With Casino Vultures....only the names change!
Mass. voters asked to allow second slots license
by ADAM BAGNI, NBC 10 NEWS
Tuesday, October 18th 2016
Ballot Question 1 in Massachusetts is really all about a single plot of land in Revere.
A casino developer wants to place a hotel and more than 1,200 slot machines on a rundown trailer park adjacent to Suffolk Downs.
Supporters claim it'll create hundreds of jobs and millions in tax revenue.
"We want to take advantage of all these millions of people coming in and out of Logan that, for the most part, if they can't get a hotel room in downtown Boston, they stay out near the airport," said Jason Osborne of the Horse Racing Jobs and Education Committee.
But opponents have called the plan "little league."
Nearly all elected officials in the area are against it. Many are worried about not only social impacts, but also market saturation.
"This proposal really falls far outside the parameters of what was intended by the state legislature. They're circumventing the process at every turn," said Celeste Ribeiro Myers, of the Committee for Sustainable and Responsible Economic Development.
The Yes campaign may not have the support of politicians, but they claim they have the people.
Revere residents have voted in favor of casino projects, twice, though this project isn't backed by Suffolk Downs.
"Let the voters decide. We submitted a petition with over 8,400 signatures from Revere residents," Osborne said.
But the No campaign insists it's too soon to make changes to the state's gaming laws, and worries that a passing measure focused on a single casino could lead to more.
Even if the measure passes, the Gaming Commission has no obligation to issue another license.
"To allow folks to come in and buy the civic engagement process is just a bad precedent to set," Ribeiro Myers said.
If you're wondering what the state's current and proposed casino operators think, they haven't taken a stance.
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