Casinos come to Massachusetts

Casinos come to Massachusetts
by Peter Ubertaccio

Casino gambling is in our future and The Massachusetts Great and General Court has handled the issue exactly as expected.

It has been evident for some time that casino gambling is coming to Massachusetts. As has been noted by others, we are a long way removed from both the Puritan heritage that influenced much of our political culture and the era when the Catholic Church and its moral authority influenced our public debates. And we have long since reconciled ourselves to increasing the public treasure on the backs of gamblers by aggressively marketing our state lottery and scratch tickets.

Still, we are told, this is not so much about gambling and casinos, but jobs. If that is true, we are in a heap of trouble. Resort style casinos will certainly boost jobs in the construction trades and then jobs in the tourist and service industry. They will also spur the usual sorts of consequences–crime and corruption–that every state hosting a casino insists in can handle.

But they don’t offer us a glimpse into the real economy of the future. They are throwbacks, quick “fixes” that depend on people throwing their money into the casino machine in order for the state to benefit. The permanent jobs created will be relatively low paying ones for the unskilled. The stuff of the future–entrepreneurship, high-tech, adaptability to a changing global economy–won’t be found among the rows of people hoping to win big but constantly losing to the House.

And speaking of the House, and Senate, well they continue to operate in ways we’ve come to expect. Casino gambling brings with it a lot of money to throw around and when you combine that unlimited cash with power, corruption will ensue. In a state that has its issues with high-profile cases of corruption, you might just think we’d want to be extra careful at how this process unfolds.

But not here! No, principles are put aside so political expediency can reign. Sixty four representatives who voted no last year were flipped by the Speaker. Yesterday, the State Senate Democrats killed an amendment forcing members of the Legislature to wait 5 years before getting a job at a casino they approve. In secret. From today’s Globe:

“We’re creating a presumption that the people in this body cannot operate with integrity,’’ complained Senator Gale Candaras, Democrat from Wilbraham. “It’s bad law. It’s bad precedent.’’

That laughter you here is not the nervous giggle of a state full of Red Sox fans worrying about tonight’s game. Seriously, while it is certainly true that many members of the State House are hardworking and honest, they clearly have among their ranks the occasional target for bribery (paging Speaker DiMasi and Senator Wilkerson).

Still, a new day dawns. I hope that the Legislature might now consider how we create a climate for the jobs of the future building on our strengths now that we’ve helped further a gambling addiction climate while lining the pockets of wealthy developers in a largely no-win deal for the people of the state.