives.
The role of government is to protect the people. Not to exploit us.
Yes on Question 3: Pull the plug on flawed casino law (http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion)
Photo: Wendy Maeda/Globe staff
THROUGH THE looking glass of Massachusetts politics, yes means no, and casino gambling means sustainable economic development. If voters can disentangle the first contradiction, though, at least they can get rid of the second: Voting yes on ballot Question 3 would mean no casino gambling in Massachusetts, repealing the state’s 2011 casino law. That law, passed in a moment of economic desperation, was a mistake for the Commonwealth. Voters don’t have to believe that gambling is immoral, or that all casinos are inherently evil, to conclude that this law will do more harm than good.
Large casinos come at a sometimes steep cost to communities, and until 2011 those impacts were sufficient to keep Beacon Hill from inviting them into Massachusetts. There are the relatively minor concerns, like noise and traffic, and much more significant ones, like increased gambling addiction, crime, and the impact on local businesses, which sometimes can’t compete on an even playing field with casinos operating under laxer rules. Gambling is also an industry with a rich heritage of corruption; inviting it into Massachusetts always meant accepting that risk. There is, finally, a danger in state government becoming too reliant on gambling revenues. Once the state is counting on successful casinos to pay its bills, the pressure to promote them will rise; its incentive to regulate them will wane.
The Great Recession made those trade-offs appear palatable to enough legislators to overcome the state’s long-standing reluctance. The law passed by the Legislature and signed by Governor Patrick authorized up to three casinos, each in a different part of the state, and one slot parlor. To lawmakers’ credit, the law fully recognized that casinos would cause problems and spelled out extensive requirements to mitigate them, including payments to affected communities. But these provisions weren’t the main selling point; the promise of jobs and more state revenue was. If the casinos meet projections, they’ll generate thousands of construction and casino jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in revenues for the Commonwealth.
The law, though, was flawed in its basic wiring. Four facilities — and possibly a fifth, depending on whether the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe ever builds a tribal casino — are too many for Massachusetts. The Northeast gambling market is already becoming oversaturated, as the recent collapse of the Atlantic City casino market has shown. That increases the likelihood that one or more of the Massachusetts facilities will struggle and eventually come back to Beacon Hill seeking relief from some of the law’s requirements. The law didn’t steer the casinos into isolated locations, like the tribal casinos in Connecticut, where their impact on surrounding communities and businesses would be more limited. Bizarrely, the Legislature also gave up a hefty chunk of the state’s proceeds to subsidize the horse-racing industry; if the state is going to enter partnerships with gambling companies, all proceeds should at least support true public needs.
The evidence of the last three years only seems to confirm most of the fears of critics of the Massachusetts casino law, while exposing some new ones. One of the casinos, planned for Everett, will likely have a dramatic traffic impact on Sullivan Square. Both the casinos approved so far are in struggling cities with a long history of municipal corruption and mismanagement. As expected, casino transactions have also proven to be a kind of flypaper for low-lifes, as the recent indictments of the Everett landowners show. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission, the newly created body that vetted the casino license applicants, has done a decent enough job within the confines of the law. Yet every tough decision seems to have gone the industry’s way, including the dubious one to allow the Suffolk Downs racetrack to continue seeking a license even after East Boston voters rejected a plan there. The industry’s winning streak before the commission isn’t a promising sign for the future of Massachusetts casino regulation.
The wording of the referendum question is frustrating, and widespread confusion over which side is represented by a no vote should cause a review of how ballot questions are presented to the public. Still, once voters work that out, the question becomes pretty clear. Supporters of casinos are correct: They create jobs, and three casino operators approved so far — Penn National in Plainville, Wynn Resorts in Everett, and MGM in Springfield — are among the strongest in the casino industry. But the last three years have shown that critics were right, too. Massachusetts took many risks, in terms of both quality of life and political integrity, to roll out the welcome mat for casinos. The heavy spending of the casino industry this election season is just a taste of what’s to come if casinos become embedded in the Commonwealth’s culture. It’s not worth the trade. Voters should repeal the casino legislation by voting yes on Question 3.
This campaign has come a long way, from a dozen people walking the streets in the cold collecting signatures (being told it will never, ever make it onto the ballot) to the Globe-and-BMG-and-others endorsed path for Massachusetts’ future. I’m really impressed. Onward and upward volunteers, there’s still time left and we can still get that shift!
From an email from Les Bernal of stoppredatorygambling.org:
…that the Globe was in the tank for casinos.
I’ve heard the arguments on both sides. Weighed the pro’s and con’s….and there are both. In the end, I see no reason compelling enough for me to vote to ban casino resorts.
Do some people get addicted to cigarettes, alcohol, prescription drugs, fattening food and gambling? Yes, a small percentage of our population is prone to addictive behaviors that are not good for them. But, should we protect them from themselves by outlawing any sale of tobacco products? banning liquor stores and bars? closing pharmacies and fast food joints? shutting down the state Lottery (that tempts potential addicts in every local convenience store on a daily basis)? I don’t see casino resort/hotel complexes as any more of a temptation. It is estimated that about 2-3% of all casino patrons may become addicted to gambling. That means 97-98% of the patrons go to casinos for entertainment and do so in moderation.
Will the competition from casinos do long term damage to the Lottery sales and diminish local aid? Steve Grossman answered that : he said no it would not and pointed to CT as an example of the Lottery and casino co-existing and generating multi-millions in funds that were shared with cities and town.
As for job creation…what if the casino operators who have been awarded the licenses only deliver HALF the jobs they predict. That would be 3,000 construction jobs and 5,000 permanent jobs to operate the facilities. Just half of predictions would be 8,000 jobs (with benefits)…considering there are about 200,000 unemployed in our state (many of whom have no college degree to market). The jobs argument is still strong to me.
Governor Patrick cleverly constructed this enhanced gaming law so that cities and towns would be protected and would get a specific percentage of the casino generated increased state revenue (I believe it is 20%)…and he also made sure that no state tax dollars were used to lure the gaming operators to the state…the opposite is the case…these companies vying for licenses have had to pay millions to do so. And the state is not contributing any tax dollars to help construct them….the opposite is the case, these casino companies will be using their money to clean up sites that are currently economically non-productive and giving millions in mitigation funds to the communities that voted overwhelmingly to host these casino complexes.
Some clergy are warning that the casinos will bring every evil short of complete destruction. BC’s Father McGowan said in the Globe that the Catholic Church does not consider gambling a sin. Whew! (All that Bingo!) But, he notes that some worry about the effects of gambling on the poor and say it could increase crime, alcoholism, drug addiction, and bankruptcy. Frankly, poor people do not go to casino resorts, they cannot afford to do so. Low-income men and women gamble at their local convenience stores that have been transformed into mini-gaming venues where scratch tickets and Keno are king. I agree that many social ills stem from poverty. But, I think the best antidote for poverty is a steady job that pays a living wage. Casino/hotel resorts do that.
So bottom line is…I am voting NO on Q3…why repeal a law that creates jobs and creates revenue where it’s most needed…not a perfect law, but what’s perfect?
So I am voting for jobs and increased state revenue.
I know he would make a more compelling case than I did. : (