Mar 19, 2008 6:06 pm US/Eastern
Committee Rejects Patrick's Casino Bill
BOSTON (AP) ―
A key legislative committee voted Wednesday to recommend lawmakers reject Gov. Deval Patrick's proposal to build three resort-style casinos in Massachusetts, all but dooming the bill this session.
The 10-8 vote by the Joint Committee on Economic Development, which came after a four-hour delay and arm-twisting by House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi, sets up a vote in the House of Representatives as soon as Thursday. If the bill is defeated then, it couldn't be brought back until next year. One committee member abstained from voting and another member proved pivotal to the outcome.
Rep. Richard Ross, R-Wrentham, said he dropped his support for the bill after the owners of the Plainridge horse trotting track in his district said they would rather take a shot at the House passing a bill to install slot machines at the state's four racetracks than seek to amend Patrick's proposal to allow those machines as well as the casinos.
"I got a loud and clear message from my district ... that they really wanted me to vote for the adverse report," Ross said. "Really, until the eleventh hour, 59th minute, I was on the phone."
Similar slots legislation has failed miserably in prior votes, but Ross said DiMasi promised he would allow it to come to the House floor again.
The legislation, sponsored by Rep. David Flynn, D-Bridgewater, whose district includes the Raynham Park greyhound track, calls for 2,500 slot machines at each of the four tracks, as well as a $50 million licensing fee from each track owner. Flynn said the machines could generate $400 million annually for the state while it contemplates other forms of gambling or revenue creation.
"All I want to do is build a bridge to the future," Flynn told AP.
Patrick's bill proposed licensing three casinos spread across Massachusetts. It called for a licensing fee of at least $200 million each, and he projected it would generate $400 million in annual revenues and 20,000 permanent jobs.
Those projections were supported by a recent study conducted by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, but DiMasi said he was concerned the casinos would drain revenues from other state businesses and increase costs from social sideeffects such as compulsive gambling and petty crime.
The committee vote followed a marathon public hearing Tuesday, where members of the committee heard from opponents and supporters, including Patrick, who all but conceded the bill was heading for likely defeat.
Patrick blamed the expected defeat in part on pressure from House leaders, including DiMasi.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
