Repeal The Casino Deal

Casino opponents seek ballot question to repeal gaming act

By Steve DeCosta

sdecosta@s-t.com

August 08, 2013

 

A coalition of gambling opponents is proposing a referendum question on next year's ballot that would repeal the state's Expanded Gaming Act.

 

"Most citizens believe state government should not be partnering with powerful gambling interests to promote casino gambling in our communities," John Ribeiro of Winthrop, chairman of the new group, Repeal the Casino Deal, said in a statement. "Government's promotion of casinos represents the wrong direction for Massachusetts. It's a bad deal for citizens."

 

Ten certified voters acting on behalf of the group have petitioned the attorney general to approve the wording of the proposed ballot question. If the wording is approved, proponents of the repeal will have to gather 68,911 certified signatures to have the proposal put on the ballot for the statewide gubernatorial election in November 2014.

 

The Expanded Gaming Act allows the state's Gaming Commission to license up to three resort casinos and a single slots parlor. The commission is on track to issue the slot parlor license by the end of this year and two of the three casino licenses in April 2014, well before the vote would be taken.

 

Lagging is the Southeastern Massachusetts casino license, which would not be issued until the end of November 2014.

 

The act was passed and signed into law by Gov. Deval Patrick in November 2011.

 

"One week later, a group of citizens opposed to the law filed a petition with the Secretary of State's office seeking to repeal it," the new coalition says on its website. "Our bid was denied by the Attorney General's office due to appropriations language that was inserted into the bill. We remain undaunted and are continuing to plan for the 2014 election cycle."

 

Among the 10 petitioners was Somerville Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, who said in a statement:

"Casinos are not an economic development strategy. They have a detrimental impact on quality of life. They drain the tax base, requiring more and more local expenditures and services to counter their impact. ... Putting the question of casinos to the Massachusetts electorate is the right thing to do."

 

Other petitioners include Mark Gottlieb, executive director of the Public Health Advocacy Institute at Northeastern University School of Law; former state Sen. Susan Tucker of Andover; Steven Abdow of The Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts; and Kris Mineau, president of the Massachusetts Family Institute.

 

Before passage of the gaming act, statewide polls — including several conducted by the Center for Policy Analysis at UMass Dartmouth — consistently showed at least 55 percent of voters favored casino gaming.

 

http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130808/NEWS/308080359

 

 

REPEAL THE CASINO DEAL

REPEAL THE CASINO DEAL


Aug. 7, 2013
Ballot question would repeal Mass. casino law


BOSTON (AP) — A coalition of gambling opponents is pushing a proposed ballot question that would repeal the law legalizing casino gambling in Massachusetts.

The group says it filed the proposed question with the state attorney general's office on Wednesday, the deadline for submitting questions for the 2014 ballot.

The group, which includes Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone, says casinos do more harm than good. The law authorizes up to three casinos and one slots parlor.

The push comes as a state gaming commission created under the 2011 law is weighing proposals from companies looking to be awarded the four state licenses.

The commission is expected to award a slots license before the end of the year and the casino licenses early next year.

Activists must collect tens of thousands of signatures to get the measure on the ballot.

http://hosted2.ap.org/MAGRE/4e06196a1f11442a96197ec8174afd24/Article_2013-08-07-Ballot%20Questions-Casinos/id-f72f147b6a46479eaf739b3c65c68322

Repeal the Casino Deal!

Group pushing for repeal of 2011 expanded gambling law

By Gerry Tuoti

Taunton Gazette Staff Reporter

Posted Aug 07, 2013

While the Massachusetts Gaming Commission continues conducting reviews in preparation of licensing casinos and a slot parlor, a group of casino opponents has taken steps to repeal the state’s 2011 expanded gambling law.

“Most citizens believe state government should not be partnering with powerful gambling interests to promote casino gambling in our communities,” Repeal the Casino Deal chairman John Ribeiro of Winthrop said in a statement. “Government’s promotion of casinos represents the wrong direction for Massachusetts. It’s a bad deal for citizens.”

The group filed a petition Wednesday with the attorney general to put a question on the 2014 state ballot to block casino gambling. The question would essentially gut the 2011 law, making the types of gambling relied on by casinos to lure customers and make money illegal in Massachusetts.

“I think the calculations have changed and they’ve actually tipped in our favor because when you look around the state and the number of people who will be impacted, you now have more people aware of the problems associated with casino gambling,” Ribeiro told the State House News Service.

East Taunton casino opponent Michelle Littlefield said repeal the Casino Deal had approached the Taunton casino opposition group Preserve Taunton’s Future. The Taunton group, she said, hasn’t signed on but could in the future.

“Because our battle is very, very different, we haven’t gotten as involved in Repeal the Deal,” Littlefield said. “Our battle, being against a tribal casino, is at the federal level, so that’s where we’ve been focused. We haven’t had much of an opportunity to get involved and haven’t had time to do the research.”

The Mashpee Wampanoag tribe is seeking to build a casino in East Taunton through a federal channel outside of the state commercial casino licensing process.

The 2011 state expanded gambling law allows up to three commercial casinos and one slot parlor in Massachusetts. Raynham Park is among the entities bidding for the slot license.

Ribeiro and casino opponents have tried to block casinos from opening in Massachusetts in the past, pursuing a referendum initiative in 2011 that would have allowed voters to repeal the expanded gaming law during the 2012 elections. Attorney General Martha Coakley ruled that question ineligible for the ballot because appropriations are not subject to the citizen petition process, and the gaming law included monetary appropriations. This year, opponents are pursuing a different track.

“The last time we knew it was a long shot because of the poison pills the Legislature put into the bill,” Ribeiro said. “This time we don’t face any such hurdles.”

Littlefield said local casino opposition groups across the state often collaborate on initiatives and share resources. She didn’t rule out lending her support to the ballot petition in the future.

“I wish them well,” she said. “I think casinos coming into any community are disruptive and have a lot of negative impacts that need to be looked at. People need to have the opportunity to speak. ... The bottom line for me is whether you support a casino or don’t support a casino, the people should have a voice.

