Revoke $46.5 M in Tax Giveaways

Please speak out and add your name --

http://www.green-rainbow.org/liberty_mutual_tower_subsidy_petition

Revoke $46.5 M in Tax Giveaways for Construction of Liberty Mutual Office Tower

To: Mayor Thomas M. Menino, Boston City Councilors, Governor Deval Patrick and Legislators
Whereas: Mayor Menino and the Boston City Council have granted Liberty Mutual $24 million in property tax breaks and Governor Patrick has given Liberty Mutual $22.5 million in state subsidies to build a new office tower in Boston near its existing office in Boston.
Whereas: These subsidies are being granted to a corporation so wealthy that it testified to City Council that it could build the $300 million tower with cash on hand, and is on the Forbes 100 list, earning over a billion dollars a year in profit.
Whereas: This subsidy money is being taken from essential city and state services including schools, libraries, parks, transit, youth jobs and community centers, even as their funding is being slashed.
read the full petition text

We ask that the city and state revoke the $24 million in property tax breaks and $22.5 million in state subsidies granted to Liberty Mutual for the construction of a new office tower. Redirecting these funds to city and state services would make a real difference in people’s lives.

Will you sign?

To add your name:


http://www.green-rainbow.org/liberty_mutual_tower_subsidy_petition

Massachusetts 'GAMING' Future

Bill Kearney posted in United to Stop Slots in Mass. (USS-MA)

Bill Kearney 11:05am May 13 Massachusetts 'GAMING' Future Boston Globe - May 12, 2012 Patrick vetoes mandated background checks on future gambling panel staff Governor Deval Patrick vetoed Friday portions of a spending bill sent to him this week by the House and Senate requiring the Gaming Commission to conduct full criminal background checks and drug screenings on future employees. Read more: http://articles.boston.com/2012-05-12/metro/31670256_1_background-checks-spending-bill-veto Now here's the importance of criminal background checks and drug screenings on future Gaming Commission employees and a few examples of what to expect from pro-casino lawmakers and those who in Massachusetts who will be making a living when squabbling for the scraps from the casino operators table. People like the Chairman of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, Stephan Crosby, who is just another Gaming Chairperson in our country who will willingly be manipulated by casino operators and pro-casino lawmakers. In my state of Pennsylvania it was Governor Rendell who got casino gambling passed in 2004, and in 2006 he appointed a former police captain, Frank Friel, to head the Pa. Gaming Control Broad, (PGCB). "Frank Friel was made for this job - a respected law man with years of fighting organized crime under his belt," said Governor Rendell. "I can think of no one better to serve Pennsylvania on this Board.” The following month it was announced that Friel would step down because of his alleged ties to Mafia figures. Rendell appointed another one of his cronies, a lawyer by the name of Thomas “Tad” Decker. He chaired the (PGCB) for a three-year term. After leaving the Board he became the President and CEO of one of the largest law firms in Philadelphia. His firm represents two casinos here in Pennsylvania, Sugar/House Casino and Mount Airy Lodge and Casino. Rendell replaced Decker with the Honorable Mary DiGiacomo Colins. She had 30 years of experience in the legal profession. She was elected to the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County in 1989 after being hired by Rendell as an Assistant District Attorney in Philadelphia. Back then Rendell was the Mayor of Philadelphia. Colins political connection with Gov. Rendell dated back to 1985. After serving her three year term Rendell appointed Gregory Fajt to chair the Gaming Board. Fajt is the third guy from the left in the picture I posted that was taken at the Grand Opening of the Sands Casino Hotel in Bethlehem, PA, June 9, 2011. There were many dubious characters that were influential in getting casino gambling legalized in Pennsylvania. Gov. Rendell was the main one but then there was Senator Vincent J. Fumo who back in 2004 was one of the most powerful figures in Pennsylvania politics. On February 6, 2007 Sen. Fumo and three of his aids were indicted on numerous charges of tax offenses, obstruction of justice, mail fraud, wire fraud and use of Senate employees as campaign aides. Today Fumo is known as inmate #9818783. Then there was pro-casino State Rep. Bill DeWeese, State Rep. Mike Veon, and House Speaker John Perzel who today are also serving time in prison for crimes against the State Pennsylvania. Then there were those with strong political connections who PIMPED themselves out in order to get our GAMING LAW passed. One was Gregory Fajt who back in 2004 was Pennsylvania's Secretary of Revenue. He left that position and became Gov. Rendell's Chief of Staff. In 2009 Rendell appointed him Chairman of the PGCB. Fajt lost his Chairman position after Rendell term was up and a Republican named Corbett became Governor, but he is still on the PGCB. Gov. Corbett was our Attorney General and it was no surprise after he became governor that he appointed Bill Ryan to chair the PGCB. Ryan was Corbett’s Deputy Attorney General for six years and when Corbett was running for governor he acted as, ‘Attorney General.’ I have had many discussions, some that got quite testy with the first three Chairpersons, but I have yet to talk with Chairman Ryan and it’s not because I haven’t tried. Chairman Ryan ducking me has many in my state confused and that’s because the Republicans from day one have been supporting my cause especially my casino monthly statement legislation. But it’s not strange to me and that’s because I know once the Republicans got on the tits of the casino cash cow they’d be whistling a different tone. Here is another photo of Gregory Fajt when he was PGCB Chairman speaking with the owner of the Sugar/House Casino in Philadelphia, Neil Bluhm. This picture was taken as Philadelphians demonstrate outside Bluhm’s property, before the groundbreaking ceremony for his new casino. http://specials-images.forbes.com/imageserve/05Ga8eu2cbbhp/620x434.jpg?fit=scale&background=000000 The video below is also from the 2009 Sugar/House Groundbreaking ceremony. In it you will see another PGCB member, he's the former FBI agent Kenneth McCabe. He's the second guy from the left wearing a white helmet and with shovel in hand. - http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news%2Flocal&id=7055328 Now if you don't believe what I'm saying is true, click on the videos links below, and see for yourself if this 'VICE' known today as Gaming isn't already doing to your state what it has to mine. Chairman Gregory Fajt April - 2004 1 - http://billkearney.blip.tv/file/707578/ 2 - http://billkearney.blip.tv/file/707461/ 3 - http://billkearney.blip.tv/file/707518/ 4 - http://billkearney.blip.tv/file/707554/ November 2006 1 - http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=4169169 2 - http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=4169330 May, 2010 1 - http://billkearney.blip.tv/file/3677458/ 2 - http://www.blip.tv/file/3360231/ February - 2011 1 - http://blip.tv/bill-kearney/gregory-fajt-pa-gaming-control-board-chair-4738567 June - 2011 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMYWYHB1T48 Chairwomen Mary Colins October 2007 - http://blip.tv/file/708064/ January 2008 - http://blip.tv/file/708029/ Chairman Thomas Tad Decker 1 - http://blip.tv/file/708454/ 2 - http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=4185089 Gov. Tom Corbett on Gaming when he was Attorney General. 1 - http://blip.tv/file/721116 2 - http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=4184748 3 - http://blip.tv/file/828040 Click on the link below and listen to Gov. Rendell opinion on CASINO MONTHLY STATEMENTS. http://www.blip.tv/file/3218156/ To learn more about my credentials on this subject go on line and Google-up Bill Kearney on casino gambling.

