Evaluate the marriage, not the courtship

Melissa Wylie: How I understand casino repeal

By Melissa Wylie Posted Jul. 2, 2014
NEWTON



On Tuesday, June 24, the Supreme Judicial Court cleared the way for one of the most important civic conversations in a generation: whether Massachusetts will implement, or repeal, the casino gambling legislation passed in 2011. Although the outcome in November is unknown, one thing is certain: this debate will be loud, forceful, and costly.


Here is a framework for evaluating the pandemonium to come:


Consider the players and what they have at stake


In one corner of the ring are the casino operators. They have deep pockets, live out of state, and want access to virgin territory – the citizens, real estate, and government support of Massachusetts. Their short-term goals are to recruit new gamblers and reverse an industry-wide contraction. Longer term, they must maintain control of the gambling debate. In the other corner are the citizen activists who led the repeal initiative. They include: John Ribeiro, a computer programmer and son of a Portuguese immigrant; Joseph Curtatone, the six-term mayor of Somerville who is known for surveying his constituents’ happiness; and Susan Tucker, a retired state legislator who fended off the casino lobby’s advances for decades on Beacon Hill. Why have these people and hundreds more worked to give citizens the opportunity for a statewide, up-or-down vote on casinos? Because, the more people know about the gambling industry, the less they see it as a solution to Massachusetts’ problems.


Question assumptions and conventional narratives


Casino developers want to frame the debate around tax revenue and jobs – both worthy of support on the surface. But let’s ask a few more questions. In terms of tax revenues, are the financial projections credible and sustainable in the highly saturated East Coast gambling market? When revenues fall short, will Massachusetts follow the lead of other states and prop up the industry with massive tax packages? What happens to small businesses when citizens gamble away the money they used to spend on Main Street? With regard to jobs, the implicit assumption is that new casino positions are incremental and permanent; however, recent history does not support this storyline. In Atlantic City, the Revel Casino – built for $2.4 billion in 2012 – is in bankruptcy and plans to lay off its entire workforce in August if a buyer is not found. In southeastern Connecticut, full-time casino employees have seen their hours cut back to part-time, without benefits. Is this the economic development we want?


Evaluate the marriage, not the courtship


The dance between casino operators and revenue-hungry politicians has been going on for three decades. Dating these high rollers – who promise income, jobs, revitalization, and glitzy nights on the town – is heady stuff. Setting up house with them is even more thrilling: Let’s register for a billion dollar palace. Or three! Before being seduced into an irrevocable partnership, we should ask the question: Is the gambling industry marriage material? According to independent research, the presence of a gambling facility within 50 miles doubles the prevalence of problem and pathological gamblers. And when these individuals suffer, they affect families, neighborhoods, and communities.

When gambling is legalized, the incidence of divorce, domestic violence, child abandonment, and suicide increases; financial instability leads to more criminal behavior, personal bankruptcies, and foreclosures. On paper, it seems like capturing our fair share of residents’ gambling revenues is fairly straightforward. In actuality, these revenues come at great social cost.


Consider voting with your values

Few decisions are ever purely financial, and this vote on casinos isn’t either. No one wants to pay more in taxes. But remember: When you hear about getting something for nothing, think again… and again. Should government be in the business of promoting gambling? Do we collectively support an industry that preys on low-income workers, retirees, minorities and other at-risk groups? Are we going to unleash a known addiction in our midst – even as the state is ravaged by opiate addiction?

Massachusetts has always shaped national conversations, and it is because we lead with our values. As you engage in the casino debate, remember to evaluate the source of information, question the default narrative, consider the impact of gambling over time, and factor values into the equation. Make this a vote for the common good.


Melissa Wylie is a Newton resident.


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