The petition filed Wednesday was signed by Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone, former state Sen. Susan Tucker, Massachusetts Family Institute President Kris Mineau, Kathleen Conley Norbut, the president of United to Stop Slots, and others.

http://www.tauntongazette.com/news/x1676645468/Group-pushing-for-repeal-of-2011-expanded-gambling-law?zc_p=1

Anti-casino coalition proposes ballot question to repeal Massachusetts casino law

Anti-casino coalition proposes ballot question to repeal Massachusetts casino law

Michael Kogut of the "Citizens Against Casino Gaming" checks out the casino vote at Gasoline Alley in Springfield, Mass. Tuesday, July 16, 2013. Voters in Springfield have approved a casino agreement between city officials and MGM Resorts International. (AP Photo/The Republican, Dave Roback

 

By Dan Ring, The Republicanmasslive.com
Follow on Twitter
on August 07, 2013

 

BOSTON -- The mayor of Somerville, an Episcopal leader from Western Massachusetts and other members of a coalition today filed a petition for a ballot question next year to repeal the state's 2011 expanded gambling law and block plans for casinos in Springfield and elsewhere in Massachusetts.

"This is the wrong direction for the state of Massachusetts," said John Ribeiro of Winthrop, chairman of Repeal the Casino Deal and a member of the coalition. "The state should not be promoting casino gambling."

Ribeiro said volunteers plan to collect signatures this late summer and fall in order to qualify the question for the November 2014 election ballot.

Ribeiro said the coalition faces an uphill battle. He said he understands that casino companies would likely spend heavily to defeat the question if it makes the ballot.

If the referendum to repeal the casino law qualifies for the ballot, it could at least temporarily create chaos and uncertainty for companies that win licenses to build casinos.

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission in December is planning to award a license for a slots facility that could be anywhere in the state.

The commission in about April is planning to award licenses for casino resorts in Western Massachusetts and the Boston area.

Steven AbdowPhoto provided

 

Rep. Robert Koczera, a New Bedford Democrat who supports casinos, said he does not believe the ballot question would pass.

"Most people are resigned to the fact that casino gambling is something that people do," he said.
Koczera said casinos mean jobs, tourism and government revenues.

What a pity Rep. Koczera failed to conduct his due diligence prior to his vote.
He would have been proven WRONG on each item he included.

Casinos bring LOW WAGE JOBS.
Casinos actually discourage TOURISM.
Studies have proven that for each $1 in revenue Predatory Gambling provides, the cost to taxpayers is + $3 because of increased crime, increased DUIs, increased child and spousal abuse, increased bankruptcies caused by Gambling Addiction.

Legislation should be based on FACTS, not Gambling Industry Propaganda.

Among the initial ten signers of the petition are: Mark Gottlieb, executive director of the Public Health Advocacy Institute at Northeastern University School of Law; Somerville Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone; former state Senator Susan Tucker of Andover; Kris Mineau, president of the Massachusetts Family Institute, and Steven Abdow, administration and finance officer of The Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts.

The state's casino law allows up to three casino resorts in different regions of the state and a single slots facility with no table games.

In Western Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, the Mohegan Sun and Hard Rock are proposing casinos in Springfield, Palmer and West Springfield respectively.

Meeting a deadline, petitioners submitted the question to Attorney General Martha Coakley. The attorney general would determine by Sept. 4 if the question is constitutional.

If the attorney general clears the question, petitioners would need to collect almost 70,000 signatures and submit them to local election officials for certification in late November.

http://www.masslive.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/08/coalition_proposes_ballot_ques.html

 

'We’ve come too far to alter course'........?

When Town Manager Joe Fernandes is sooooo emotionally invested in supporting Plainridge after the Gam[bl]ing Commission disqualified their application.....doesn't something SMELL?

What gives, Joe? You intercept mail and emails, throw temper tantrums when anyone asks questions...threaten, silence and bully......

Whose payroll are you on?

“ 'We’ve come too far to alter course,' Town Administrator Joseph Fernandes said Thursday in an interview..." — as Plainville drove off the cliff and into the abyss.

What a reckless, ill-considered comment to make. Do the selectmen plan to meet before the public to talk about what has happened? Will they even consider these developments in an open meeting? Or will they continue to move toward a slots casino with their "partners" at Plainridge, as they have been for a decade and more? 

 

Plainville officials press ahead with slots parlor planning

By John Swinconeck and Jose Martinez

| Globe Correspondents

July 28, 2013

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/regionals/west/2013/07/27/local-officials-say-planning-for-slots-plainridge-will-continue/T7RQ0XUqC9eymcWMEUJ9FN/story.html

 

 

THE PEOPLE WANT TO SEE THE LAW ENFORCED!

Stop Graton Casino

THE PEOPLE WANT TO SEE THE LAW ENFORCED! The California State Lands Commission is responsible for tracking all lands within California's borders. It's expert says that sovereignty over the land the Graton casino is on has never been given to the federal government. The governor's attorney said the same in open court. Since sovereignty flows from the federal government to the tribe, this means that the land is not Indian-governed land, and is not eligible for casino gambling.

Massachusetts: A Job For Your Daughter to Aspire To!

Bill Kearney

More good casino jobs for our loved ones

Philly Daily News - August 6, 2013 -First casino gentlemen's club looks to enhance AyCee's sex appeal

"Adult entertainment is a prominent part of the entertainment scene in Las Vegas. It is not dominant, but it is part of what makes Vegas successful," reasoned casino analyst Joe Weinert, senior vice president of Linwood, N.J.-based Spectrum Gaming. "Part of the criticism of Atlantic City over the years, rightly or wrongly, is that it is a one-horse town. Now it is being forced to broaden that base. And quality, nonseedy adult entertainment had been a missing flavor in Atlantic City."

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/living/20130806_First_casino_gentlemen_s_club_looks_to_enhance_AyCee_s_sex_appeal.html#h8yM98SmAu8kx5pV.99

Slots and Our Schools

Posted by Bruce Panilaitis, August 06, 2013

 

As you know from my previous blog, I am against the proposed slot parlor, and am working hard with many others to defeat it at the August 20th Special Town Meeting. One aspect that I didn't talk about before is the impact this will have on our school system, and our school budget.