Massachusetts: Heal thyself!

The Predatory Gambling legislation crafted by the Gambling Industry, allowed the Gambling Commission 'discretion' to conduct background checks.


Since the Gambling Industry has historically been known as corrupt, widely tied to organized crime, money laundering and loan sharking, after the McGee disaster, this clearly required correction.


The legislature immediately acted to correct this flaw, yet the Governor vetoed it - endorsing the future corruption and potential disasters to come.


Discretion has no place in this matter.

Wanted: chiefs to build casino industry

When Governor "Slot Barns" Patrick was conducting backroom meetings, what a pity he didn't worry about integrity then!

And when Secretary Bialecki acted as the Predatory Gambling Point Man and profited from Casino Stock, what a pity the Governor defended the actions.

When the Governor met with Native Americans and made promises immediately after his re-election, where's the integrity?

Not a good beginning, Guv!

Wanted: chiefs to build casino industry
State taking applications online
Christine Lee, 22News State House Correspondent

BOSTON, Mass. (WWLP) - Looking for a job? The Governor, state Treasurer and Attorney General are looking to hire a 5-member Gaming Commission to build a casino and slots industry from the ground up.

Attorney General Martha Coakley is accepting applications online for her appointee to the Gaming Commission. Responsibilities include starting up and overseeing an expanded gaming industry in Massachusetts. Applications are due January 9 th.

“Our particular commissioner is someone who should have enforcement, law enforcement experience and criminal investigation experience,” said Coakley. “We hope we have a good pool, we expect that we will and we’ll make our pick sometime after January 10”

The 5-member Gaming commission will serve a 5-year term and earn $112,500 dollars a year. The Chair will earn $150,000 a year. State Treasurer Steve Grossman has a team searching for candidates in the financial and securities industry. Grossman is looking for someone with a demonstrated track record of leadership, good judgment and solid managerial skills. “I want somebody who has no conflicts whatsoever and has had a career and has led a life where people would say now that is a person of integrity,” said Grossman.

UMass Dean Stephen Crosby has already been tapped by Governor Deval Patrick to Chair the Commission. After the Attorney General and state Treasurer choose an appointee, they will collaborate with the governor to hire a fourth and fifth member.

“I think all of us want, and the public ought to want a reputation for integrity, the ability to create a new organization because that’s really what this is, a startup in many ways,” said Patrick.

The deadline to appoint members to the state Gaming Commission is March 21, 2012.

Dear Governor Patrick.....

Dear Governor Patrick,

There comes a time in every leader’s tenure when he or she will come to a crossroads; a point at which they must make a fateful decision that will intractably impact those in their care. You stand at such a nexus now. The decision you make in the next few days will be felt by generations to come in Massachusetts, long after you have moved on.

Governor, I am willing to bet that you have not heard the information that I have provided here. You will be stunned at what you are about to learn. You have promised that we would “get it right” here, in Massachusetts, because we have the ability to look at the mistakes of those who have traveled this road before us.

History will either report that you did it right or that you failed the people miserably. I disagree with you on many topics but I believe you to be an earnest and honest man of integrity and I hope that you apply those traits to this issue.

As you are considering the fine print of the casino legislation that has arrived at your desk, I wanted to provide you with some insight on the business practices of the casino industry. I am confident that you are not aware of these practices, as they are the “dirty little secret” of the industry.

I work in the field of Business Intelligence. I design databases that companies use to collect information about their customers and prospective customers. The data collected are used to decide how to promote their products or services to their patrons. In other industries, this is a relatively benign practice as it simply allows companies to match up customers with products and promotions. The hope is that those targeted consumers will spend their money more frequently at their establishments as opposed to their competitors.

Financial institutions also take advantage of this information in order to decide what banking, lending and investing products to offer to their own customers and prospects. This is why we receive unsolicited credit card offers in the mail.

As financial institutions, the casinos will have access to all of an individual's financial information. They leverage this specialized status and "loyalty programs" to gain specific knowledge about how much cash and credit a patron has access to, when they use their credit cards in the casinos. The industry calls this Total Cash Availability. Additionally, they will also be able to find out how much equity a patron has in their home, car and other assets; this is called Global Cash Availability. These can and will be taken as equity in exchange for credit. Casinos will also extend what amount to payday loans at high interest rates. These will be offered to patrons who are under the influence of alcohol, alcohol, that the casinos will be able to offer free of charge.

The casino industry uses all of this information along with real-time game-play data to make targeted offers to specific people. They are also able to alter the payout rate and the “near-misses” seen by each person to increase their rate of play and the amount per play.

Governor Patrick, you have acknowledged that there will be more addicted gamblers created by the advent of casino gambling in Massachusetts. I'm sure we would disagree on the total number but you should understand that this legislation allows the casinos to offer loans directly to those who have been drinking. Our state is still trying to recover from the sub-prime mortgage lending scandal. Does it really make sense to introduce an industry that will prey on people by offering them loans while they’re intoxicated?

Casino industry experts will tell you that they only need to provide loans to “high rollers”. This is disingenuous. The legislation does not provide any income threshold or guidance. All patrons are fair game.

Below are three links, which show how the casino industry collects and uses the financial and game-play data to identify patrons who can be tapped for more revenue.

1) The video linked below shows that casinos have access to all of your financial information as well as transactions outside of the casinos as soon as you use your credit or atm card in one of their machines.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=gPdcXol6tSk#!

