Casino-Free Milford Foxwoods Rebuttal

Earlier this evening, Casino-Free Milford Co-Chairmen John Seaver and Steve Trettel presented a rebuttal document to the Milford Board of Selectmen that evaluates the information presented by Foxwoods executives on June 3^rd  regarding their proposal to build a destination resort casino here in Milford. The rebuttal identifies misleading facts, inconsistencies, and omissions in the Foxwoods casino project presentation, as well as recommendations to the Board regarding how to proceed in conducting the impact studies and negotiating the host community agreement, if the process should reach that point. Click here for the rebuttal document.

We continue to believe that a destination resort casino does not belong in our residential, suburban community. The Foxwoods’ presentation only served to reinforce that belief.

We need your help! Please share your concerns with our Selectmen. We also encourage you to write a letter to the editor of our local newspapers, talk to your friends and neighbors, and stay informed.

Casino-Free Milford is a friendly group of people passionate about our community. Please make plans to join us at our next meeting on Wednesday, July 10^th at 7:00 PM at St. Mary’s Parish Hall.

 Working together we can keep Milford Casino Free!
 

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Poll: Christie made bad bet in AC

Jun. 17, 2013 5:08 AM

Written by

Jean Mikle

Gannett New Jersey

Most Garden State residents think casino gambling in Atlantic City has been good for New Jersey, but a majority also believe Gov. Chris Christie has made a bad bet by increasing the state’s involvement in efforts to revitalize the resort’s economy.

Sixty-four percent of New Jerseyans said gambling has been good for the Garden State, while only 25 percent said its had a negative impact, according to a Monmouth University/Asbury Park Press poll released Monday.

Just under half (46 percent) of those polled believe Atlantic City is better off now than it would have been if casino gambling had not been introduced in 1978, compared to 18 percent who said the resort city is worse off today.

But 52 percent of residents do not agree with the state government’s increasingly active role in attempts to improve Atlantic City’s economy, while 42 percent approve.

“I think the governor is a little ignorant in this area,” Barnegat resident William Coleman said. “He’s trying to preserve Atlantic City as it was, rather than as it is today.”

Coleman, 75, said he has reduced his trips to the seaside resort in part because so many casinos have eliminated their simulcasting of horse races, which he likes to bet on. Only five of the 12 Atlantic City casinos still offer simulcasting areas.

Coleman said he can bet the races online, at Monmouth Park, or at off-track wagering locations. “I think the environment down there is getting a bit shoddy,” Coleman said. “You can’t go anywhere other than the boardwalk, even in the daytime, and feel safe.”

The poll found Atlantic City is viewed by New Jersey residents as a good — not great — destination for a visit or vacation.

Forty-two percent of residents said there isn’t enough to do in Atlantic City besides gambling. Like Coleman, 40 percent of those polled said they don’t visit the city more often because the boardwalk and non-casino areas appear run down. Thirty-three percent avoid the city because they fear becoming a crime victim.

“The poll results suggest that many New Jersey gamblers do not see Atlantic City as an exceptional destination compared to casinos elsewhere,” said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute. “And without this star quality, it becomes even harder to attract out-of-state gamblers since they can find similar options closer to home.”

Only about one-third of those polled said they had visited an Atlantic City casino in the past year, down from a high of 47 percent in 1986. Nearly 40 percent said they visit the city less often than they did a few years ago.

Neighboring states like Pennsylvania have siphoned off a big chunk of Atlantic City’s business.

Eighteen percent of New Jerseyans said they have visited a gambling destination in a nearby state during the past year, while 11 percent have gambled in both Atlantic City and a nearby state in the past year.

http://www.thedailyjournal.com/article/20130617/NEWS01/306170013

Ohio: Promises, Promises

GAMBLING

GAMBLING: Casino not quite equaling the hype

But Horseshoe's proponents say city and region have benefited greatly

 

By JAY MILLER
4:30 am, June 16, 2013

 

It costs more to park, and it's harder to find a vacant on-street parking space in the blocks around Public Square. So yes, the Horseshoe Casino Cleveland is having an impact on downtown Cleveland.

But is the casino living up to the hype that supporters blitzed the airwaves with in 2009 when they convinced Ohio voters to approve casino gambling? Probably not yet, and maybe it never will. In part, ...

In part, that's because nothing could live up to the marketing hard-sell that pummeled voters back then, when estimates of the annual gambling take from a Cleveland casino were as high as $600 million annually — one-third of which would come back as ...

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20130616/SUB1/306179994/0/FRONTPAGE

PLAINVILLE: MONDAY June 17th Slot Barn HEARING

 

 

REMINDER REMINDER REMINDER REMINDER REMINDER

 This is your BEST chance to be heard about issues regarding a slots casino in Plainville. PLEASE ATTEND.

PUBLIC HEARING
Plainville Planning Board hearing on slots at Plainridge
MONDAY, JUNE 17th at 7:00p.m.
Plainville Senior Center
9 School Street, Plainville, MA.

All matters pertaining to the applicant's amendment to the Special Permit and... Change of Use will be covered at that hearing, including traffic, impact on abutters, general welfare of the public, amusements license, water use, sewer capacity, etc.

At that time, the public is welcome to bring up any questions or concerns regarding what "the Planning Board shall consider," included in §500-41 of the Plainville By-Laws:

§500-41
(2) Review criteria. In making a decision on an application for a special permit in the CI District, the Planning Board shall consider the following:
(a) The purpose of the Commercial Interchange District.
(b) Health, safety and general welfare of the public.
(c) Conservation and preservation of the natural environment.
(d) Impacts on abutting properties and neighborhoods.
(e) Proper drainage of the site.
(f) Safe access to and from the development.
(g) Capacity of the existing traffic network to accommodate projected increases.
(h) Adequacy of proposed water, sewer, fire protection and public safety provisions.
(i) Impacts on water resources, including wetlands, streams, water bodies, groundwater and floodplains.
(j) Visual and aesthetic quality.
(k) Impacts on municipal services and fiscal capacity.