As my 6 boys have gone through the Tewksbury Public School System my wife and I have been very involved in PACs and School Councils. I also spent a year on the Budget Advisory Committee to the School Committee where we spent a great deal of time talking about the nuts and bolts of our school budget. First of all, let me say that the vast majority of teachers and staff we have worked with are high quality professionals that put the children in our district above all else. Whether it is Mrs. Morrissey at the Heath Brook or Mr. Molloy at TMHS, we have seen great teachers. However, as our two oldest have gone through TMHS over the past 4 years, we have seen a school culture that was focused more on "checking off the boxes" than excellence in education. This manifests in many ways, from full length movies being shown regularly in classes, to discipline problems, and failure to meet some curriculum standards as set forth by the state. Apparently we are not the only parents to notice this issue, as the attrition rate for our 8th graders has been 41.4%, 47.1%, 38.8%, and 35.9% over the past 4 years. Some may argue that this was due to the terrible state of our previous high school, and it had to be a factor. However, when you look at Wilmington, who also just recently tore down their high school, their attrition rate was significantly lower (26.5%, 25.8%, 24.6%, & 29.8%). That being said, I believe our recent change in administration at superintendant and principal have the potential to make significant improvements to that culture at TMHS, and they are working hard to do so. Dr. O'Connor and Mrs. Reagan are instituting change. It is a slow process but they are dedicated to the goals of excellence in education, and our professional, dedicated faculty at all of our schools are up to that challenge.

So what does this have to do with that Slot Parlor you ask? Well a significant portion of our school budget comes from the Commonwealth in the form of Chapter 70 Aid. While the formula for determining the amount of Chapter 70 a school system receives is complicated, total enrollment is a significant factor. When a student goes to a private school or moves to another town for a better school system, we lose school funding. When families decide to leave the town because of the passage of this slot parlor, we lose school funding. When a family looking around Middlesex County for a good community to settle down in avoids the "Slots Town", we lose school funding. We already have an issue at the high school level with students and their families choosing alternatives to TMHS.

 

A near 40% attrition rate is not good, and we do not need to exascerbate that issue with a casino that will drive families from Tewksbury and prevent others from settling down here.

Let's defeat this ill-conceived plan for a slot parlor and let's instead reinvigorate our school system.

 

Let's support our teachers and administration, challenging them to continue to improve the educational environment here in town. Let's not hamstring them with further cuts to their budget which is already cut to the bone.

The short money promised by this slot parlor is a bad bet for our schools.

 

http://tewksbury.patch.com/groups/stuff/p/slots-and-our-schools?fb_action_ids=10201943553094245&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%7B%2210201943553094245%22%3A585729828144125%7D&action_type_map=%7B%2210201943553094245%22%3A%22og.likes%22%7D&action_ref_map=%5B%5D

 

 

What does future hold for Plainridge?

An uncertain future, rumors and guessing games necessitate the 'Change of Use Application' being put on hold by the Plainville Planning Board!

Too many, like Town Manager Joe Fernandes seem too emotionally invested.......


What does future hold for Plainridge?
Posted: Wednesday, August 7, 2013

BY JIM HAND SUN CHRONICLE STAFF
The Sun Chronicle

PLAINVILLE - Hope remains that harness racing can be preserved at Plainridge Racecourse despite the track being disqualified as a bidder for slot machines that would have boosted revenue at the Route 1 facility.Track and town officials said the disqualification was a blow to the track, horsemen and the community because, as one track official put it, "harness racing is an industry that hangs in the balance."

Plainridge has steadily lost money over the years, and the added revenue 1,250 slot machines would have brought to the track was seen as the savior for the only harness track in Massachusetts.

The extra money would have led to bigger purses, which in turn would attract a higher quality of horses and more customers.

Track officials have said they would likely have to shut down if they didn't get permission to operate slot machines.

Now slot machines are out of the question, at least under the current track ownership.

The state Gaming Commission has disqualified Plainridge after uncovering evidence former President Gary Piontkowski was taking money over a number of years from the track "money room."

There was speculation Tuesday that another gaming firm could try to acquire Plainridge and revive it as a possible location for the one slot machine license the state will issue.

However, there was no clear evidence that was a possibility.

Track spokesman Bill Ryan would only say that the track and its property "could always be sold."

Town Administrator Joseph Fernandes said he has only heard speculation about an outside firm, and has not been contacted by anyone.

Three other firms applying for the slot machine license did not respond to requests for comment. They have all reached agreements with other towns to locate a slot parlor if they win the state license.

Ryan said the owners of Plainridge want racing to continue at the track, but they are unsure what the future holds.

Many in Plainville said they expect some type of retail development to replace the 15-year-old track.

Dave Simmons, a local attorney who specializes in real estate development, said a large retail outlet is a natural for the site.

Just south of Plainridge sits large developments that include Lowe's, Target and Stop & Shop stores. Just north, near the Interstate 495 cloverleaf, another shopping plaza is in the works.

Plainridge would sit near the other developments, and close to the I-495 exit ramps, but away from the congestion on Route 1 in Foxboro, he said.

"It's a prime piece of property and a large piece of property," he said of Plainridge.

Fernandes said retail space, possibly a mall, will likely come to the site.

But, he said, if it is a retail development, he hopes the Plainridge land fronting Route 1 could be the location for the stores and the racetrack could be preserved in the back of the property.

"It's a perfect location for retail," Principal Assessor Mary Jo LaFreniere said, but she added she could not predict what will actually happen to the property.

Michael Purpall, president of the Harness Horsemen's Association of New England, said the loss of the track would be devastating to harness racing.

He said about 500 people and 72 farms depend on the track for income.

The track has been struggling for years and a slot operation was its only hope for survival, he said.

Town officials said municipal government is also dependant on the track.

LaFreniere said Plainridge is the town's third or fourth largest taxpayer, depending on how you look at it.

She said its largest parcel is 88 acres and has an assessed value of more than $18 million. The track paid $279,546 in property taxes last year, she said.

Plainridge had promised to pay the town $1.5 million in property taxes and $2.7 million in fees based on a percentage of revenue [OVER 5 YEARS!], if it got the slot machine license and built a $125 million facility.

