New plan to open a casino inside every Massachusetts home

 

In Massachusetts many citizens got involved in the movement to stop casinos because they opposed a casino where they lived.

Today there is a lobbying effort underway for state government to sponsor online gambling which will ultimately open a casino and lottery retailer right inside your home and on your smart phone, as well as for everyone else in your community.

Attorney General Maura Healey's office has proposed an initiative legalizing online gambling by regulations, a political strategy that contrasts the actions of the New York and Illinois Attorney Generals who have acted to shut down online gambling operations in their states.

The Attorney General's proposed regulations represent the biggest expansion of gambling in Massachusetts history. While it has been presented to the public as a bid to regulate online fantasy sports gambling, the end game for gambling interests is to offer more extreme forms of gambling to citizens through the internet.

Casino companies like MGM and Caesars have unsuccessfully lobbied for internet gambling to be legalized at the federal level.  Authorizing DFS would provide gambling interests like these and others a back door way to bring in internet casino gambling.

Legislation was recently filed in the Massachusetts Legislature to do just that. It's also why when the Mass Gambling Commission released its review of so-called "Daily Fantasy Sports" this week, it also looked at other forms of online gambling.

I urge you to please share your comments about this issue with Attorney General Healey and her staff by Friday, January 22. Here is the info about her proposal to introduce internet gambling. Comments can be emailed to DFSRegs@state.ma.us

A few items to help you learn more about the topic:

1) Read our national report.

2) Here is a colorful, recently published New York Times Magazine story titled “How the Daily Fantasy Sports Industry Turns Fans Into Suckers.”

3) Our testimony presented at the AG's hearing this past Tuesday.

4) National political comedian John Oliver's review of online fantasy sports gambling on his HBO show Last Week Tonight. (If the image below doesn't show in your email, watch the segment here.)

We believe Attorney General Healey, her staff and others who propose to introduce internet gambling into Massachusetts are better leaders than this initiative demonstrates.

Best,

Les

____________

Les Bernal

National Director

Stop Predatory Gambling

Build a more humane and just society: end government-sponsored gambling because it is dishonest, financially damaging to citizens and contributes to rising inequality of opportunity.

Balancing the ballot question arguments

Daily Item

They argue thousands of Massachusetts children are stuck on charter ... Revere voters rejected a localslots ballot question last month but McCain can ...

Documents reveal true backers of drive for a 2nd slots parlor The Boston Globe The $3.2 million campaign to open a second slots parlor in Massachusetts has been secretly financed by a team of developers who brought gambling ...

Mass. likely voters skeptical of Question 1 allowing 2nd slots parlor, Western New England University poll says

By Gintautas Dumcius

November 04, 2016

Fifty percent of likely voters in Massachusetts aren't interested in allowing the state to set up a second slots parlor, according to a new poll from the Western New England University Polling Institute.

Thirty-two percent said they back the proposal, known as Question 1. Seventeen percent said they're undecided.

Tim Vercellotti, the Polling Institute's director, called the high number of undecided voters "usual" as Nov. 8 draws closer.

"Our interviewers reported many instances in which survey respondents simply did not understand the term 'slots parlor' in the question," Vercellotti said in a statement accompanying survey results.

"The ballot that voters will view on Tuesday has a lengthy explanation of the term, and the actual results of the ballot question could be very different from what we are seeing in our survey," he said.

Under the Massachusetts expanded gambling law passed in 2011, the Gaming Commission can authorize up to three casinos and one slot parlor.

The state's sole slots parlor, operating under the name Plainridge Park Casino, located near the Massachusetts-Rhode Island border, opened in June 2015. The MGM casino in Springfield and the Wynn Resorts casino in Everett, north of Boston, are expected to open in the coming years.

Developer Eugene McCain is the primary backer of the question that would allow a second slots parlor. He is arguing approval of the question will bring jobs to Massachusetts and he's seeking to place it in Revere.

But Revere voters rejected a non-binding referendum on allowing the casino to be sited in their city. Opponents of the question say it was "written by one casino developer, for one purpose: his own financial gain," according to a summary of arguments provided by the state's elections division.

http://www.masslive.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/11/mass_likely_voters_skeptical_o.html

Why Genting's Investors Lost 47% in the Last 5 years!

Why Genting's Investors Lost 47% in the Last 5 years!

