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REPEAL THE CASINO DEAL!
This from Reuters:
Massachusetts court OKs gambling referendum
BOSTON, June 24
The question came before the court after Massachusetts Attorney General
Martha Coakley sought to block the casino referendum, arguing it could violate
property rights of developers.
The "voters of Massachusetts may choose to abolish casino and slots parlor
gambling," the court said in its unanimous decision, noting gambling opponents
had gathered more than enough signatures to place the question on the
ballot.
Coakley, a Democrat who is running for governor, said in a statement she was
pleased the court had ruled on the matter and that "it is now an issue that will
be decided by the voters in the fall."
Under the gambling law, Massachusetts can award one slot parlor license and
three casino licenses statewide.
The slots license was awarded in February and just one of the three casino
licenses has been awarded. The winner, Las Vegas developer MGM Resorts
International, has put off formally accepting the license for its development in
the western Massachusetts city of Springfield until the repeal question is
settled.
Meanwhile, developers Mohegan Sun and Wynn Resorts are seeking the state's
eastern Massachusetts license with competing proposals for Revere and Everett.
The state's gaming commission is expected to choose between the two in
August.
Officials from MGM, Mohegan Sun and Wynn were not immediately available to
comment on the court's decision.
Casino advocates say the resorts will bring windfalls to cash-strapped
communities and staunch the flow of money into casinos elsewhere in the
Northeast. Critics say casinos could drive up crime and hurt property
values.
"This is kind of a small victory in a big battle that we're still fighting,"
said Joseph Catricala, co-chair of Don't Gamble on Revere, a casino-opposition
group that led the referendum effort. He called the statewide vote the "best
shot" at stopping casino development in the state.
Casino gambling has had mixed success in New England. Connecticut has two
large casinos owned by Indian tribes, Maine has two small casinos and Rhode
Island has two slot machine parlors. New Hampshire state legislators last year
rejected a bill that would have allowed construction of a casino that had strong
support from Governor Maggie Hassan. (Editing by Richard Valdmanis and Bill
Trott)
http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/06/24/massachusetts-gambling-idINL6N0P557C20140624
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