Fernandes said a large retail development could probably replace the lost property taxes, but no developer is going to pay the town 2 percent of its revenue in fees, as Plainridge had promised to do.


http://www.thesunchronicle.com/news/local_news/what-does-future-hold-for-plainridge/article_8e7a8aaa-7aa4-576a-9bc5-0a961977dd74.html

Casino opponents want repeal of state's gaming law on ballot

Anti-casino group has filed petition for question

Updated: Wednesday, 07 Aug 2013, 12:17 PM EDT
Published : Wednesday, 07 Aug 2013, 12:16 PM EDT

BOSTON (State House News Service) - With gaming regulators expecting to award the first casino licenses in Massachusetts early next year, opponents of expanded gambling announced Wednesday that they would seek to put a question on the 2014 November ballot essentially repealing the 2011 law that cleared the way for expanded gambling.

John Ribeiro, an anti-casino activist from Winthrop behind the Repeal the Casino Deal group, filed a petition Wednesday with the attorney general to start the initiative petition process and block casino gambling in Massachusetts. The question would essentially gut the 2011 law by making the types of gambling relied on by casinos to lure customers and make money illegal in Massachusetts.

“I think the calculations have changed and they’ve actually tipped in our favor because when you look around the state and the number of people who will be impacted, you now have more people aware of the problems associated with casino gambling,” Ribeiro told the News Service.

Ribeiro and casino opponents have tried to block casinos from opening in Massachusetts in the past, pursuing a referendum initiative in 2011 that would have allowed voters to repeal the expanded gaming law during the 2012 elections.

Attorney General Martha Coakley ruled that question ineligible for the ballot because appropriations are not subject to the citizen petition process, and the gaming law included monetary appropriations. This year, opponents are pursuing a different track. “The last time we knew it was a long shot because of the poison pills the Legislature put into the bill. This time we don’t face any such hurdles.”

Voters in places like Taunton, Springfield and Everett have embraced the idea of local casinos through votes on different casino developments competing for the three licenses, but some of those votes have been close, while other communities have rejected expanded gambling.

The petition filed Wednesday was signed by Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone, former state Sen. Susan Tucker, Massachusetts Family Institute President Kris Mineau, Kathleen Conley Norbut, the president of United to Stop Slots, and others.


http://www.wwlp.com/dpp/news/politics/state_politics/casino-opponents-want-repeal-of-states-gaming-law-on-ballot

Casino Opponents To Seek Ballot Repeal In 2014

By Matt MurphyAugust 7, 2013

 

 

Former Senator Sue Tucker: Slots Plan Has 'Yuck Factor'

Sue Tucker: Slots Plan Has 'Yuck Factor'

Residents gathered for a public forum on the controversial Tewksbury plan.

Posted by Bryan McGonigle (Editor) , August 07, 2013

 

 

When the Massachusetts Gaming Commission held a public forum with the Board of Selectmen at Memorial Hall Library Tuesday night, they may not have been expecting former State Sen. Susan Tucker to deliver a scathing, fiery battle declaration, but that's exactly what they were handed.

Tucker spoke at the forum, which was meant to answer residents' questions about Tewksbury's plan to allow a slots casino on the Andover border.

 

Recently, the Tewksbury Board of Selectmen approved a deal with the Commission to allow a 1,250-slot facility near where that town meets Route 133 and River Road in Andover.

Voters in Tewksbury will vote in a few weeks at Town Meeting on whether to allow a zoning change that would make the slot parlor possible.

What's the Deal?

Gaming Commission spokesman John Ziemba gave a presentation about what the selection process would be like if the slot parlor zoning change passes.

Basically, there are 10 gaming applicants for the Tewksbury land, some slot parlors and others actual casinos.

 

"It’s a competition, and how each applicant deals with these concerns of surrounding communities will help determine who is awarded," Ziemba said.

 

Surrounding communities i-- including Andover -- will be negotiated with to sign on to agreement with the gaming facility. Part of that agreement process includes impact studies paid for by the gaming facility.

 

"It's quite understandable that communities would not want to take those studies on their face," Ziemba said. "There needs to be some mechanism whereby communities can understand impacts for themselves, not based on national studies."

If there's no agreement within 30 days, the commission will then seek arbitration between the gaming facility and the town.

 

"We obviously understand that host communities are in a much better position for negotiations," Ziemba said.

No application is considered complete without the agreement, but the Commission still has the authority to proceed with a deal with the gaming facility even without surrounding communities' approval.

'Yuck Factor'

A longtime opponent of gaming in Massachusetts, Tucker spoke forcefully about her experience dealing with the industry, which she called a "racket."

“How many other businesses come into town already promising paid litigation for all the negative impact it’s going to have?” she asked. “Their goal is to suck in as many citizens as possible to throw their money in the slots, money that will go toward investors out of state, and that my friends is not economic development.”

 

Tucker, who served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1982 to 1992 and in the State Senate from 1999 to 2011, urged residents not to be taken in by a sales pitch.

 

“Whatever deals are made today are gonna change tomorrow. Casinos are in trouble all over the northeast," Tucker insisted. "Everything they promise is gonna go downhill, it’s a racket and it’s going on all over the country... Many communities have said go away... It’s not the wow factor, it’s the yuck factor.”"

Most people in the room agreed. In fact, no one spoke in favor of the slot parlor.

"I live directly near the impact, and I’m freaking out," Holly Gilmartin said.

"It takes a massive people to fight an issue, and in my opinion this is a political issue, and it’s because the state is lacking funds to run government and they have to make up ways to make money," Mary Carbone said.

Next Stop Tewksbury

Tucker is calling on Andover residents to go bold.

 

She wants to rally residents to go to Tewksbury and campaign against the proposed zoning change that would make the slot parlor possible.

 

"It is a rip-off on you, and your neighbors and your friends," she said.

Many in the crowd called out for a clear strategy of fighting the Tewksbury zoning change.

 

"Please get to the Tewksbury Board of Selectmen, and have them consider the lessons from Detroit," Rich Byron, whose wife is from now-bankrupt Detroit, said. "They brought in casinos for two reasons economic development and tax revenue... how is the economic situation in Detroit?"

Meanwhile in Tewksbury Tuesday night, the Tewksbury Finance Committee held their own public hearing about Penn National's proposal, and a representative of Penn gave a presentation urging for the town to allow what they've named Merrimack Valley Casino.