Citizens Against Casino Gaming asks for Ethics Investigation

Citizens Against Casino Gaming asks Massachusetts Gaming Commission to investigate potential conflict of interest involving Palmer Water Commission chairman

By Lori Stabile, The Republican The Republican
on June 13, 2013

Charles Callahan III

SPRINGFIELD - Citizens Against Casino Gaming is requesting that the Massachusetts Gaming Commission investigate a potential conflict of interest involving Palmer Water District No. 1's chairman of the water commissioners, Charles M. Callahan III, due to his family's involvement with the proposed MGM casino project downtown.

Because Callahan chairs a board that ultimately will vote on a water use agreement for a competing casino project, Mohegan Sun's proposed resort casino off Thorndike Street (Route 32), the anti-casino group wrote a letter dated June 12 asking the Gaming Commission to investigate. The State Ethics Commission was copied on the letter.

Hard Rock International in West Springfield also is vying for the lone Western Massachusetts casino license.

"It's a potential conflict and it should be fleshed out," Michael T. Kogut, a lawyer and chairman of the anti-casino group, said on Thursday.

Callahan is listed, along with his sister and brother, as having an interest in Blue Tarp reDevelopment LLC, the entity that has applied for the license to develop the MGM Resorts International casino in downtown Springfield.

Michael Kogut 

The Callahans are listed as "qualifiers" with Blue Tarp reDevelopment, according to the Gaming Commission. A qualifier could an officer, board member or key investor with a company, according to the commission, and they are subject to background checks.

A prepared statement from the anti-casino group states that Rolling Hills Estates Realty Trust, controlled by Callahan's brother David, "stands to reap 'enormous financial gains' if the MGM project is granted by the commission."

The letter states: “Should the Palmer Water District oppose the Palmer project, a reasonable person knowing the relevant facts would likely conclude that the decision was driven by Callahan’s interest in seeing the MGM project succeed at the expense of the Palmer project, during his tenure there.”

In the statement, the anti-casino group said “any claim that such a conflict was settled with Callahan’s decision to abstain from voting on certain matters before the Water District is disingenuous, at best.”

Elaine Driscoll, Gaming Commission spokeswoman, said the letter from Kogut's group has been passed along to the commission's investigation and enforcement division.

Callahan, reached on Thursday, declined comment.

Back in January, Callahan sent a letter to his fellow board members saying he would recuse himself from any votes involving casino gaming due to personal reasons.

Fellow Water Commissioner Joseph Mastalerz said Callahan has never spoken out against the Palmer casino project, and does not participate in any casino discussions.

Mastalerz said it would be impossible for Callahan to derail any Palmer casino project, as he will not have a vote. Mastalerz said that Palmer Water Superintendent James M. Ammann is the one who is in negotiations with Mohegan regarding water needs at the proposed casino site, and is bound by a confidentiality agreement.

Mastalerz said they are expecting to be briefed in a few weeks about everything that has been agreed upon. A host community agreement between the town and Mohegan may be ready next month.

http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2013/06/citizens_against_casino_gaming_3.html

Mother jailed for leaving kids in car at casino

Bill Kearney

Massachusetts ‘Gaming’ Future

The Morning Call - June 15, 2013 - Mother jailed for leaving kids in car at casino

Her mother and her partner called her a good and caring mom who made a mistake.
... Her defense lawyer asked that Yulissa Troncoso be given probation, saying she had never been in trouble before. The prosecutor took no position on whether the Allentown woman deserved to go to jail.

But for leaving her five children alone in the car while she gambled at the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem, Troncoso was escorted in handcuffs Friday from a Northampton County courtroom. She'll serve two months to two years in county prison, a sentence that Judge Michael Koury Jr. decided she deserved for neglecting her children, "the ultimate betrayal," he said.

Read more: http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20130615%2FNEWS90%2F130619829&cid=sitesearchSee More

The Staggering Costs of Predatory Gambling

Letter: Casinos do harm to economies

Published: Sunday, June 16, 2013

 

The first step in assisting local economies is, don’t make them worse. Yet Gov. Cuomo’s casino gambling expansion plan will do just that because it doesn’t address the enormous cost of gambling disorders. These costs far exceed benefits and require more than lip service.

New York’s gambling problem, already estimated at $3.7 billion annually, exceeds the combined revenue from all Atlantic City, N.J., casinos for 2012. The 381,000 problem and 272,500 pathological gamblers in New York already present a financial burden for all state taxpayers. So investing in gambling addiction recovery and prevention, not more casinos, isn’t just the right thing to do; it’s sound fiscal policy.

To accomplish this, Albany lawmakers must first stop denying the severity of the problem. And all future tribal casino payments (from more than $600 million in escrow and a recent revenue sharing agreement) should be dedicated to address gambling addiction recovery and prevention; unlike state Lottery dollars, this money isn’t restricted to fund education and thus far hasn’t been available as a state budget revenue stream.

It’s time for New York to assume its responsibility. Gov. Cuomo’s proposal — to allocate $500 per gambling machine or table game — doesn’t even come close.