The Motley Fool Singapore

Share price – If an investor had bought shares in Genting Singapore five years' ago, he would have lost about 51%. That's because the shares have ...

Massachusetts Ballot Question !: Slot BARN in Revere denounced by mayor

The Gambling Vultures promise to pave the streets with GOLD, solve ALL fiscal problems...when they fail to deliver....? There are no consequences. 

Atlantic City crime and poverty.....and lawmakers still haven't figured it out.....

Massachusetts Voters rallied around the BOGUS promises that were easily discredited......Unions accepted the False promises.....Massachusetts voters fell for it.....

Slot  BARN in Revere denounced by mayor

 K Morrison
October 2, 2016

Recently, Revere Mayor Brian M. Arrigo along with other city leaders launched an opposition campaign opposing a proposed slots parlor and hotel on Revere Beach Parkway near the Suffolk Downs racetrack.

After a group led by real estate developer Eugene McCain collected almost 5,000 signatures in an initiative petition process, city officials scheduled a special municipal election for October 18 at which time Revere voters will decide whether or not to approve the project. McCain’s group also collected nearly 100,000 signatures in June winning the right to have the statewide ballot question known as Question 1 placed before voters on November 8. Arrigo, who called the project “Little League,” urged voters to reject the proposal, saying it was poorly conceived and written, will not deliver on its promises, and is not the right fit for the Revere community. At a recent news conference regarding the situation, Arrigo said, “This isn’t about being pro- or anti-gaming. It’s about good and bad ideas,” and, “Look at the proponents’ shoddy proposal, look at their lack of a track record, and ask yourself if this meets the high standards that we have for our community,” according to The Boston Globe.

The mayor noted that so far, no elected official, including Governor Charlie Baker, has shown support for the project introduced by McCain. The international developer wants to build a 1,250-slot facility in the area around Suffolk Downs; however, a gambling license is not available under state law. The McCain-led petition drive in June seeks to amend Massachusetts law and lift the limit of casinos allowed in the state and allow a second slots-only license in a specific location. In order to prevent oversaturation of the market, only three casinos and one slots parlor, in separate defined geographic areas in the state, were legalized in the 2011 gambling law.

Earlier plans that would have turned the Suffolk Downs racetrack into a resort-style casino complex were approved twice by Revere voters, however, after being rejected first by voters in East Boston and then by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, those plans were thwarted. Revere was bypassed by the latter in favor of the $1.6 billion Wynn Boston Harbor development in neighboring Everett.

A slots parlor in Revere would have to compete with the Wynn resort, which is just three miles from the site of McCain’s proposed slots-only facility. Arrigo stated in the lengthy statement that an example of the struggle a slots-only facility will face competing with a full-fledged casino located within close proximity is the Plainridge slot parlor in Plainville. Arrigo said, “Initial estimates suggested Plainridge could make $300 million in its first year of operation; as of April, it was on pace to make just over half of that estimate ($160 million). This is after going to great lengths to make up for a disappointing opening, including offering players up to $1,000 in free slot play,” and that, “There is simply no way a slot parlor located a few miles from a full-fledged resort casino will be able to deliver on its revenue promises,” according to the statement. The mayor’s statement names 14 city officials, including himself, that have joined against the slot casino.

Recently, MGM Resorts International, which is spending $950 million on its MGM Springfield casino, joined Wynn Resorts Limited in opposing the upcoming state-wide ballot initiative. And last week, McCain’s group announced that it hired Las Vegas-based casino developer and manager, Navegante, led by Larry J. Woolf, former president and CEO of MGM Grand in Las Vegas, to aid its effort to build the slots facility.

https://news.worldcasinodirectory.com/slot-casino-in-revere-denounced-by-mayor-35228

Slots Casino Group Takes on Partner

October 1, 2016

By Journal Staff

By Sue Ellen Woodcock

Now that the city is going forward with a special election on Oct. 18 both sides have begun their arguments for and against a proposed slot parlor casino at the site of Lee’s Trailer Park on Revere Beach Parkway.

City and state-level officials are expected to hold a press conference today (Wednesday) at 1 p.m. in front of city hall to voice opposition to the proposal. Expected to attend the press conference is Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo, State Rep. RoseLee Vincent and State Sen. Joe Boncore.

In a statement, Mayor Brian Arrigo said “the fly-by-night proposal to build a slot parlor would not be beneficial to the city, and could undermine the progress Revere has made toward reinventing its image.”