 

In addition to gambling, Merrimack Valley Casino would have a "Flutie's Sports Bar," a joint venture of former New England Patriots quarterback Doug Flutie and Penn National, according to Tewksbury Patch. Penn representatives also said they would partner with Tewksbury hotels to accommodate casino guests and bring more revenue to the hotels.

 

http://andover.patch.com/groups/politics-and-elections/p/sue-tucker-slots-plan-has-yuck-factor

Plainridge looking at quick sale to save slot bid

By Mark Arsenault

| Globe Staff August 07, 2013

Aram Boghosian for The Boston Globe

Patrons watch a harness race at Plainridge Racecourse in Plainville.

Disqualified from a statewide competition to develop a slot parlor, owners of Plainridge Racecourse are pursuing a quick sale of the track in a last-ditch effort to keep the site alive in the slot machine sweepstakes and preserve live harness racing in Massachusetts.

The Plainville property has drawn “significant interest” from investors in the days after state casino regulators ruled the current ownership group unsuitable to hold a state casino license, according to a person briefed on the discussions who was not authorized to speak publicly. Talks with potential new owners are active and ongoing.

The biggest obstacle to a sale may be time — the state gambling commission has set an Oct. 4 deadline for final plans for each slot parlor proposal, and any new owner would have to undergo an extensive background check by state investigators.

The gambling commission has not yet said if it would accept a new owner at this late stage of the contest.

It was the background check that tripped up Plainridge, the first slot applicant to apply for a license in 2012. The track at the junction of Interstate 495 and Route 1 had long been considered a leading contender, until state investigators discovered that former Plainridge President Gary T. Piontkowski took about $1.4 million in cash from the track’s money room in regular small withdrawals over several years.

Investigators revealed the withdrawals to the track’s major partners, who claimed to know nothing about them. The partners forced Piontkowski out in April and instituted new internal controls, but the revelations proved extremely damaging to the track’s application. The state gambling commission on Monday disqualified the Plainridge group from the slots competition, leaving four other developers in the contest.

Track officials have said for years that the state’s only operating harness racing track could not continue indefinitely without slot machines, and the failure of Plainridge’s slot bid has devastated the state’s harness racing community.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/08/07/plainridge-looking-quick-sale-save-slot-bid/nVv8dsN8v1gBAqIpC20KSJ/story.html

 

Senator Scott Brown's Poor Judgement

Senator Scott Brown traveled from Washington to lobby Governor 'Slot Barns' Patrick for his best BUD, Gary Piontkowski who ingratiated himself with many unless, of course, you were an abutter he was forced to intimidate and bully.

There does seem to be an inordinate amount of BULLYING going on in Plainville.....

While former Senator Scott Brown's choice of friends and fund-raisers may seem questionable in regards to Plainridge/Piontkowski, don't ignore the Senator's connection to the New England Compounding Lab and his support for DE-REGULATION in all sizes and colors.

The Perennial Candidate Scott Brown might choose his friends more wisely. Even if the name Piontkowski is easily forgotten next election cycle, the avoidable deaths caused by his other best BUDS are not.

Scott Brown’s Pal Deemed Too Sleazy For Slots By State Commission

The Gaming Commission finds former Plainridge president Gary Piontkowski so corrupt that the racetrack is ineligible for slots.

By David S. Bernstein|Boston Daily|August 6, 2013

 

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission decided yesterday that Plainridge Racecourse’s recently-booted president Gary Piontkowski was so insanely sleazy and corrupt that the track had to be deemed ineligible for a slot machine license.

 

This result will be celebrated by the many Beacon Hill folks who have, over the years, described Piontkowski to me as someone who they feel dirty being in a room with. But it must be a bitter disappointment for Piontkowski’s No. 1 superfan and booster, Scott Brown.

 

The Plainridge facility is in Brown’s old state senate district, and over the years, the two developed a close friendship. Brown was well known to frequent the racecourse and enjoy a drink with his pal Gary. Piontkowski became a big donor and fundraiser for Brown; Brown became a hardy advocate for the racing industry—and in particular, for allowing Plainridge to fill its halls with slot machines.

In 2008, Piontkowski sold a 50 percent share in a trotter he owned to Brown’s younger daughter, Arianna, for $3,000. They co-owned the horse together, as it ran and won money, but that wasn’t seen as a potentially compromising business partnership for Brown because it’s perfectly normal for a successful businessman to go sharesies with a 16-year-old girl.
 

When Brown went on to become a US Senator in 2010, he demonstrated a weird fixation in his conversations with political leaders back in Massachusetts, including governor Deval Patrick and senate president Therese Murray. They would want to discuss issues of importance to the Commonwealth going on in Washington, like Republicans filibustering huge chunks of Medicaid funding. But all Brown wanted to talk about was how they should pass a gaming bill that put slot machines at Piontkowski’s track. The Globe‘s Joan Vennocchi dubbed him “Senator Slots.”
 

This April, as the Gaming Commission was doing its required investigation into Plainridge, Piontkowski abruptly retired as president, citing “health reasons.”
 

As we learned recently, the “health reasons” were that Piontkowski had been literally stuffing wads of the track’s money into his pockets for years, which is enough to make you sick. This revelation, uncovered by the Commission, came as a total surprise to Piontkowski’s business partners and fellow executives, because every time the track’s CFO had tried to tell them about it, they stuck their fingers in their ears and sang “My Old Kentucky Home” at the top of their lungs.
 

Once the Commission received testimony about the casual theft of well over a million dollars by the track’s president, however, the Plainridge powers leapt into action to save their chance for a slot machine license: they allowed Piontkowski to leave under a false “health reasons” pretense, without penalty or punishment and without repaying any of the money plus a full buy-out of his shares and an extra two years’ salary for his troubles. Because that’s exactly what you would expect any gambling establishment to do for somebody who stole $1.4 million out of their money room.
 

And they seem startled that the Commonwealth has decided that Plainridge shouldn’t be chosen as the recipient of the state’s only slots-only license.
 

I wonder what Scott Brown has to say about that decision. Is he sad that all his years of advocating for Plainridge to get slot machines has come a-cropper? Or does he not care, now that his buddy is no longer president and part-owner of the place?
 