Dave Colavito

Rock Hill Coalition Against Gambling in New York State

 

http://saratogian.com/articles/2013/06/16/opinion/doc51bd1b122f952983987646.txt

 

 

No Slots in Worcester

"Something unfortunate had happened in the neighborhood, and now there seemed to be no turning back, people said: the opening nearly two years ago of Resorts World Casino on Rockaway Boulevard, adjacent to the Aqueduct Racetrack."

http://nyti.ms/10jQ2g7

 

Big City

In Queens, a Casino Bet Gone Bad

Robert Stolarik for The New York Times

Pawnshops dot Rockaway Boulevard in South Ozone Park, Queens, now that a casino has been built in the area.

By GINIA BELLAFANTE

Published: June 15, 2013

 

On a recent Saturday afternoon I set out to explore South Ozone Park in Queens, in particular a stretch whose racial composition — according to recent census data, about a quarter white, a quarter Asian, 10 percent black and 11 percent biracial, with 30 percent of residents belonging to the statistical category of “other” — makes it one of the three most diverse patches of the city.

 

Ethnically, too, it contains multitudes: Dominicans and Puerto Ricans live alongside Ecuadoreans, Indians, Pakistanis, Chinese and people who look as though they might be cast in the production of anything succumbing to Italian-American caricature.

What had prompted my visit was, in a sense, a tourist’s curiosity about how integration of this kind might actually be lived and how, in the midst of a mayoral race, political conceptions in such a place might be evolving.

There were instances of inspiration to be found, encounters with a New York of one’s gorgeous mosaic fantasies. A barbershop called E Place, owned by an Uzbek immigrant named Eric Dzhuray, caters to Trinidadians and Guyanese — who make up a considerable share of the community in South Ozone Park — and at least one young white suburbanite who had grown so devoted to the shop when he lived in neighboring Howard Beach that he continued his patronage even though he had married and moved to Long Island.

      

The fact that a catering hall called La Bella Vita, owned by a man named Tony Modica and steeped in Pompeii aesthetics, was full of black patrons on the day I wandered in suggested that a certain kind of social progress had been made since the divisive days of Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing,” two decades ago.

      

Both the barbershop and catering hall were to be found on Rockaway Boulevard, the primary commercial thoroughfare in South Ozone Park. Though it seemed as if it should be a busy place, full of pedestrian traffic and businesses servicing varied cultural interests, it has the bloodless feel of a Sun Belt village lost to misbegotten visions. The area itself is not poor; in the particular census tract I was visiting, median family income stands at $63,000 a year, above the figure for the city on the whole. But whatever vitality the demographics might suggest is so obviously lacking that one longtime resident mentioned that he hoped simply for a McDonald’s to energize the slackened mood.

How could this have happened? When the subject of politics came up, it elicited little interest (except from a man named Danny Napoli, who wore dark glasses and a flag bandanna around his head and said that he was supporting Christine Quinn, offering that it didn’t matter to him that she was gay). Few others seemed to have much sense of who was running for mayor at all or much faith that government could effect significant change — or at least significant good — locally.

      

Something unfortunate had happened in the neighborhood, and now there seemed to be no turning back, people said: the opening nearly two years ago of Resorts World Casino on Rockaway Boulevard, adjacent to the Aqueduct Racetrack. As Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo pushes for the authorization of three Las Vegas-style casinos in upstate New York, and as the possibility of additional casinos in the city looms in the years ahead, there are certainly lessons to be absorbed from what Resorts World has wrought.

      

As Alberto Livecchi, a longtime resident of South Ozone Park and the owner of a store selling musical equipment, explained, the construction of the casino — a racino, in gambling parlance — came with promises that have not materialized. Having been sold as a boon to local commerce, it has instead affected businesses negatively, Mr. Livecchi argued. “People are just funneled into the casino and don’t leave,” he remarked. Whatever street life there was has been destroyed, residents said; pawnshops are ubiquitous. “Casinos are only interested in enriching themselves,” Mr. Modica said.

Ample data on how gambling affects local businesses suggests that these men are not hallucinating. In the 1990s, researchers at Iowa State University examined the consequences of riverboat gambling for business owners in Clinton, Iowa, and found that while 12 percent reported an increase in business, 29 percent reported a decrease, and 60 percent reported no change at all. And racetrack casinos, as Clyde Barrow, a political economist who studies gambling, explained, draw most customers not from the far and wide but from a 30-minute radius. Rather than drawing new money to the area, it seems, they divert local dollars to gambling.

      

What we hardly need research to tell us is that the world that emerges around casinos is often an intensely depressing place. Across the street from Resorts World is Sell and Pawn Inc., which takes gold, silver, jewelry, electronics and so on from those compelled to find their way to their next slot machine dollar. The shop’s owner, a Russian immigrant, opened up a year after the casino did, having worked in construction and seeing that work dry up after the financial crisis. A friend urged him to open a pawnshop because it was lucrative, but he was not, it seemed, prepared for the psychological toll this new occupation would take, for the fact that moral bankruptcy was now a job requirement.

      

“You have to take advantage of desperate people,” he told me, looking fairly miserable. “I don’t like this business at all.”

E-mail: bigcity@nytimes.com

A version of this article appeared in print on June 16, 2013, on page MB1 of the New York edition with the headline: In Queens, a Bet Gone Bad.

 

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/16/nyregion/in-queens-a-casino-bet-gone-bad.html?_r=0

 

 

Foxwoods Massachusetts Casino

• Business

Signs For and Against Casino Spread across Milford

On some streets, signs posted by next-door neighbors show they have different opinions about the proposed Foxwoods Massachusetts casino.

• ByMary MacDonald
• Email the author
• June 14, 2013

Back in March, Joe Cosentino was the first in his neighborhood to put a "CasiNo" sign in his front yard, facing busy West Fountain Street.