Eugene McCain and his associates who are seeking a possible gaming licenses if Question 1 is approved in November,  have partnered with a Las Vegas company to manage everything of a slots casino.

Navegante, a gaming and hospitality company, based outside of Las Vegas will be having one of its leaders working in Revere. Gary Armentout, who has over 35 year of experience in the casino/hospitality industry has worked on casinos outside of Toronto and with Foxwoods. He also worked on Harvey’s Resorts, Vanguard Gaming and several riverboat casinos along the Mississippi River.

He was also the corporate attorney for Harrah’s and has practice gaming law.

“I’m impressed with the group,” Armentout said, who’s worked on gaming development and gaming management. He has been a consultant and worked with both Native American and private casinos. “Once the license is in place I’ll be there for input and advice.”

Armentout noted that he has worked in other communities that have voiced opposition to casinos. He will work with the architects and developers. In his time he has built 10 difference casino/hotels.

“This is an exciting opportunity for Revere,” Armentout said. “This will be a first-class facility that will provide about 450 jobs with benefits. There will be construction jobs too and vendors in the area will also increase the number of jobs. The state will receive $80 million, the city will bring in $5 million in tax revenue and the Horse Racing Development Fund will receive $12-$15 million in support. It’s a win-win for everyone.”

“The Navegante team is excited to be the proposed gaming partner, and to join Gene McCain and his team in Massachusetts. The passion that he has shown for bringing a world-class hotel and limited gaming facility to Revere is second-to-none. The initial renderings and plans leave no doubt in our mind that the facility will be exceptional in every way. I know that the people of Massachusetts are excited about the project, and excited about the possibility of adding thousands of new jobs and tens of millions of new revenue dollars to the State’s budget.”

http://www.reverejournal.com/2016/10/01/slots-casino-group-takes-on-partner/#

Massachusetts: Professor briefs lawmakers on problem gambling study results

Professor briefs lawmakers on problem gambling study results

27.5 percent of the state's population were non-gamblers and 63.4 percent were recreational gamblers

Katie Lannan, State House News ServicePublished: September 21, 2016,

BOSTON, Mass. (STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE) – An estimated 88,000 adults in Massachusetts are problem gamblers, and another 390,000 are deemed “at-risk” gamblers and may bet more than they’d planned or borrow money to gamble, according to study findings presented Wednesday.

Research required under the 2011 law that legalized casino gambling in Massachusetts found that 1.7 percent of that state’s adult population were considered problem gamblers and 7.5 percent were at-risk gamblers, said Rachel Volberg, the study’s principal investigator.

A UMass-Amherst professor who specializes in gambling research, Volberg presented findings from a baseline study of the Massachusetts population, conducted from September 2013 to May 2014, before the state’s first slot parlor opened in Plainville. Additional research will be conducted as resort casinos authorized under the terms of the 2011 law – two are under construction – move forward and open for business.

Enrique Zuniga, one of five members of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, described the research project as “very ambitious” and “something that has never been done before in the world, mostly because we’re looking at it before and after the introduction of casinos.”

The survey found that, with no casinos yet open in the state, 27.5 percent of the state’s population were non-gamblers and 63.4 percent were recreational gamblers who find betting enjoyable and do not experience harm from it.

Volberg said there were “significant differences” in problem gambling rates based on race, gender and level of education attained.

“Men are three times more likely to have a gambling problem than women, blacks are four times more likely to have a gambling problem than whites, and individuals with a high school diploma or less are twice as likely to have a gambling problem compared with individuals with a college degree,” she said during a briefing on the research for lawmakers and staff.

The baseline survey also gauged respondents’ attitudes toward gambling, finding that 57.5 percent believed some forms of gambling should be legal while others should be illegal, and that 63.1 percent believed the current availability of gambling in Massachusetts was fine. Around 22 percent said not enough gambling was available in Massachusetts, while nearly 15 percent said it was too widely available.

Seventy-two percent of respondents had participated in at least one gambling activity in the past year, with the state lottery the most popular. According to the survey, 59 percent played lottery games, 32 percent participated in raffles, 22 percent visited a casino, and 13 percent bet on sports. Only 2 percent said they gambled online.