2) This link is a promotional page which brags about this software’s ability to identify “the most profitable customers and those which can be ‘tapped’ for additional revenue and profit.” This software identifies these gamblers while they are playing and helps identify them for promotions. This software targets people to ply with free liquor. It is not a random offering.

http://www.bis2.net/solutions/gameviz

3) The following is a link to a patent for a “METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DYNAMICALLY AWARDING BONUS POINTS.” It also describes in detail how machines can be dynamically reconfigured to generate more revenue while they are being played by increasing the rate of play and reducing payouts.

http://www.faqs.org/patents/app/20090275399

Let me be clear. The methodology is as follows:

1. The casinos identify their patrons and prospects according to their potential value to the casino.

2. The casinos monitor the play of those patrons and determine when to offer them free alcohol to maximize their spend on the games.

3. The casinos then dynamically alter the speed at which the machines play and the rate at which they pay out to increase the profit they are making on a specific player.

4. When the player has exhausted his or her resources on hand, the casinos extend them credit.

Dear Governor Patrick, this is only the tip of the iceberg. This industry uses this data to manipulate payouts at slot machines to coincide with show times. It also uses this data to identify patrons who may be slowing down their play and who may increase their play if they were provided with a free drink or two.

Governor, I know that you would not have supported this legislation if you were aware of these practices. This is simply bad public policy. If you sign this bill, you will have unleashed these predatory practices on the unsuspecting people of the Commonwealth. The very people whom you have sworn to protect.

Kind Regards,

John Ribeiro
Winthrop, MA

Where is Mrs. Jones when you need her?

Where is Mrs. Jones when you need her?

We were inspired to go out sloshing through the slush and rain knocking on doors telling people of Deval Patrick and his messages of "Take a chance on hope". Patrick spoke of, our schools, our highways and how "we all have a responsibility to help pay for them." Who understood this to mean casinos? Instead of making the hard decision to share in the pain in hard times, we would be asked to throw the hardest hit, the most desperate under the bus to save those that know better from having a tax increase?

In his inaugural address Deval Patrick proclaimed, "For a very long time now we have been told that government is bad, that it exists only to serve the powerful and well-connected, that its job is not important enough to be done by anyone competent, let alone committed, and that all of us are on our own. Today we join together in common cause to lay that fallacy to rest, and to extend a great movement based on shared responsibility from the corner office to the corner of your block and back again." But here he is ready to sign into law a bill that would the largest transfer of wealth from the least powerful to the well-connected. Other than signing the predatory gambling/happy hour bill, what have you done today to make you feel proud?

The words will fade, and the pain and devastation will be Deval's legacy. There have been numerous reports that bringing in casinos will cause long term job losses and decline in revenue. An article in today's Boston Globe claims that Deval was given such a report done by the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank in 2007. In 10 years, when this goes south, he will not be able to claim he did not understand the risk when signing this bill.

"So if you messed up down the street in fron of Mrs. Jones, she would, as we used to say, go upside your head, as if you were hers. And then she'd call home, so you'd get it twice. Wonderful characters in that neighborhood. People who looked out for each other." - Deval Patrick



Please send a message to the Deval Patrick that Mrs. Jones would not be happy with closed door deals, special interest provisions and HAPPY HOUR. If he signs this bill, it will be clear to all in the future that slot parlors did not bring the promised jobs and revenue, but instead brought misery and cast a shadow on a government that chose to offer up it's citizens for profit to the predators. -Sue Kennedy, Administrative Assistant

ACT NOW
Email, write, fax or phone the Governor
Governor Deval Patrick
State House Room 208
Boston, 02133
Fax your letter to 617-727-9725
Phone his office at 617-725-4995
Go to his website at mass.gov to Email him.

Letting casino wolves run wild

Letting casino wolves run wild

I am a strong supporter of Gov. Deval Patrick, but I think he's facing a big mistake with the casino-gambling bill now headed toward a conference committee at the State House.

While many courageous legislators (Sen. Jamie Eldridge, Sen. Susan Fargo, Sen. Kenneth Donnelly, Sen. Barry Finegold, Sen. Karen Spilka and others) fought against this bill, it passed both chambers in recent days. United to Stop Slots in Massachusetts (www.uss-mass.org) has found the following:

n The gambling bill put tens of millions of dollars at the disposal of the Gaming Commission without any accountability to taxpayers.

n The bill takes away the rights of voters in Boston, Worcester and Springfield to vote on whether to approve locating a casino in their own communities.

n Only 33 percent of the revenue will be spent as local aid to cities and towns, compared to the 68 percent to local aid from the Massachusetts Lottery.

n The Lottery will suffer losses with expanded gambling, which means reduced local aid to cities and towns.

n Moody's Investor Service has recently reported that revenue projections, by proponents, have been over-inflated and are unlikely to occur.

n Massachusetts residents would have to wager and lose an additional billion dollars per year to reach the revenue projections that have been "promised" with this proposal.

n Casinos are cannibalistic and jobs will be lost.

It's not too late to halt this sellout to a predatory industry. Massachusetts can recover without lowering our standards. In our hearts, we all understand how concentrating wealth leads to the erosion of real community when the super-rich wind up controlling our politics.

Gov. Patrick, please stop this bill. Don't let these wolves into our Commonwealth.

PAUL GAUDET

Lowell

The House Always Wins

Between the Lines: The House Always Wins
Has the casino industry finally hit the jackpot in Massachusetts?
By Tom Vannah

If I believe the news reports, Massachusetts officials will soon hammer out a deal to bring casino gambling to the Bay State.

Yes, I've been reading similar reports for more than 15 years, but that doesn't mean I doubt their veracity this time around.

In the 1990s, after the state Legislature voted down a proposed casino bill, a local political consultant and casino proponent told me the gaming industry would pursue Massachusetts relentlessly and would eventually prevail, most likely at a time when the state economic picture was bleak enough to make its political resolve weak. Today, that consultant is part of a Valley-based LLC hoping to win one of three resort casino licenses state officials intend to put out to bid. My best information indicates that, he, like the industry he represents, has never wavered in his effort to make casino gaming a reality in Massachusetts.

Taking the consultant's word for it that pro-casino forces never sleep, I view their public opponents as underdogs, facing the same difficulties as many other political activists who challenge the efficacy of government deregulation or question various "private-public partnerships" undertaken for the ostensible benefit of the public. People who raise concerns about the risks of casino gambling—addiction and its attending human costs; the impact on small business, cultural institutions and art venues when casinos begin to suck up hundreds of millions annually in local discretionary income—are easy to marginalize as hand-wringing moralists and killjoys, standing not only in the way of free enterprise but of a rockin' good time.

Of course, it is not free-market ideologues from the state's libertarian-leaning Republican party who stand ready to legalize casinos in Massachusetts. It's not some faction of Rush Limbaugh acolytes, popping pills and smoking big cigars while admonishing casino opponents to stop being so dour, so precious, so puritanical.