Within weeks, six of his immediate neighbors had followed suit. Stuck in traffic, waiting to turn on to Purchase Street? You are looking at their signs, and getting a message that on this street, the casino has few friends.

How widespread is that feeling? Now that the pro-casino signs have arrived at the Foxwoods Massachusetts office on Main Street, people who support the development are starting to put their opinions in public places too.

The little signs are conversation-starters on many blocks, opening the door for people to sway opinion. And when grouped into masses, they send a political message.

Foxwoods started distributing its signs, at no charge, on request to people last week. So far, about 80 have been distributed in Milford, and to some extent in surrounding towns, said Allan Kronberg, who will be the general manager of the proposed $1billion casino if it secures a license from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.

The pro-casino effort has four types of signs, emphasizing selling-points of the casino: more jobs, more revenues, a simple 'Yes' message, and Kronberg's suggestion: 'For a Better Future.'

The signs are an important part of the casino marketing effort. "People want to see how much support you have," Kronberg said. "If they see 10 signs on one block," that gives them a sense that the casino has support. "It helps you get your message out."

The anti-casino signs are distributed by Casino Free Milford, a community group fighting the Milford casino proposal. The group asks for a $6 fee per sign, which covers the production costs. Since early April, 400 have been distributed, said Amie Sanborn of Milford, who oversees the sign effort.

The signs are in every neighborhood, she said. "I have been all over Milford," she said, including areas she never knew were developed. "My GPS is getting a lot of work."

The signs, for her, are intended to send a message to the town's leaders that many people do not want the casino here. "We're trying to get the message out that we don't want this."

The competing messages are starting to appear on individual blocks.

On West Fountain Street, right next to Cosentino, a property owner has planted two pro-casino signs. The same competition is happening on Water Street, and on Main Street, where businesses are starting to reveal their leanings. Even near the proposed site, off Route 16 heading into Holliston, two homes have pro-casino signs.
/
One of those pro-casino signs will soon be outside the apartment of Justin Coburn, 27, a Milford restaurant employee. Coburn stopped into the Foxwoods Massachusetts offices last week, to pick up a few signs. He planned to put some in front of his apartment, and also give a few to his father, who works in construction and lives in Upton.

"I want the casino," Coburn said. "I want to work at the casino." A lot of people in town are worried about it, that "it will bring in the riff-raff," he said. But Coburn said he thinks long-term, it will improve the town by adding jobs.

In his circle of friends, he said, "we all want it. I want it for the jobs."

[Wait until they figure out they're LOW WAGE JOBS! Never let the FACTS intrude on a BAD decision.]

Foxwoods employment by sector
The data provided to us by casino management showed average
annual salaries for the following employee sectors at Foxwoods:

14 senior management, $262,893
66 directors, $114,327
247 managers $70,391
1,510 supervisors, $45,966

3,207 dealers and floor persons, $20,536
946 games support, $26,185
830 non-games floor support, $19,816
4,198 non-gambling support, $28,930
283 general support, $36,464

(note: this totals 11,301 jobs; 9181 (81%) of which pay at or below $28,930; 4037 (36%) of which pay at or below $20,536)

– page 124
Spectrum Gaming Group (SGG) “Gambling in Connecticut” 2009

Over on West Fountain Street, Cosentino said the casino will change the entire town, for the worse.

At 83, he said he can't recall another development this substantial for his hometown. "This, to me, changes the whole environment of the town. If I thought this was good for Milford, I'd be the first to say so."

About this column: These stories will relate to the Foxwoods Massachusetts casino application for Milford.

http://holliston-hopkinton.patch.com/articles/signs-for-and-against-casino-spread-across-milford

Springfield: Join Citizens Against Casino Gambling

Citizens Against Casino Gaming 06/14/2013

Dear Fellow Citizen: We will be dropping literature in neighborhoods in the city this Saturday, June 15. We are gathering at Gasoline Alley, 250 Albany Street, Springfield. WE NEED YOUR HELP! Please join us for this important work and spread the word. Reminder: There's a big event scheduled for June 26 at 7 PM at Christ Church Cathedral, 37 Chestnut Street. Please save the date. http://citizensagainstcasinogaming.com/event_june26.html Gratefully, Citizens Against Casino Gaming Save our City Vote No Casino for the Future of Springfield Citizens Against Casino Gaming

Springfield: Citizens Against Casino Gaming Announcement

Citizens Against Casino Gaming Announcement June 6, 2013

Dear Citizens Against Casino Gaming Supporters, Yard signs and bumper stickers are now available! Please email us with your name, address, and what sort of items you would like (bumper sticker or sign and number of each item). Bumper stickers will be mailed to you via the Postal Service. Signs will be delivered to your address. Getting bumper stickers and signs out into the city helps raise awareness that there are many of us who 1) don't trust the promises MGM is making 2) believe a casino in the city will bring economic problems to many local businesses, and 3) believe that a casino will destroy lives through the many social ills that will come in its wake. Thank you for your support! Be sure to tell your friends about our website www.citizensagainstcasinogaming.com as well as our very strong Facebook presence at www.facebook.com/citizensagainstcasinogaming In the days to come we will be announcing a number of ways to help spread the message via a door to door campaign, a June 26th rally at 35 Chestnut St. at 7:00 pm and other volunteer opportunities. Thanks again! Citizens Against Casino Gaming citizensagainstcasinogaming@gmail.com 413-285-2090     Citizens Against Casino Gaming | 39 Oakland Street | Springfield | MA | 01108

Parson: Milford should call off casino talks

Parson: Milford should call off casino talks

The MetroWest Daily News

Posted Jun 11, 2013

MILFORD —

After listening to Foxwoods’ presentations regarding a casino in Milford, I believe the following issues have not been adequately addressed:

- Impact on resources. We are facing an 80 percent increase in our water rates and are currently in a Level 3 Water Ban. Given recent difficulties with the Milford Water Company, I question its ability to accurately assess the impact of a casino on our water supply. I am offended that Foxwoods’ only mention of Milford’s schools during the June 3 meeting was to propose low-flow fixtures in the schools. Even if this were to happen, our children would go home to brown lawns while the casino grounds would surely remain green.