After the emergence of popular daily fantasy sports websites like the Massachusetts-based DraftKings, lawmakers have expressed interest in exploring and further regulating both daily fantasy sports and the broader world of online gaming. Lottery officials have unsuccessfully sought legislative authorization to offer their products on the internet, pointing to stagnant instant ticket sales as more and more bettors choose to wager on daily fantasy sports or elsewhere.

An economic development law Gov. Charlie Baker signed last month created a special commission to study the regulation of online gaming, fantasy sports gaming and daily fantasy sports, including “economic development, consumer protection, taxation, legal and regulatory structures, implications for existing gaming, burdens and benefits to the commonwealth and any other factors the commission deems relevant.”

“We continue to think about expanded gaming, whether we’re talking about online lottery, whether we’re talking about different types of online sports gambling, other things,” Marlene Warner, the executive director of the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling, said during the briefing. “I think it’s important for us to be paying attention to the data that we have currently around gambling that currently exists in Massachusetts.”

Copyright 2016 STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE

http://wwlp.com/2016/09/21/professor-briefs-lawmakers-on-problem-gambling-study-results/

REVIEW REEL WAMPS for additional perspective.

 

Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe asks to join casino land dispute

 Adam Morgan

 

 August 17, 2016

 

In Massachusetts, the federally-recognized Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe has asked to intervene in a lawsuit brought by opponents to its planned $1 billion First Light Casino And Resort near the city of Taunton.

Last month saw Judge William Young from the United States District Court For The District Of Massachusetts rule against the federal government’s 2015 land-into-trust decision for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe. The case, Littlefield v Department Of The Interior, was brought by a group of local property owners opposed to last year’s judgment and the construction of a new casino.

In his ruling, Young declared that the Department Of The Interior had lacked the authority to approve the land-into-trust application from the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe as the tribe had not been federally recognized at the time the landmark 1934 Indian Reorganization Act was passed. He cited the 2009 decision from the United States Supreme Court in the case of Carcieri v Salazar and claimed that tribes could only be eligible for a reservation if they had held an official relationship with the federal government at the time this legislation was ratified.

Despite not being named as a defendant in the case, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe has now asked to become involved in Littlefield v Department Of The Interior so as to guarantee its rights are protected and represented in court.

“Besides the Tribe’s strong spiritual and cultural ties to the land, the Tribe has a very substantial financial interest at stake, both with respect to existing future debt as well as potential future revenues that will translate to economic development for an entire tribal community,” read a court filing from Cedric Cromwell, Chairman for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe. “If the land is taken out of trust, the Tribe will face a substantial financial loss, which represents a severe and debilitating threat to the economic development and overall prosperity of the Tribe.”

According to a report from The Boston Globe newspaper, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe won federal recognition in 2007 following a 32-year legal struggle. It began preliminary construction on its First Light Resort And Casino in April but has since been forced to suspend all but essential work at the site located about 38 miles south of Boston.

The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe had originally hoped to open its First Light Resort and Casino by the summer of 2017 with some 1,900 slots alongside 60 table games. In anticipation, the tribe held a jobs and vendor fair for the development in May and explained at the time that the entire project when finished could feature up to 3,000 slots and 150 table games as well as a trio of 300-room hotels, a water park and spa, indoor pool, nine retail stores and a 31,000 sq ft multi-purpose function room.

https://news.worldcasinodirectory.com/mashpee-wampanoag-tribe-asks-to-join-casino-land-dispute-32862

Massachusetts: Gaming projections can't be taken seriously

To SELL Predatory Gambling to an unsuspecting electorate, EXPERTS overstated revenue projections that were easily disproved. 

There are no consequences to the foolhardy, but there are for lawmakers who follow the same Yellow Brick Road. 

Gaming projections can't be taken seriously

The Lowell Sun

UPDATED:   08/14/2016

It would nice if the rosy tax revenue projections from the state's budding casino empire come true, but we're expressing caution.

Don't spend what you don't have.

But Gaming Commission Chairman Steve Crosby already is greasing the way for the tax-and-spenders on Beacon Hill to expand the budget belt buckle a few notches.

Crosby told the State House News Service that once the resort casinos in Springfield and Everett are opened, Massachusetts can anticipate $300 million in annual gaming revenue. His estimated breakdown follows:

n $100 million from the MGM casino in Springfield;

n $100 million from the Wynn Boston Harbor casino in Everett;

n $80 million from the slots parlor at Plainridge Park in Plainville.

Sounds all well and good -- if it happens.