Rather, it is a bunch of Democrats—in this case, Democrats who've spent years perfecting the triangulation strategies of Bill Clinton, playing to corporate America with one hand and labor unions with the other, often at the expense of those caught in the middle.

Fact is, though most of the earlier efforts to legalize casino gaming had the support of Republican governors, there would be no casino issue alive today in Massachusetts without significant support for gambling from Democrats over the last two decades. To keep that support alive and vibrant, the industry has done a good job seeding support for gambling at the local as well as state and national level, working with municipal officials, often Democrats, to create a sense of local public support for casinos and the economic benefits they might bring.

The earlier casino battle saw great tension between pro-casino and anti-casino Democrats, exposing deeper disagreements about the party's core philosophy and the role of government in economic and regulatory matters. Casino proponents viewed opponents as anti-business or would-be architects of a nanny state. Opponents saw casino supporters as shortsighted and willfully ignorant of the true impact of casinos on the Democrats' traditional constituency: working people.

At least there was some kind of debate back then. Today, it appears that that tension among Democrats has been tamed to the point that pro-casino forces will finally prevail without much of a fight. If that is so, it reflects a deeper problem than the issue of casino gaming itself poses.

This is Gov. Deval Patrick's third try at legalizing gaming; though he seemed briefly restrained by his second failure, his enthusiasm is clearly restored. With a recent concession from House Speaker Robert DeLeo on the major sticking point from the last round—how to license a slot parlor in addition to three resort casinos—as well as the continued support of Senate President Therese Murray, Patrick appears to have his rubber stamps all lined up. Whatever debate ensues will come from opponents who already know that top Democrats have the votes to pass their bill. Such a debate will be mainly for show.

If victorious, Deval Patrick will likely be long gone from the corner office by the time the full impact of casinos is known. But the victors will likely justify their efforts as a necessary response to high unemployment and declining state revenue, generating more than $250 million in one-time revenue from a round of bidding that starts at a minimum of $85 million per license, plus a big cut of the action and thousands of jobs going forward.

Sadly, such a justification shows absolutely no progress in the thinking coming out of Beacon Hill since the casino issue first came up in the 1990s. It shows instead a calcified and unimaginative impulse to take easy money from an historically sordid industry that is happy to pay for a monopoly position in an untapped market. Patrick and his fellow Democrats haven't won the debate; they've sidestepped it by using their parliamentary advantages, ignoring the warnings of other states' experiences with gaming, and turning a deaf ear to the plight of gambling's many victims

Casino bill is deeply flawed

Like most Massachusetts newspapers, the Boston Globe has been a perennial cheerleader for Expanded Gambling, costs and impacts be damned.

Perhaps their endorsement is based on visions of future ad revenues or their failures to conduct the due diligence we would expect from a news outlet, yet even now the Editorial Board has come to recognize a few of the significant flaws in the current Behind Closed Doors Legislation.

There are many more flaws the Globe failed to address, like the can of worms of Tribal Slot Barns legalization of Slots will create.

We already know that Governor "Slot Barns" made other promises behind closed doors. What else has been promised?


Casino bill is deeply flawed; rank and file should kill it

AFTER YEARS of false starts, legislative leaders and Governor Patrick hammered out a new agreement behind closed doors last month to bring casino gambling to Massachusetts. It’s a deeply disappointing bill, full of just the kind of inside deals and special-interest giveaways that Patrick once vowed to fight. Now it’s up to rank-and-file lawmakers to reject the plan.

The proposal concocted by Patrick, Senate President Therese Murray, and House Speaker Robert DeLeo would license three resort-style casinos in different regions of the state, along with a single slots parlor. The Commonwealth would pocket 25 percent of the revenues from the casinos, and 40 percent of revenues from slots.
Under the right circumstances, carefully regulated casino gambling should have a place in Massachusetts, providing jobs and stemming the outflow of revenue to casinos in neighboring states. But this proposal falls far short of meeting that standard.
The proposal’s greatest flaw is the inclusion of the slots parlor, which has long been a sticking point in negotiations. Slots would be lucrative for the state, but they create relatively few jobs and are one of the most addictive forms of gambling - which is why Patrick was right to oppose including slots in earlier gambling plans, and why he is wrong to give in now.

The bill also directs 9 percent of revenues from the slots parlor to subsidize purses at horse tracks, satisfying one of DeLeo’s demands. The speaker has been an unusually strong advocate for Suffolk Downs. It’s understandable that he would want to help an ailing business in his district, but such a set-aside is unwarranted.
The horse-racing subsidy is not the only way the bill seems rigged to help Suffolk Downs, which spent $191,000 lobbying in the first six months of this year and hopes to host one of the three casinos. The track would be relieved of part of the approval process that applies elsewhere in the state. At the insistence of the governor and others, the bill gives towns where casinos want to operate the right to hold a referendum. But the legislation exempts communities with a population over 125,000; in those cities, only the ward where the casino is to be located will be allowed to vote. Only Boston, Worcester, and Springfield fit that definition. The effect of the provision would be to prevent the city from voting on gambling at Suffolk Downs. Boston residents need to make clear to their representatives that a vote for the casino bill is a vote against their own constituents. And Patrick needs to explain why his past support for giving residents a say apparently doesn’t extend to most people in Boston.

Any casino legislation should also provide a level playing field for would-be operators. Instead, under the current proposal, Native American tribes would have a one-year head start for the license designated for Southeastern Massachusetts. It effectively amounts to a no-bid contract for the Mashpee Wampanoag, the only tribe likely to complete a proposal in that timeframe. Given the longstanding desire of the tribe to build a casino on its ancestral lands, the provision holds understandable appeal; better that some of the benefits from a casino go to a tribe with a long history in Massachusetts rather than out-of-state gambling operators. But carving out a special process for a group with strong lobbying muscle remains problematic. Patrick opposed no-bid contracts in negotiations last year - and shouldn’t have shifted now.

If Massachusetts is going to embrace an industry with a history of sparking public corruption and attracting organized crime, the state’s legal framework must be above reproach. It’s widely assumed that the Legislature will bow to the leadership and support the deal. But lawmakers need to stand up for the greater good.

Massachusetts: PAG Sufferers

A peculiar kind of addiction afflicts lawmakers

ADDICTION CAN be defined as a persistent pattern of long-term self-defeating behaviors driven by delusional thinking about short-term benefits. A condition I would call “political addiction to gambling,’’ or PAG, fits that criterion.

