NY Gov.'s casino comments raise Mass. eyebrows

NY Gov.'s casino comments raise Mass. eyebrows
By Steve LeBlanc

BOSTON (AP) — Legislative leaders in Massachusetts are putting the finishing touches on a sweeping casino bill even as another nearby state could soon be ramping up the competition for gamblers looking for a place to roll the dice.

Tom Larkin, president of United to Stop Slots in Massachusetts, said casino operators are adept at pitting states against each other in the rush to expand gambling.

"There's a sibling rivalry going on among states, but it's pretty destructive as far as we're concerned," Larkin said. "I think the gambling industry exploits these budgetary problems that the states are having."

Opponents also are skeptical of states putting all their chips on casinos to help them balance their budgets.

"The more people that lose money, the worse off the economy is," Larkin said. "The worst thing you can do is say: 'Look we have an economic problem, let's have more people lose more money."'

Former Massachusetts Attorney General Scott Harshbarger, another gambling critic, said New York only demonstrates how easily states can get hooked on what he called "the culture of dependence and greed" that casinos create.

That inevitably leads to pressure to add more gambling venues, he said.

"It is time for all of our elected officials to do their homework, to update outdated cost-benefit analyses and have a full, transparent debate about the pros and cons of welcoming this industry to Massachusetts," Harshbarger said.

An Associated Press review of records filed with the secretary of state's office has also found no letup in the flood of dollars aimed at pressuring lawmakers to approve a casino deal.

Gambling interests spent more than $1.3 million in the first six months of the year lobbying Beacon Hill lawmakers.

The $1.35 million came from casino development firms, manufacturers of slot machines and federally recognized Indian tribes. Gambling interests spent more than $3 million in all of 2010 on lobbying.