We're not sure how Crosby arrived at his figures, but his expert analysis hasn't proved correct at the slots parlor.

In more than a year since it opened, Plainridge Park has yielded the state $68 million in tax revenue -- a far cry from the original annual projection of $83 million. At present, the slots parlor has a monopoly, but when the competition of two full-blown casinos arrives, it's going to be a tough slog for Plainville to increase its take -- and yet Crosby's estimating an $80 million tax haul.

Also at play is the impact of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe's First Light casino in Taunton, a 30-minute drive from Plainville.

The first phase of the $1 billion project is expected to open next summer, although federal litigation over a land dispute could cause a delay.

Then there's Twin River Casino in Lincoln, R.I., which is but 20 minutes away from Plainville.

The competition is heating up both inside and outside the Bay State.

Massachusetts gaming law directs nearly all of the tax revenue derived from the casinos and slots parlor to local aid for cities and towns. That's a good thing. So even if Crosby's estimates don't turn out exactly as promised, the resulting yield will be a much-needed boost to municipalities.

But casino-gaming revenues -- just like capital-stock gains -- can't be counted on to deliver the same or higher returns from year to year. A Center for Gaming Research study (2001-2015) at the University of Nevada Las Vegas shows that gaming revenues in 23 states closely mirrored the ebbs and flows of the U.S. economy. And the growth is minimal at best. (In 15 years, total U.S. gaming revenue has grown from $35 billion to $40 billion annually -- a modest 14 percent increase largely attributed to the growing number of casinos.)

Massachusetts continues to run an annual "structural" deficit, now pegged at $240 million but more likely it's $350 million because of health-care premium increases that the Legislature left on the table.

The $39.1 billion budget is built on a Hail Mary pass that tax revenues will materialize down the road. A more realistic scenario is that Gov. Charlie Baker will be forced to make 9C emergency spending cuts during 2017 to balance the budget.

It's all comes down to a simple equation: the state shouldn't spend more than it takes in.

Likewise, it shouldn't count on gaming-tax revenues until the greenbacks are counted in the state treasury.

http://www.lowellsun.com/opinion/ci_30245148/gaming-projections-cant-be-taken-seriously

Gambling Addiction

New gambling addiction prevention effort tested WAOW BOSTON (AP) -- Massachusetts gambling regulators say they're encouraged by early numbers from a unique gambling addiction prevention effort ... Over 3000 people sign up for addiction prevention program - WLNE-TV (ABC6) Full Coverage

MA: Gamblers Signing Up for Addiction Prevention Effort 95.9 WATD-FM (blog) Massachusetts gambling regulators say they're encouraged by early numbers from a unique gambling addiction prevention effort being tested at the ...

Willie Thorne bankrupt after borrowing £1m to fund gambling addiction Pechanga.net Willie Thorne has been declared bankrupt after admitting borrowing a million pounds to fund his gambling addiction. The Insolvency Service said the ...

Willie Thorne bankrupt after borrowing £1m to fund gambling addiction

Leicester Mercury

Willie Thorne has been declared bankrupt after admitting borrowing a million pounds to fund his gambling addiction. The Insolvency Service said the ...

Snooker's Willie Thorne 'penniless' from gambling

AOL Money UK

Legendary snooker player Willie Thorne has admitted that he's 'penniless' after borrowing £1 million to cover his gambling addiction. The snooker ...

Gamblers signing up for addiction prevention effort

Midland Daily News

BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts gambling regulators say they're encouraged by early numbers from a unique gambling addiction prevention effort ...

Gambling addiction impacts bingo players, new study finds

The Christian Institute

A recent study has found that nearly one in three bingo club players have experienced a gambling problem of some kind. One in nine of those ...

New gambling addiction prevention effort tested

WAOW

BOSTON (AP) -- Massachusetts gambling regulators say they're encouraged by early numbers from a unique gambling addiction prevention effort ...

Over 3000 people sign up for addiction prevention program - WLNE-TV (ABC6)

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The button that saved addicts £25m at bookies: William Hill allowing problem gamblers to lock their ...

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A panic button that allows gamblers with addiction problems to lock their ... the regulation was introduced by the UK Gambling Commission last year.

Israel aims to ban gambling machines and horse race betting by next year Gaming Intelligence ... to Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon has recommended an outright bans on slot machines and horse racing as a way to prevent gambling addiction.

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