Governor Deval Patrick, House Speaker Robert DeLeo, Senate President Therese Murray, and their political supporters seem to believe irrationally that more people losing more money is good economic and social public policy. The enabling gambling industry has spent millions of dollars on political donations, friendly researchers, lobbyists, and media consultants for the purpose of reinforcing this delusion.

PAG sufferers are in denial, incapable of thinking long term. Politically, they have been spun. Many think it’s OK to take money from gambling special interests (“National interests spending big on Beacon Hill to try to get edge,’’ Page A1, Aug. 25).

Ironically, many politicians advocate for programs designed to reduce alcoholism, smoking, recidivism, criminal behavior, youth gambling, domestic violence, bankruptcy, and individual debt while simultaneously promoting gambling, which would increase those problems. Psychologists call this cognitive dissonance.

I commend the Globe for its recent articles on the economic, social, and political consequences of expanded gambling. It may bring some PAG sufferers to acknowledge their addiction. However, to really change their delusionary thinking they must conduct an independent cost-benefit analysis, which they have consistently refused to do.

Tom Larkin
Bedford
The writer is a licensed psychologist.

More Back Room Deals by Governor "Slot Barns" Patrick?

Remember the "Pedestrian Bridge" ? Too many back room deals by the Governor who promised transparency when running for office. Too many questions.

Ross leery of Foxboro casino push
BY JIM HAND SUN CHRONICLE STAFF

State senator thinks 'inside ballgame' being played by Kraft, Gov. Patrick
State Sen. Richard Ross said Tuesday that he has suspected for a long time that there was some kind of "inside ballgame" being played by the governor and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft to bring a casino to Foxboro near Gillette Stadium.

He said he believes his suspicions were confirmed when a proposal was floated by the town to rezone land along Route 1 to allow for a casino. Selectmen Tuesday night voted 5-0 not to recommend at town meeting the rezoning proposal to allow a casino.

The town's bylaws currently don't allow gambling.

Ross said he believes there is behind-the-scenes maneuvering to assure that Foxboro gets one of three casinos the Legislature may legalize when it takes up a gambling bill.

"I think there is an inside ballgame going on," he said. Alex Goldstein, a spokesman for the governor, said "the accusation is completely and utterly false."

The governor has consistently insisted that any bill legalizing casinos require applicants to bid for a license rather than have licenses earmarked in the legislation.

Jeff Cournoyer, a spokesman for Kraft, also denied the charge.

"That's a bold and curious accusation. It's also not true," he said.

"The people of Foxboro decide what development they want in their town, not the Kraft Group or the governor."

Ross, R-Wrentham, represents a district that includes Plainville, home of Plainridge Racecourse, which wants to win a slot machine license that would be authorized by the casino bill pending before the Legislature. Having gambling outlets in Plainville and neighboring Foxboro would not be economically viable, area state legislators said.

Ross, speaking by telephone from a hospital bed where he is recovering from second knee surgery, said his suspicions about Foxboro started more than a year ago when the governor wanted to use federal stimulus money to build a pedestrian bridge over Route 1 to the stadium.

The bridge was supposed to support a biotechnology park that was never built, and the overpass idea was withdrawn under pressure from the administration of President Barack Obama.

Kraft, who owns the Patriots along with Gillette Stadium and Patriots Place shopping complex on Route 1, has not commented on the rezoning idea. The National Football League also prohibits its owners from being involved in gambling.

But, Ross said he has also been struck by Kraft's appearance in the Statehouse chamber with the governor's wife during swearing in ceremonies and the state's plan to improve rail service to the stadium.

He said he also frequently runs into residents who tell him of rumors of a casino coming to Foxboro, giving him the impression that something is going on behind the scenes.

Other area legislators said they have no reason to believe there is anything going on between Kraft and the governor, although they have questions about a casino in Foxboro.

State Sen. James Timilty, D-Walpole, who represents Foxboro, said: "I don't have the same view" as Ross.

He said he has never seen evidence of a deal with the governor.

But, Timilty said he would like to know who, if anyone, is behind the proposal to rezone land in Foxboro for a casino.

Publicly, the proposal came from Town Manager Kevin Paicos, but Timilty said he would like to know if any gambling interests are behind it.

"The proposal came out from left field. I have never known of an interest before," he said.

State Rep. Jay Barrows, R-Mansfield, also said he has never suspected anything was going on between Kraft and the governor.

As for the Foxboro proposal, he said he does not understand how a casino would get around the NFL prohibition, unless Kraft would lease land to a casino. He said he also questions whether Foxboro residents want a casino after voting to reject gambling several years ago.

State Rep. Betty Poirier, R-North Attleboro, said she doubts a casino proposal for Foxboro would ever win a state license.

She said the Greater Boston area - including Foxboro - will be allotted one casino under the pending bill and she believes that license will go to Suffolk Downs in East Boston.

The Legacy of the Slot Barn Governor

During one of the sham Beacon Hill hearings in which they pretend to be formulating an opinion based on evidence presented, KG Urban Enterprises brought with them an attorney - expert in Tribal Gaming.

In an embarrassing display of ignorance the legislators asked the attorney endless questions about IGRA and surrounding issues.

The breadth of Beacon Hill ignorance seems to know no limits.

Beyond the issues raised at this time, the Governor met with other Native Americans and appeared to have made concessions. [Like the Governor's agreement to support an INDEPENDENT COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS, don't hold him to it!]

There are 6 or 8 other Tribes that have applied for federal recognition, along with the Aquinnah who are already a recognized Tribe. This Governor, with no ties to the Commonwealth and sights on other office, will leave behind federal lawsuits up the wazoo, and more Tax Free Tribal Slot Barns than you can shake a stick at.

Who is foolish enough to support this Folly?

This is the legacy of the Slot Barn Governor who took office with an unspoken agenda!


Developers challenge Indian preference in casino bill
By Steve Urbon


NEW BEDFORD — Lawyers for casino developers are objecting to the state's proposed casino gambling legislation's preference for Native Americans as an unconstitutional breach of the equal protection clause in the Fourteenth Amendment, a special deal based on ethnicity.

KG Urban Enterprises, which is proposing a casino at the abandoned NStar plant on Cannon Street, hired attorney Marsha Sajer to look into the matter. She claims "the states have no power to enact a state law preference for tribes" and that only the federal government can deal with tribes as sovereign nations.

The opinion, a copy of which was given to The Standard-Times by KG Urban, signals that a legal battle lies ahead even if the Legislature and Gov. Deval Patrick enact by the end of September as expected a compromise bill that would authorize three casinos and one slot parlor statewide.