And is Brown bothered by the fact that the guy he shared so many good times with—and accepted so much funding from—turns out to have been so sleazy?
 

I doubt we’ll hear much from the former US Senator on these questions. And if he is planning to run for something in 2014 (the latest scuttlebutt is that he wants to take on Ed Markey for Senate), he’s probably hoping that the media will have forgotten all about this by the time he gets around to announcing. I, for one, plan on remembering.

http://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/blog/2013/08/06/scott-brown-pal-gary-piontkowski-plainridge-racecourse/


New England Compounding Lab, De-Regulation and Jeopardizing Human Health:

Framingham Pharmacy Contributed to Brown

Toyota and the Tea Baggers: Did you ever notice......

NECC owner bought $2.4M home here this spring

Dirty shoes? How did steroids get contaminated?

Putting Lives At Risk For Deregulation
The human cost of 'deregulation' and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
And some call themselves 'Christians'!.....
Patriotism

Compounding problems with health and safety oversight

Goose-Stepping Against Regulations

REPEAL THE CASINO DEAL! MEDIA ANNOUNCEMENT

A citizen committee has formed and will petition the Attorney General to review and approve language for a question asking voters to support Repealing the Casino Law on the November 2014 ballot.

If you have not already done so, kindly sign-up on the website http://www.repealthecasinodeal.org/the-details/ for us to be able to easily contact you and encourage your networks, friends and family to do the same.

Lastly, financial support is needed for this campaign. Please give what you can, if you can, when you can. Thank you.

For Release 1200hrs, August 7, 2013 www.repealthecasinodeal.org

Contact: John F. Ribeiro Chairperson Repeal the Casino Deal Winthrop, MA 02152 Phone: 617-981-4177 johnfribeiro@gmail.com

Repeal the Casino Deal

MediaRelease

Citizens File Petition to Repeal Casino DealStatewide

(BOSTON, MA) A diverse coalition of public health, municipal, family and religious leaders along with concerned citizens from all walks of life submitted an Initiative Petition today to repeal the law allowing state government to partner with powerful gambling interests with the purpose of promoting casino gambling to its citizens.

Repeal the Casino Deal (www.repealthecasinodeal.org) filed the requisite paperwork with the office of the Attorney General starting the process to place a repeal question before voters on the November 2014 ballot. The casino bill, passed in 2011 allowing for three casinos and one slot machine parlor, was fueled by commercial casino interests in one of the most expensive lobbying campaigns in state history and aggressively pushed through by the state’s political establishment.

The signatures of ten certified voters were submitted with the petition to the Attorney General for approval of the proposed ballot language. If approved, the Secretary of State will prepare and print the signature petitions and then casino repeal supporters will need to collect 68,911 certified signatures of registered voters across the state throughout the fall.

Among the initial ten signers are: Mark Gottlieb, Executive Director of the nationally-recognized Public Health Advocacy Institute at Northeastern University School of Law; Somerville Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone former state Senator Sue Tucker of Andover; Kris Mineau, President of the Massachusetts Family Institute; and Steven Abdow of The Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts.

"Most citizens believe state government should not be partnering with powerful gambling interests to promote casino gambling in our communities," said John Ribeiro of Winthrop, chairman of Repeal the Casino Deal. "Government’s promotion of casinos represents the wrong direction for Massachusetts. It’s a bad deal for citizens."

"I believe that we owe it to ourselves to revisit licensing corporations that rake in billions of dollars promoting addiction to casino gambling. Like the tobacco companies that get rich by selling a product that causes preventable disease, for which we all pay, the casino gambling industry’s business model is based on causing and exploiting gambling addiction," said Mark Gottlieb, Executive Director of The Public Health Advocacy Institute at Northeastern University School of Law who has spent the past twenty years taking on cigarette, junk food and other industries that profit by making others sick.

Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone who is regarded as a leader in government and economic sustainability showed his support by signing onto the ballot petition stating, "Casinos are not an economic development strategy. They have a detrimental impact on quality of life. They drain the tax base, requiring more and more local expenditures and services to counter their impact – expenditures and services from municipalities that cannot vote on proposed casinos in neighboring cities and towns. Putting the question of casinos to the Massachusetts electorate is the right thing to do."

The Massachusetts Family Institute continued its challenge to state government in support of the people of the Commonwealth with President, Kris Mineau’s remarks endorsing the ballot petition initiative, "Our state government should not be promoting expanded gambling any more than they should be promoting alcohol, tobacco or recreational drugs. Expanded gambling is not the answer to our state’s financial problems – the costs to our families, communities and culture are too great."

Ribeiro urged called on citizens to get involved and learn more about, Repeal the Casino Deal by going to the website and signing-up at www.repealthecasinodeal.org 
 

 

www.repealthecasinodeal.org

Harry L. Staley: A bet that R.I. taxpayers are bound to lose

Coming soon to Massachusetts.....?


Harry L. Staley: A bet that R.I. taxpayers are bound to lose

Published: August 05, 2013



By Harry L. StaleyHarry L. StaleyProvidence Journal

Published: August 05 2013 01:00

You have never been to a casino, you say, because you don’t gamble?

Oh, how wrong you are! You may not remember, but you were there — and you still are.

In fact, if you are a Rhode Island taxpayer, you are gambling on the casino business to keep generating hundreds of millions of dollars. Unfortunately, you will never be the winner. The casinos and their General Assembly enablers have rigged the game against you.

Your state political leaders arranged for you to be there, because they are going to need your tax dollars to make up for declining casino income. All too obviously, the business is going south, and the state is not going to receive what it bargained for. Luckily, lawmakers have you as their partner.

When lawmakers got in bed with casino interests they had a plan.

The state would receive approximately $300 million per annum, said amount to be placed in the General Treasury to help offset the costs of running an out-of-control state government.

Meanwhile, to place a halo over their collective heads by demonstrating their “humanity,” it was provided that $150,000 of the funds received by the state (a “whopping” .0005 of the state’s take) would be allotted to support a program to help those unfortunates who became addicted to gambling.

And then, they stumbled on the yellow brick road.