- Impact on schools. Our superintendent and School Committee have expressed concerns with an increase in student enrollment. Every extra child in a classroom represents additional concerns, additional individualized planning, and extra bodies in already crowded classrooms. With the volume of potential students in and out of our schools, this will negatively impact the quality of the Milford Public Schools.

- Impact on traffic. The “minor” traffic increases that Foxwoods cited on June 3 were met with disbelief by many audience members. Traffic on routes 495 and 16 is already heavy. Adding lanes into our highway medians will further complicate and bottleneck our roadways.

- Impact on Safety. Foxwoods representatives have not addressed the topic of guests who will surely drive under the influence of alcohol and while exhausted. No mitigation money can repair an injury caused by an intoxicated driver, nor can it restore the loss of life. Ever.

Milford is a family-oriented community with amazing hospitals, terrific schools, great health and safety personnel, and an impeccable financial standing. We don’t need a casino to “make us better.” If we enter into an agreement with Foxwoods, there will be no turning back.

Scott Butera said that Foxwoods, MA would be “unique and revolutionary,” yet I don’t see it. Perhaps a casino without a liquor license, or a casino that had to close when other Milford entertainment venues close for the night would be unique and revolutionary. Would Foxwoods still want to locate in Milford?

It is with great concern for the future of Milford that I urge our selectmen to end to any further discussions regarding the location of a casino in our town.

JENNIFER PARSON
Milford

Read more: http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/opinions/letters_to_the_editor/x1391864845/Parson-Milford-should-call-off-casino-talks#ixzz2W6U5dlR2
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KoolAid Consumption in Raynham

Officials: Raynham covered by host community agreement

By Marc Larocque

Taunton Gazette Staff Reporter

Posted Jun 12, 2013

Raynham Board of Selectmen, from left, JosephPacheco, RichardSchiavo and MarieSmith

RAYNHAM —

Elected leaders in Raynham said that the host community agreement they reached on a proposed 1,250 slot machine gaming facility will mitigate all impacts on the town related to the development project.

The town’s consultant for the project has determined that major infrastructure improvements to the town’s water and sewer system are not required for the first two phases of development planned for the Raynham Park slot project.

But if and when further phases of development come to be, including plans for a hotel along with retail stores and restaurants at the 125-acre site on Broadway, the host community agreement covers it, said Raynham Board of Selectmen Chairman Joseph Pacheco.

“They recognized impacts that are going to be put on this community as a result of this,” Pacheco said on Wednesday. “At the end of the day, we came away with an agreement that is good for Raynham and operating a business as well. There is a whole separate section in the agreement about infrastructure improvements. Those costs will be exclusively bore by Raynham Park.”

On Tuesday night, the three-member Raynham Board of Selectmen approved a host community agreement that would provide the town $1.1 million annually, in addition to property taxes, permitting costs and other fees that the developers must pay the town on the proposed 175,000-square-foot gaming facility they plan to construct. Raynham Park, which was a dog track for nearly 70 years and has been holding simulcast racing since greyhound racing was banned in 2008, must invest at least $125 million according to the Massachusetts gaming legislation.

“The negotiation obviously had its challenges,” Pacheco said. “Their top priority is operating a business, obviously. I do have to give them credit. They recognized impacts that are going to be put on this community as a result of that. At the end of the day, we came away with an agreement that good for Raynham and operating a business as well.”

The community host agreement has not yet been released to the public, but the Selectmen said on Tuesday night that they would be releasing the 13-page document within seven days. A town-wide referendum vote is expected to take place in mid-August, but should be announced in the following days, Pacheco said.

When it comes to covering a potential influx of police or ambulance calls, Pacheco said that Raynham Park would not be the only business generating calls for service in the area.

Also, the issue is complicated by the fact that a plan to police the slot casino, which may involve the State Police, has not yet been formed at this point, according to a consultant hired by the town.
“We’re getting over a million dollars a year to handle impacts and so forth,” Pacheco said. “The board, at our discretion, is going to make decisions if there is an appropriate need for (police and fire) staffing. … There will be some increase in calls for service. But nobody should just make the presumption the calls will just be for Raynham Park. We have other businesses in the town of Raynham.”

Conor Yunits, a spokesperson for Raynham Park and its owner George Carney, said that the developers are in the process of finalizing all the renderings of redevelopment at the Route 138 site, located just off of Interstate 495 and not far from Route 24. Yunits said that Raynham Park, along with its partner Greenwood Racing/Parx, of Pennsylvania, has a tentative plan to release the renderings, and more economic information surrounding the proposed slot casino project, next month.

“We’re in the process of finalizing all the renderings,” Yunits said. “Also there is all the economic data, the jobs numbers and everything else. We expect to have it all completed in the next two weeks.”

Yunits said that following the tentative announcement set for July, Raynham Park plans to follow it up with a series of community meetings at Raynham Park “so people can come ask questions and learn more” prior to the town wide referendum.

Yunits said a website, dedicated to information about the project, is set to launch by the end of June.

“We are trying to get it done as soon as possible,” he said. “We want to make as much info available to the public as soon as possible.”