The bill state carves out a narrow opportunity — only in Bristol and Plymouth counties, plus the Cape and Islands, an area called Region C — for tribes to find land, win a local referendum and negotiate a compact with the governor.

Tribes (likely the Mashpee Wampanoag, who are scouting for land) have only until next July to get all of this done.

The casino developers complain that they are being put at an unfair and illegal disadvantage for the first year, because Regions A and B (Boston and Western Massachusetts) can begin their casino projects almost immediately while in Region C everyone has to wait a year, and could be shut out altogether if a tribe wins a no-bid contract.

In setting such tight deadlines, the state's top political players heeded the request of several SouthCoast lawmakers and gave Native American tribes very limited preferential treatment in a proposed casino bill, said state Rep. Antonio F,D, Cabral, D-New Bedford.

Casino watcher Clyde Barrow at the UMass Dartmouth Center for Policy Analysis said that the Mashpee Wampanoag are virtually certain to make the attempt together with their commercial partner, Genting of Malaysia, the largest casino company in the world.

But even with all that backing, the tribe needs Congress to pass legislation allowing that land to be put into trust by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, something that has never happened before.

Cabral said that if the new state gaming commission doesn't think the tribe is on track to get congressional approval by next fall, it will go ahead with casino license auctions in Region C.

John Toohey, an equity partner in KG Urban Enterprises, which proposes a casino resort at the Cannon Street NStar site, was upbeat about the prospects despite the tribal angle. "We've always looked for an opportunity to bring some of those jobs and open up the waterfront and clean up what would otherwise be a Superfund site for who knows how long."

Finally, the tribe, having withdrawn from Fall River after the city reverted to its biotech park project where a casino might have been, continues to shop around in Bristol and Plymouth counties, most recently in Raynham, where discussions with racetrack owners reportedly fizzled.

Barrow said he isn't concerned that a casino or two elsewhere along with a slot parlor will saturate the market before Southeastern Massachusetts can get into the game.

That is because the state must create a gaming commission, which ultimately would accept bids ($85 million minimum) for a commercial casino. And that will take time.

Barrow said, "It will six months to get the gaming commission up and running, hiring staff and employees. They will probably have to hire 100 people or more.

"Then they're going to have to lay out a detailed process for submitting a bid. And anyone who wants to bid will have to have a referendum in place as part of a bid application. And there are requirements for public review and 30-day waiting periods. I can't see them actually awarding a license in less than a year."

In 2011, Senator Rosenberg indicated that it would require 18 months. What does he know? Clyde's the expert after all.


Barrow pointed out that if the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe makes make a deal with the governor, and the land can be put in trust, it will remove the possibility that someday the tribe would assert its rights under the Indian Gaming Rights Act and Massachusetts could have an unwanted fourth casino.

State Rep. Robert Koczera, D-New Bedford, called this the tribe's "window of opportunity," and he expects them to use it.

"Cedric Cromwell, chairman of the Mashpee Wampanoags, was pretty adamant in conversations with me that the tribe has rights and wants rights to land," Koczera said. "I believe he needs an act of Congress but Congress won't act anytime soon."

The proposed legislation, he said, gives the tribe the fair chance it has been looking for. Otherwise, luck will run out next August.

Beacon Hill business as usual

Beacon Hill business as usual

The casino legislation unveiled this week on Beacon Hill came together in the usual fashion that invites cynicism from Massachusetts voters. Follow the money to see how it goes from here.

The bill authorizing three Las Vegas-style casinos in three regions and a fourth gambling hall with slot machines that can be located anywhere in the state was evidently crafted by House Speaker Robert DeLeo, Senate President Therese Murray, Governor Deval Patrick, the staffs of the three political heavyweights and a couple of key legislators. It has been dumped in the laps of the rank-and-file as a fait accompli. Legislative leaders were admirably frank this week in saying the intent was to avoid the debate that surrounded gambling legislation a year ago, but debate is a part of democracy, and the crafting of legislation behind closed doors Beacon Hill-style is the antithesis of democracy.

To his credit, Governor Patrick rejects donations from gambling lobbyists, and when some have gotten through the money has been returned. Speaker DeLeo and President Murray don't feel compelled to do so, and as the Boston Globe reported Thursday, both have received a portion of the $1 million in donations spent by gambling lobbyists in Boston already this year. President Murray told the newspaper that lobbying donations "will have no bearing on how we approach gaming legislation" and she may sincerely believe that, but why would any resident of Massachusetts given the success lobbyists have enjoyed in pushing special interest legislation over the years?

Ideally, lawmakers will rise up against this bill because of the many negatives associated with gambling and because of the way the bill was crafted and presented, but that may be too much to hope for. Failing that, as many provisions as possible must be included to protect communities. Unfortunately, there are no safeguards in place for the weeks and months ahead when the big casino interests will be descending upon the state.

Gambling interests in Holyoke and Palmer are competing for the western casino and the chosen site will have an impact on Berkshire County, particularly its entertainment venues, should the bill become law. Damage will be done, but the Berkshire delegation must step up to help minimize it as much as possible.

Massachusetts: Open Government = Public Spectacle

Lawmakers Set To Introduce Casino Bill


The effort to bring casinos to Massachusetts takes center stage on Beacon Hill Tuesday.

After months of quiet negotiations [Do you mean Secret Back Room Deals?] with Gov. Deval Patrick, legislative leaders, somewhat unexpectedly, are set to introduce a new bill that calls for three casinos and one slot machine parlor.

The Boston Globe reports that lawmakers worked with Patrick on the plan, as it was Patrick who torpedoed gambling last year. The negotiations have been between a small group of lawmakers and have been kept mostly out of the news, according to Kyle Cheney of the State House News Service.

“Their idea was to streamline their negotiations behind closed doors and not let it become this public spectacle,” Cheney told Morning Edition’s Bob Oakes.

Debate on the legislation is expected to take place next month.

Governor Deval Patrick's Legacy

Governor Patrick NEVER discussed Predatory Gambling while campaigning and pretending a new false image of 'transparency.'

Yet, once in office, he genuflected to the Gambling Industry and now pretends 'Destination Resort Slot Barns' make fiscal sense, while he negotiates behind closed doors.

While he focuses on the 'pretense' of numbers, included in the 2010 legislation that passed both houses (without having been read), was FREE ALCOHOL, a Give-Me to the Gambling Industry.

Drunks continue to gamble, wager more, are more likely to sign on the dotted lines for those loans to continue to feed cash sucking machines. And they're more likely to leave the Slot Barn drunk, making each of us an innocent target - any hour, any day, 24/7/365.