Competition from Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun, soon to be intensified by the opening of at least three Massachusetts casinos, coupled with weak national and state economies, casts an ominous shadow over the future of Rhode Island. Since no self-respecting Rhode Island General Assembly would ever consider budget cuts, the pressure is mounting to find ways to offset the certain shrinkage in gambling dollars, now the state’s third-largest revenue source.

The first reaction was to cut the addiction program, symbolically declaring the problem solved. The program is dead, with no tears being shed in the State House over the fate of those addicted to gambling. And, not a whimper from the state’s beneficent social-welfare agencies.

The overarching solution to economic stress is becoming clear: Rhode Island will continue spending at present or higher levels, with the inevitable shortfalls to be made up by levying additional taxes, licensing fees, business regulation, etc. It will be left to the “bleeding hearts” to save the addicted, if they are to be salvaged, by voluntary funding or by persuading the legislature to levy another tax.

You, the General Assembly, and the casinos are partners in their patented “Heads I win, tails you lose” game. Every taxpayer who opposed gambling, for whatever reason, has been had. It will be you, the taxpayer and silent partner, who will be forced to support the very thing you opposed: the growth of casinos in Rhode Island — and, when they fail to meet initial expectations, higher taxes.

That is how it’s done in Rhode Island. And that is how it will continue to be done until those who pay the ever-increasing bill wake up, and more importantly, wise up. It’s one thing to be had, it’s another to celebrate it by continuing to elect to office those who are betting — with your money — on your continued ignorance and refusal to act.

In the meantime, enjoy!

Harry L. Staley is a board member of Concerned Citizens Against Casino Gambling and chairman of Rhode Island Taxpayers.

http://www.providencejournal.com/opinion/commentary/20130805-harry-l.-staley-a-bet-that-r.i.-taxpayers-are-bound-to-lose.ece

 

Gambling Addict Steals From Barclays, Sent to Prison

Former Barclays worker stole £127,000 from her bank to cover payday loans she took out to feed her gambling addiction

• Rogue employee handed two years behind bars for her fraudulent scam
• The operations' specialist 'lived a lie' to pay off gambling debts
• She made 200 separate transactions of up to £5,000 a time over three years
• Her ruse was uncovered when an anomaly of just £40 was spotted

Jailed: Julia Finney has been handed two years behind bars for the £127,000 fraud

By Stuart Woledge
PUBLISHED:04:29 EST, 6 August 2013

A former Barclays Bank employee has been jailed for stealing £127,000 from accounts to meet payday loans she took out to feed a gambling addiction.

Julia Finney’s 'sophisticated' three-year scam only emerged when she made a £40 mistake on a transaction as she tried to cover her tracks.

It sparked an investigation and police discovered the 29-year-old had taken out dozens of expensive, short-term payday loans to feed her 'serious gambling addiction'.

Finney, of Deritend in Birmingham, admitted the theft of £127,471 from Barclays during her spree between January, 2010, and January this year.
She was jailed for two years.

Defending, Richard Dewsbery told Birmingham Crown Court the former operations specialist 'lived a lie' and had lost her job, home and long-term partner.

He said: 'This has taken a heavy psychological toll on Miss Finney.

'All of the money has gone and most of it was gambled away in 2010 and 2011. She was gripped by an addiction.'
Finney had worked for Barclays since 2004 and was based at its Birmingham city centre Colmore Row branch.

The court heard she made nearly 200 separate transactions using internal accounts, which were not held by customers.

Prosecuting, Patrick Sullivan explained the amounts started at £150 and rose to £4,000 and £5,000.

'The bank carries out unannounced audits twice a year,' he said.

'But she used sophisticated methods and managed to avoid discovery for a long period of time.

'Miss Finney also managed to cover her tracks ahead of holidays by querying issues in the hope of avoiding discovery by people covering her work.

 

'She was found out because of a simple error in adding up while balancing out accounts and an anomaly of just £40 was spotted, which led to an investigation.'
Mr Sullivan added Finney admitted the thefts to bank investigators and quit her job ahead of her arrest in February.

Target: Finney carried out her fraudulent campaign at the Birmingham city centre branch in Colmore Row over a three-year period

 

Jailing Finney, Recorder Richard Benson dismissed her argument that she had targeted the bank rather than customers.

He told her: 'This was a serious breach of trust and you used very sophisticated methods to continue thieving and covering your tracks.

Gamble: Finney arriving a court to hear her fate. She was to leave in the back of a prison van

'You have never really given an explanation as to why you did this other than your gambling habit.

'You tell the probation service you think there is a difference between stealing from customer accounts and stealing from the bank.
'But stealing is stealing. There is a common misconception that banks and business can survive when people look to steal from them.'
The Crown asked for a nominal £1 order for a Proceeds of Crime application.

Finney, who has no assets, was warned she would be pursued once she was released from prison if her financial circumstances changed.

Yesterday the Mail revealed that the city council will be banning computer users from looking at payday loan firm websites at its libraries.

Neighbouring Sandwell Council in the West Midlands blocked access at its 19 venues on moral grounds.

Payday loan providers have attracted criticism because of their sky-high interest rates.

Experts said anyone who needed to borrow money should consider a credit union.
An example highlighted was the 6 Towns Credit Union in West Bromwich, which charged just £1 in interest to borrow £100 for a month.

That compares with Wonga, where interest and fees are £35 to borrow the same amount for 28 days.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2385311/Former-Barclays-worker-stole-127-000-Birmingham-bank-cover-payday-loans-took-feed-gambling-addiction.html#ixzz2bGXXaJ2M
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

ByNick McCarthy

Bank worker jailed for stealing £127,000 to fund gambling addiction

6 Aug 2013 07:00

Ex-Birmingham Barclays official was uncovered when she made £40 mistake after three years of "sophisticated" operation

Julia Finney leaves Birmingham Magistrates' Court

A former Barclays Bank official has been jailed for stealing £127,000 from accounts to meet payday loans she took out to feed a gambling addiction.

Julia Finney’s “sophisticated” three-year scam only emerged when she made a £40 mistake on a transaction as she tried to cover her tracks.

Police discovered the 29-year-old had taken out dozens of expensive, short-term payday loans to feed her “serious gambling addiction”.