What is known right now about the economic impact of the project is that B&S Consulting, which was hired by the town to analyze the proposed slot casino, has said the Raynham Park slot parlor would generation between 411 and 500 new jobs. The firm’s figure is lower than the initial estimate of 600 put forth by the developers. [Experience elsewhere indicates the ratio is 3-4 SLOT MACHINES per Employee, not specifying shifts, part-time workers. These are LOW WAGE JOBS.]


Raynham Park and town officials said that after three years, the annual $1.1 million payment to the town will increase by 2.5 percent for each following year. Out of the $1.1 million, $100,000 of that will go toward capital costs for the town, which would pay for things like police cars and dump trucks, even after three years as the formula for host community compensation changes.

Another detail of the agreement is that that the 2.5 percent yearly increases to the $1.1 million payment would be subject to a “1 percent gross gaming revenue cap” after 20 years of operations.

In addition to the $1.1 million, during the second year and beyond, the agreement calls for $15,000 to be contributed by Raynham Park each year to a fund that will provide payments to local businesses that apply for façade improvements on the Route 138 corridor. The Raynham Park developers also agreed to conduct a traffic impact study at the junction of Old North Main and Elm streets, along with perfuming additional traffic, water and sewer studies as recommended by the town’s planning consultant for the project.

State Rep. Angelo D’Emilia, R-Bridgewater, said he believes the agreement is good for Raynham.
“I think the Carney family has proven in the past they can run that kind of establishment and if the community agrees moving forward, it’d be a great thing getting jobs back to Raynham,” D’Emilia said.

State Sen. Marc Pacheco, D-Taunton, said the agreement sounds good, but the issue is for Raynham to decide.

“From a state perspective, we’re certainly interested in these licenses,” said Pacheco, noting that the gaming legislation calls for a 40 percent tax on the holder of the slot license, which will be awarded later this year or early 2014.

Joseph Pacheco said he believes that public opinion in Raynham is positive about the proposed gaming facility, partly because of Raynham Park’s history in Raynham and how it has employed many residents over the years.

“There has always been deep support in Raynham for Raynham Park,” Pacheco said.
[Not from the Raynham residents I've spoken to!]


http://www.tauntongazette.com/newsnow/x1484773708/Officials-Raynham-covered-by-host-community-agreement?zc_p=0#axzz2W6PigrLu



Norton officials wary of gambling impact

124 MILES OF CASINO TRAFFIC

Stop Graton Casino

124 MILES OF CASINO TRAFFIC: According to traffic engineers, each slot machine in a casino generates 13.6 car trips per day. The Graton casino has been given 3,000 slots. That's 40,800 additional car trips per day - the equivalent of 124 miles of cars and buses if placed end to end.

 

 

Springfield Li Drop June 15

Please join and SHARE!

Citizens Against Casino Gaming shared an event.

We need you to get the message out...Come and help spread the word for a better and stronger Springfield...MGM brings empty promises, a weaker local economy and destroys lives. Save our City. Vote NO!

 

 

Literature Drop/Door to Door Canvass

June 15 at 8:30am

Gasoline Alley, 250 Albany St. Springfield, MA

 

 

Seeing Enemies Across the Poker Table

Seeing Enemies Across the Poker Table

By Gautham Nagesh

Roll Call Staff

June 12, 2013, 3:18 p.m.

Related Links

• Online Poker Players Short of Winning Hand on Hill

Opponents of legalizing online poker have cited a number of reasons for their resistance, including a moral objection to gambling and the dangers of giving addicts a constant, easily accessible alternative to brick-and-mortar casinos, where other safeguards could be in place.

But one Florida man has spent the past eight years on a personal mission to expose what he views as the greatest danger of online poker websites: the potential for money laundering by criminals and terrorists.

Software engineer Jim Thackston’s crusade began in November 2004, when he noticed his nephew playing online poker against someone from London.

“The first thought in my head was, what an interesting way to move money,” Thackston recalled.
Thackston began researching ways in which criminals and money launderers could use the sites to move money across international borders without being detected. He soon found that neither the government nor the online poker industry were focused on what he considered the serious threat of defined winners and losers prearranging to play at the same Internet table.

“The problem with their anti-collusion techniques is that they’re geared toward finding cheaters rather than money launderers,” Thackston said.

He even set up a website providing instructions on how to defeat online poker’s built-in protections and launder money without detection. His work eventually got him the notice of the House Financial Services Committee, whose chairman at the time, Spencer Bachus, R-Ala., was a staunch opponent of online gambling. It also drew notice from the Tampa field office of the FBI, which asked him to take down what were essentially step-by-step instructions for Internet money laundering.

Thackston has since been in contact with gaming authorities in New Jersey and other places, and his concerns have been recognized as legitimate by the FBI’s Cyber Division, which acknowledged in a 2009 letter to Bachus that online poker sites could indeed be used by criminals to transfer ill-gotten gains.

Thackston’s concerns were also among the justifications used by law enforcement authorities following the subsequent shutdown of the online poker industry in 2011. The government went so far as to label one major poker site a Ponzi scheme that transferred money from players to the site’s founders.

While online poker is now only legal in Nevada, Thackston said his concerns will re-appear with more states set to follow. He said Nevada’s population is likely too small to attract significant money laundering, but he warned that New Jersey’s offering may do so when it goes live later this year.