So, once out of office, moved on to greener pastures, Governor Deval Patrick will leave a legacy of DRUNK DRIVERS behind, along with the casualties of those drunks.



"Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" campaign begins today

CAPE COD - Several Cape Cod police departments, including the Falmouth and Dennis Police Departments, are participating in the drunk driving crackdown "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over". The campaign begins today and continues through Labor Day Weekend. Around 200 Massachusetts police departments will be participating this year.

Patrol officers will be searching for impaired drivers on Cape Cod roads. According to participating departments, all drivers found to be driving impaired will be arrested.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2009, 108 people died in Massachusetts in crashes involving a drunk driver.

Not only is drunk driving dangerous, it can be costly. First offenders may face loss of license and jail time. Offenders are impacted financially as well, by insurance rate increases, attorney fees, court costs and loss of time at work.

More information is available on the state highway safety division website here.

Source: Falmouth Police Department; Dennis Police Department.

When will Beacon Hill do its job?

Massachusetts 'leadership' (if we can call it that!) is again negligent and the cost is the lives of disabled individuals.

The focus for far too long had been on back room deals and secret meetings to address "Slot Barn Gambling."

The Gambling Industry has held the Commonwealth of Massachusetts hostage, stroking egos, providing undisclosed promises revealed during those secret discussions, monopolizing the media and providing campaign contributions.

Obsessed with the blinding lights of Slot Barn Glitter, leadership has ignored the rest of their responsibilities. The Governor, following the path set by his Republican predecessors has jeopardized the lives of those 'least among us.'

The system supposed to protect those unable to protect themselves has been sacrificed on the altar of "Slot Barn Gambling" by a Governor obsessed.

When will Beacon Hill do its job?


Lawmakers: Group-home deaths merit 'harder look'
By Joyce Tsai


Several of the area's state legislators are questioning the Patrick administration's plan to close four of the state's six institutions for people with developmental disabilities in the wake of a report over the weekend that two developmentally disabled men died in state-run group homes in Tyngsboro and Tewksbury.

The deaths, said state Sen. Eileen Donoghue, raise important questions about the men's quality of care and whether they received adequate supervision at those facilities.

"In my estimation, that certainly bears investigation," the Lowell Democrat said.

Although some argue that the cost of keeping open such state-run institutions for the severely developmentally disabled, such as the Fernald Development Center in Waltham, is astronomical, "it's not a dollar-and-cents issue," Donoghue said.

It's a complicated question, she acknowledged, adding, "Let's look at how the state can best care for people who are the most vulnerable in our society."

State Rep. Jim Miceli also said that the deaths -- especially that of a man who died after eating a plastic bag in Tyngsboro this summer -- simply should not happen.

"It's horrific," the Wilmington Democrat said, "and obviously we hold these agencies to the proper care of the citizens that are entrusted to them.

"Certainly, I want to see an investigation of the manning of those homes and what happened," he added.

The deaths have raised concern that the governor's plan could cause a lot of problems of a similar nature in the future, he said.
"Everyone likes to talk about our most vulnerable citizens, and these are our most vulnerable citizens," he said. "We should take a harder look."

According to reports from the state's Disabled Persons Protection Commission, obtained Friday by the Associated Press, a man living in a state-run group home in Tyngsboro died July 6 after he was taken to Lowell General Hospital on June 19 after swallowing a plastic shopping bag. No one at the facility saw him swallow the bag, even though the man required total care and had been flagged as someone who suffered from pica, a desire to eat inedible items.

Weeks later, on July 24, a man at a state-run home in Tewksbury died of a sudden undetermined illness that is still being determined by an autopsy. Although staff called 911 and tended to the man, who required minimal assistance, after he collapsed in a bedroom, he could not be revived.

Both had been transferred from state-run institutions that the Patrick administration plans to close. The man at the Tyngsboro home had been there for about a year after being transferred from the Fernald Center, and the man at the Tewksbury home had been there for four days, after moving from the Templeton Developmental Center in Baldwinville.

The state Department of Developmental Services, which runs the homes, said the deaths are under investigation.

But state Sen. Susan Fargo said it is crucial "to determine their causes, so they can be avoided next time."

The Lincoln Democrat, who represents Carlisle, Chelmsford and Concord, was saddened by the deaths and said she has been "very, very concerned about plans to close the Fernald center," which is in her district.

She believes commercial and residential interests have influenced the desire to shut the center.

Former Gov. Mitt Romney was among the first to push for closing the center because he wanted that land to be developed, she said.

"It's on an almost 200-acre plot of a prime real estate in Waltham, inside of Route 128, so it's a very desirable location," she said.

Although those reasons are "not stated" by advocates of the center's closure, Fargo said they have played a role in the debate.

"And in the meantime, those who don't have a voice were kind of shoved and moved around," she said, adding that keeping the center open "hasn't been a winning cause."

Fernald, which was the first center scheduled to close, on June 30, 2010, still has 14 residents in the facility.

A judge in a federal court case involving Fernald ruled that patients "cannot be forced to move against their will, unless they are getting equal or better care," Fargo said.

She added that although she supports community-based programs and has a sister with Down syndrome who has thrived in one of those programs, she is concerned that there have been other deaths for which the causes are unclear, and said that may indicate that those with developmental disabilities do not like a change in surroundings and don't thrive after such a move.

Many have lived in those facilities their whole lives, and such a move is "traumatic," said David Kassel, spokesman for the Massachusetts Coalition of Families and Advocates, an advocacy group for people with developmental disabilities and their families, who has argued against the plan.

Fargo agreed, noting that it's especially hard for people with complex medical conditions.

"To be picked up and moved at 50, 60, 70 or 80 years old is very hard on them," she said. "And we are concerned it's not just these two people, but others, that may not be getting equal or better care."

Massachusetts: Corruption Trumps

Corruption trumps

Howie Carr’s column about a new Gambling Oversight Commission proposed by Gov. Deval Patrick states it exactly as it is (“Hey gov, I bet it’s corrupt,” July 29 [no longer available on line] ).

Business as usual in Massachusetts and corruption trumps. Has there ever been an official politician leaving his or her position poorer than when he or she entered it? Even the indicted and convicted hacks land on their feet through a special interest!

Simply put, the consistent lack of political ethics should be referred to for what it truly is: Lack of honor!

— Deborah A. Murphy, Plympton


The failure of ALL of Beacon Hill to address the ongoing issues of corruption taints many honest and hard working elected officials who inform themselves about the importance of their votes, conduct their research and frequently, oppose leadership.