Finney, of Deritend, previously admitted the theft of £127,471 belonging to Barclays between January 1, 2010, and January 20 this year.

She was jailed for two years.

Richard Dewsbery, defending, told Birmingham Crown Court the former operations specialist “lived a lie” and had lost her job, home and long-term partner.

He said: “This has taken a heavy psychological toll on Miss Finney.

“All of the money has gone and most of it was gambled away in 2010 and 2011.

“She was gripped by an addiction.”

Finney had worked for Barclays since 2004 and was based at its Birmingham city centre Colmore Row branch.

The court heard she made nearly 200 separate transactions using internal accounts, which were not held by customers.

Patrick Sullivan, prosecuting, said the amounts started at £150 and rose to £4,000 and £5,000.
“The bank carries out unannounced audits twice a year,” he said.

“But she used sophisticated methods and managed to avoid discovery for a long period of time.
“Miss Finney also managed to cover her tracks ahead of holidays by querying issues in the hope of avoiding discovery by people covering her work.

“She was found out because of a simple error in adding up while balancing out accounts and an anomaly of just £40 was spotted, which led to an investigation.”

Mr Sullivan said Finney admitted the thefts to bank investigators and quit her job ahead of her arrest in February.

Jailing Finney, Recorder Richard Benson dismissed her argument that she had targeted the bank rather than customers.

He told her: “This was a serious breach of trust and you used very sophisticated methods to continue thieving and covering your tracks.

“You have never really given an explanation as to why you did this other than your gambling habit.

“You tell the probation service you think there is a difference between stealing from customer accounts and stealing from the bank.

“But stealing is stealing. There is a common misconception that banks and business can survive when people look to steal from them.”

The Crown asked for a nominal £1 order for a Proceeds of Crime application.

Finney, who has no assets, was warned she would be pursued once she was released from prison if her financial circumstances changed.

•Yesterday the Mail revealed that the city council will be banning computer users from looking at payday loan firm websites at its libraries.

Neighbouring Sandwell Council blocked access at its 19 venues on moral grounds.

Payday loan providers have attracted criticism because of their sky-high interest rates.

Experts said anyone who needed to borrow money should consider a credit union.

An example highlighted was the 6 Towns Credit Union in West Bromwich, which charged just £1 in interest to borrow £100 for a month.

That compares with Wonga, where interest and fees are £35 to borrow the same amount for 28 days.

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/bank-worker-jailed-stealing-127000-5619090

 

Real Estate Manager Steals to Feed Gambling Addiction

Real estate manager steals $180,000 from trust to fund gambling addiction – how to stop it happening to you

Wednesday, 07 August 2013 11:56

Yolanda Redrup

Accountant who blamed $2.4 million tax fraud on autism sentenced to four years in jail

Former chief of ASX-listed pharmaceutical company accused of helping “misappropriate” $5.7 million in company funds

RBA falls victim to $600,000 invoicing fraud: how to stop it happening to your business

Let the chips fall where they may: Mapping Packer’s empire
 

Businesses have been warned to look out for signs of gambling addiction in the workplace after a young Victorian real estate manager who stole $180,000 in trust money narrowly avoided prison.
Nadim Mindraoui, 20, was working with his father for City Residential Real Estate when he took money from the agency’s trust account between December 2010 and April 2012 to fund his gambling habit.

The incident is not uncommon – fraud is a growing problem among Australian businesses, and more employees become tempted as they gain more responsibility and access.

Mindraoui was only 18 when the fraudulent behaviour began and had no prior convictions. The money stolen has since been repaid.

He was sentenced to a 15-month community corrections order and must perform 60 hours of community service, undergo a mental health assessment and treatment, and take part in an offending behaviour program.

The magistrate said he would have received a prison sentence, had it not been for his guilty plea.
Fraud expert Brett Warfield of Warfield and Associates told SmartCompany gambling is the most common motivator for fraudulent behaviour.

“He’s got the gambling bug very early. They tend to use their own money, but when they don’t have any more they steal it from their employer or clients.”

“Taking money out of a trust isn’t that hard to do. The fact that he’s young has certainly gone in his favour, as the judge doesn’t want to ruin his life, but he’s lucky he had someone to repay it,” he says.
Warfield says there have been many cases in the past few years of fraud occurring in real estate agencies.

“It comes down to a lot of trust being placed in individuals. The money goes into the trust for people who are selling houses or have rental properties with the real estate agent.

“Because real estate agents don’t tend of have internal audits, as they are largely too small, there is a lot of trust involved and it’s based on the integrity of the individuals,” he says.

In previous cases of gambling motivated fraud, amounts stolen have ranged up into the millions.
Earlier this year, a woman was jailed for eight years after stealing almost $8 million of her employer’s money to spend on gambling, first class trips and a corporate box at Etihad Stadium.
Accountancy business William Buck has had more cases of employee fraud reported recently than “ever before”.

Head of the firm’s audit focus group, Leo Tutt, said in a statement many SMEs are overlooking basic control procedures.

“Generally, there’s always some sort of control flaw or failing that enables fraud to take place.
“Employers need to focus on having processes in place to prevent fraud from occurring rather than trying to deal with it after the fact,” he says.

He says such measures include enforcing annual leave, ensuring clear reporting channels and having internal controls in place such as third-party checks for transactions.

Warfield says these cases are all too common and warns businesses to look out for behaviour such as the person changing their workplace behaviour, purchasing expensive cars or luxury holidays and retrenched workers volunteering to work for free.

“When it comes to smaller businesses like real estate agents, it’s really a matter of vigilance and noticing any unusual behaviour when it comes to gambling,” he says.

http://www.smartcompany.com.au/legal/056891-real-estate-manager-steals-180-000-from-trust-to-fund-gambling-addiction-how-to-stop-it-happening-to-you.html

 

e Economic Winners and Losers of Legalized Gambling

Steve Holt

"The weight of the empirical evidence suggests that casinos do in fact impose negative social costs on surrounding communities, most notably, an increased prevalence of property and violent crime."

Source: "The Economic Winners and Losers of Legalized Gambling," Melissa Kearney, National Bureau of Economic Research, 2005.

http://www.nber.org/papers/w11234.pdf?new_window=1

www.nber.org