“There’s a fairly decent pool of liquidity in New Jersey. From math I’ve done, New Jersey could be the first [state poker website] where you could get actual money laundering,” Thackston said.

http://www.rollcall.com/news/seeing_enemies_across_the_poker_table-225561-1.html?pos=adps

Diary of a Compulsive Gambler

By James Petherick:

http://www.youtube.com/user/JamesPetherick

Shortchanging Raynham

Raynham promised a jackpot

Slots deal would pay town $1M annually

Wednesday, June 12, 2013
By: Dave Wedge

Raynham Park became the first slots developer to strike a local deal as the former greyhound racetrack won approval last night from selectmen for a pact that could pay the southeastern Massachusetts town $1 million a year in gaming cash.

Townspeople and the state gaming board must still vote on the plan before any deal is done.

“The town of Raynham will be well-served by this agreement,” said Joe Pacheco, chairman of the Board of Selectmen. “We look forward to a robust discussion about this proposal, and hope for a favorable vote later this summer.”
 

Under the deal, the slots palace would pay the town $1 million a year in its first three years, a fee that will increase by 2.5 percent each subsequent year.

The town’s haul would be capped at 
1 percent of all gross gaming revenue after 20 years.
Raynham Park, which has partnered with Pennsylvania casino company Greenwood Racing/Parx, will also pay the town $100,000 a year for capital improvements and $15,000 a year to improve Route 138. The agreement also includes preferential hiring for Raynham residents, as well as requirements to use local vendors.

“We are very excited,” said Greenwood Racing CEO Tony Ricci. “Raynham Park ... will be a beautiful addition to the social landscape of the town and will provide a significant boost to the local economy.”

Raynham Park owner George Carney added: “Our location ... offers the highest revenue potential to the commonwealth of Massachusetts for the slot casino license. Our outstanding management team will ensure that we deliver the full promise of this opportunity.”

The pact marks the first “host community agreement” approval for any of the four developers competing for the state’s sole slots license. The state gambling law requires a local deal to be in place before a license is issued.

Plainridge Racecourse, which is seeking a slots license, is in talks with the town of Plainville, while Worcester recently rejected a proposal by Chicago’s Rush Street Gaming. Cordish Co. of Maryland is also reportedly seeking a slots license, but has yet to identify a location.

The state gaming board is expected to award the slots license this fall.

For resort casinos, Springfield has struck a pact with MGM Resorts International while Everett officials have a deal with Wynn Resorts. Both deals need voter approval.

- See more at: http://bostonherald.com/business/business_markets/2013/06/raynham_promised_a_jackpot#sthash.Ke307YEV.dpuf

Raynham Park strikes deal with town on slot machine parlor

By Mark Arsenault

| Globe Staff June 11, 2013
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/06/11/raynham-park-strikes-deal-with-town-over-slot-machine-parlor/1QLjMn7wbBFwoq505pvoeL/story.html

Host community agreement for slot parlor in Raynham approved
Taunton Daily Gazette
The three-member board unanimously approved a draft of the host community agreement that was forged with Raynham Park, the former dog track which has ...
 


 

Suitable Slot Barn Applicants to be Announced June 27

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Gaming chairman says license phase nearing next stage

By Susan Spencer, TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

WESTBORO - The first phase of casino licensing in Massachusetts is nearing its end, state Gaming Commission Chairman Stephen Crosby told members of the 495/MetroWest Partnership, meeting at the Doubletree Hotel this morning.

On June 27 the commission will announce suitable qualifiers who passed all the background investigations for the state's single slot parlor license.



Suitable qualifiers for the resort casino licenses in Western and Eastern Massachusetts will be announced later.

Background checks have been done on some 300 individuals associated with 11 casino bidders, Mr. Crosby said. Investigators pored through 29,000 pages of paperwork on applicants.

A proposal for a 660,000-square-foot resort casino in Milford by Foxwoods Massachusetts is one of three applications undergoing phase 1 investigation in Eastern Massachusetts.

Phase 2 applications, with site-specific details about finances, mitigation, building and design, economic development impact and what Mr. Crosby referred to as the "wow" overview, addressing how a proposed casino would enhance the community, are due in October for slots applicants and in December for resort casinos.

Monday night the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission and the Metropolitan Area Planning Council met in Milford with representatives from Foxwoods, Milford and at least seven surrounding communities to identify issues for mitigation outside the host community.

Mr. Crosby said that developers would be required to sign agreements with surrounding communities as well as host communities. If an agreement couldn't be reached independently, the Gaming Commission would send the towns and developers to binding arbitration.

Mr. Crosby said that the highest priorities for the commission, which has been meeting over the past 13 or 14 months, included having a participatory, fair and transparent licensing process and encouraging robust competition among applicants in every region.

Noting the history of controversy sometimes associated with the gaming industry, he said, "If there is even a whiff, or unfortunately even the appearance of a whiff that there's anything going on here other than our best judgment about the merits of these proposals, there there's going to be a serious problem with the public and the participants."

http://www.telegram.com/article/20130611/NEWS/306119729/1116

 

 

Plainridge Forum Thursday June 13th

Gambling Addiction and CRIME increase with PROXIMITY.
Studies have shown the increase within a 50 mile radius, and then again within a 10 mile radius.

It is known that the sole Slot Barn license will be expanded and will NOT remain Slots-In-A-Box.

Please raise your concerns and ask questions now. There will be NO Do-Overs.