Massachusetts: Governor, You own this folly!

Yes, the Governor made hay this week with his few public comments - and carefully avoided 'owning' what he initiated, expressing his willingness to compromise.

But we know otherwise, don't we Governor?

You unleashed this monster on the Commonwealth and couldn't wait to rid yourself of former House Speaker Sal DiMasi, a staunch opponent. You said as much to me in Franklin. How dare he prevent you from having your podium?

Revenge is sweet, but short-lived.

Surrounded by CORRUPTION you're ignoring and ready to move to higher office, brushing off the framework of disaster you've left behind like dandruff on a dark suit, incapable of real change and effective policy.

Snookered by Governor Patrick says it all.


Governor talks gambling deal for Massachusetts
BOSTON

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick says he will accept one competitively bid slot parlor if it brings expanded gambling and casinos to the state.

During his monthly radio appearance on WTKK-FM Thursday, Patrick said he and legislative leaders agree there should be no more than three resort casinos in the state, and he will accept one slot parlor, a sticking point in last year's debate.

Patrick said he and legislative leaders are discussing details, such as tax rates and regulations, before a full legislative debate in the fall.

Senate Republicans are asking that when a gambling bill is drafted, the Senate wait 10 days to debate so legislators and the public can review it.

Former state Attorney General Scott Harshbarger has also called for a more transparent negotiations.

Snookered by Governor Patrick!

Cross posted from Blue Mass Group.

In 2009, the Massachusetts Democratic Party passed a Resolution
opposing Predatory Gambling that Governor Patrick has ignored.

Found here:

Massachusetts Democratic Party Resolution Opposing Predatory Gambling

It was distributed to every Democratic member on Beacon Hill.

In 2009, a long overdue meeting was held by the Governor with
a coalition of Casino Opponents.

Governor Patrick agreed to support an INDEPENDENT COST BENEFIT
ANALYSIS after meeting with the group:

Maybe it's time to talk!

Please remember that the Governor spent $189,000 hard earned taxpayer dollars, on the Spectrum Gaming Report that was designed to overstate jobs and revenue projections, not consider the costs and impacts.

The cost of the INDEPENDENT COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS, as proposed by the Coalition would have been nominal!

Governor Patrick downplayed his intent long enough to appease members of the coalition, convince them of his sincerity to gain re-election and promptly returned to his secret meetings and promotion of Destination Resort Slot Barns.

Shortly after is re-election, the Governor met in secret with a group of Tribes, led them to believe he would support 'state land into trust' and a Slot Barn in Freetown. Rumors abound!
Since Beacon Hill has exempted itself from Open Meeting Laws, the back room deals will never be disclosed.

And on that laundry list of 'things to do,' it included convicting former House Speaker Sal DiMasi, a staunch Casino Opponent who squashed the Governor's original plans.

Lest you think revenge wasn't in the Governor's plan, he was still smarting about his defeat when I had an opportunity to discuss Gambling with him after a Community Forum in Franklin.

A good case can be made that Deval Patrick's intent was to cram through flawed Gambling legislation prior to his election, consequences be damned!

This has since been removed:

Diane B. Patrick
Partner
Ropes & Gray
One International Place
Boston, MA 02110-2624

Gaming
Attorneys

Gaming
Gaming trade associations, leading companies and principal investors turn to Ropes & Gray for advice on matters ranging from litigation and regulatory issues, to financing and transactional engagements, to internal investigations and out-of-court workouts and insolvencies. We work with participants in all portions of the industry, including commercial casino companies, tribal operations and technology suppliers. We understand how the industry’s unique regulatory environment influences most legal issues. Recent engagements have included:
Defending several lawsuits brought by allegedly compulsive gamblers, and helping many clients develop meaningful, responsible gaming programs.
Defending against U.S. Treasury enforcement proceedings for failures to file currency transaction reports, and pressing the industry’s concerns before Treasury on "suspicious activity reporting."
Leading the industry effort to shape anti-terrorism restrictions proposed by the Coast Guard for casino riverboats in the wake of the September 11 tragedies.
Advising both underwriters and investors in more than a dozen major debt financings for tribal gaming properties.
Advocating before the U.S. Interior Department concerning tribal gaming compacts and the designation of initial reservations.
Defending a casino developer against a multimillion dollar claim by a local government for failing to win a state license for a proposed casino project.
Defending a gaming company before the Federal Election Commission against charges of improper campaign donations.
Representing major creditors in a Chapter 11 reorganization of a multi-state gaming entity.
Advising numerous clients concerning the application of state anti-lottery laws to proposed promotional programs, including Internet activities.
Seeking certiorari from the United States Supreme Court in a First Amendment challenge to limitations on campaign donations by casino licensees.
Ropes & Gray is the only national law firm that is a member of the American Gaming Association, which also is a client of the firm on a number of matters.
Contact:
For further information on this area of practice, please contact:
Litigation and Regulatory Matters – David O. Stewart
Financing and Transactional – Lawrence D. Bragg
Workouts and Insolvencies – Don S. DeAmicis

We have all been betrayed by a Governor who took office with an intent to push through Predatory Gambling!

And then he'll move on to higher office with the generous support of wealthy Gambling Investors, leaving behind the detritus he's created.


And then he lied: wampaleaks

Beacon Hill Ignores Alcohol Policies

24/7/365 FREE ALCOHOL was in included in the 2010 Flawed Legislation passed on Beacon Hill, with little debate in an effort to genuflect to the Gambling Industry.

While Republicans foolishly railed about the "Nanny State," facts prove otherwise.

In their willingness to please the Gambling Industry, Beacon Hill ignored that each of us would become innocent targets of Intoxicated Slot Barn Patrons who had been served FREE ALCOHOL.

Some additional information:
ALCOHOL

DRUNK DRIVERS

From American Gaming Association: Casino Alcohol Policies

Here are the facts about the industry's alcohol policies:

◦Not all casinos provide free alcohol to their customers. Of the 22 states with commercial casino gaming, casinos in only 13—Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota and West Virginia—are permitted to offer free alcohol to their patrons.



If only 13 states of 22 states offered FREE ALCOHOL, why was it imperative?

The AGA comments fail to note hours of service.

Connecticut does NOT offer 24/7/365 FREE ALCOHOL SERVICE because of the high incidence of DRUNKEN DRIVERS and serious accidents.

Why did Beacon Hill?

What privately owned business can offer FREE ALCOHOL in Massachusetts?

What privately owned business can serve alcohol 24/7/365?