Plainridge to hold Public Forum on June 13th
PLEASE come to public forum to be held by Plainridge to ask questions about traffic, impact on surrounding towns, noise, an "amusements" permit, addiction, DUIs, housing and hotbedding, crime, and anything else that concerns you about a slots casino at Plainridge:

Thursday, June 13
7 p.m. at the Wood School

http://www.thesunchronicle.com/plainridge-to-hold-public-forum-on-slots-expansion-plan/article_c802bde4-d2c2-11e2-92a8-001a4bcf887a.html

The "Opposition Forum"HELP NEEDED

Town Administrator Joe Fernandes has given the "opposition" the same opportunity to get a forum together and use Wood School as he extended to Plainridge. He contacted me last week, and I told him that I would need some time to get some speakers together. The No Plainville Racino Forum will take place just before the referendum vote in late August or early September. I could really use some help with the planning, so, if you're interested, please send an email back to let me know how best to contact you.

PLANNING BOARD PUBLIC HEARING - MONDAY, JUNE 17TH

Plainville Planning Board hearing on slots at Plainridge

MONDAY, JUNE 17th at 7:00p.m. at the Plainville Senior Center, 9 School Street, Plainville, MA.
All matters pertaining to the applicant's amendment to the Special Permit and Change of Use will be covered at that hearing, including traffic, impact on abutters, general welfare of the public, an "amusements" permit, noise, water use, sewer capacity, etc.

 

Please share this email widely, and urge your family and friends in Plainville and surrounding towns to attend the Plainridge Forum and the Planning Board Public Hearing.

Best,

Mary-Ann

 

p.s. You can find an excellent article by Professor Earl l. Grinols, "The Hidden Social Costs of Gambling"

at: http://www.baylor.edu/content/services/document.php/144584.pdf

Health group targets gambling sponsorship

“We know from a recent survey completed in January this year that WA parents of children under 15 are concerned about sponsorship of elite sport and community events by companies promoting alcohol and junk food,” Dr Capolingua said.


“They are worried that the link between unhealthy products and sport will influence children to think more positively about the products promoted, which is of course, why those companies want to use sport to promote their products.”


Health group targets gambling sponsorship
Cathy O'Leary Medical Editor, The West Australian Updated June 11, 2013

WA’s health promotion agency could soon push for sporting clubs to give up gambling revenue in return for its multimillion-dollar sponsorship.

Healthway, which is funded by tobacco taxes, has already demanded that sporting clubs cut ties with alcohol and junk food companies in return for funding, but now it has gambling in its sights.

Chairwoman Rosanna Capolingua has been reappointed for another three years, despite speculation the State Government was under pressure from sporting interests to replace her because of her outspoken stance on “unhealthy” sponsors.

WA Rugby League and Rugby WA are among groups that have lost thousands of dollars in funding in the past few years because of links with fast-food giants.


Dr Capolingua is Healthway’s longest-serving board member, representing the Australian Medical Association for nine years until the Government appointed her to head the board in 2009.

She said Healthway would increase its response to the concerns of WA families about the promotion of alcohol and junk food through sport, while continuing to offer sports a pathway to escape unhealthy sponsors.


“We know from a recent survey completed in January this year that WA parents of children under 15 are concerned about sponsorship of elite sport and community events by companies promoting alcohol and junk food,” Dr Capolingua said.


“They are worried that the link between unhealthy products and sport will influence children to think more positively about the products promoted, which is of course, why those companies want to use sport to promote their products.”


Dr Capolingua said the same University of WA survey showed that gambling promotions in sport had recently become a big concern.


“Gambling has been shown to have an adverse impact on mental and physical health,” she said.

“Our board is aware and concerned about the potential toxic effects of using sport to promote gambling and we are pleased to note that this issue has caught the attention of Federal legislators.”

Dr Capolingua said the past three years had been challenging because Healthway’s sponsorship program threatened the stronghold of vested interests of alcohol and junk food companies.
Health Minister Kim Hames said Dr Capolingua brought a wealth of experience to her role so that Healthway could provide valuable sponsorship to sport while protecting people from harm.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/newshome/17549274/health-group-targets-gambling-sponsorship/

Plainville Kool Aid

It is known and anticipated that Plainridge will EXPAND from a SLOT BARN to a full-blown casino should they obtain the Slot Barn license.

Plainville has failed to adequately consider the costs, consequences and community destruction this will bring.

A Slot Barn brings mostly LOCAL patrons, escalates LOCAL Gambling Addiction and provides few low wage jobs, while destroying local businesses.

Time to stop consuming Casino Kool Aid?

In The Cards

06/11/2013 | 12:43 PM

Vegas gambling company joins Plainridge slots venture as a consultant

By Mark Arsenault / Globe Staff

 

Silverton Casino, a Las Vegas gambling company, has joined a slot parlor proposal at Plainridge Racecourse as a design and operational consultant, Plainridge said today in a statement.

 

Silverton owns and operates the Silverton Casino Hotel, an off-strip resort casino with a 90,000-square-foot gambling area and more than 1,600 slot machines. At Plainridge, Silverton will focus on casino design, programming and logistics, organizational structure, casino operations and marketing, but will not have an ownership interest in the local facility, according to Plainridge.

 

“Silverton is an experienced and successful developer/operator in the most competitive gaming market in the country,” said Plainridge President John Grogan, in the statement. “We are very excited about this relationship and most importantly feel it is the right fit for Plainville and the Commonwealth.”

 

The harness racing track is one of four competitors for the state’s sole slot parlor license, which will permit up to 1,250 machines.

 

Craig Cavileer, president of Silverton Casino, said: “We see Plainridge as the strongest contender for the [slots] license in Massachusetts and we think we bring the right type of experience to the team as this project aggressively moves forward.”

 

 

http://www.boston.com/news/local/blogs/in-the-cards/2013/06/11/vegas-gambling-company-joins-plainridge-slots-venture-consultant/DNQkEWAMVDqbSMm5QP4pjP/blog.html

LV Casino Company joins up with Plainridge

News Room 01:04 PM 12-Jun-2013