DiMasi Resignation May Open Path to Massachusetts Casinos

Now that DiMasi plans to resign tomorrow under a cloud of controversy and charges of ethics violations, the path to casinos be open wide in the state.

Last year's proposal to establish legal casinos in Massachusetts by Governor Deval Patrick was almost single-handedly defeated by state House Speaker Sal DiMasi. Now that DiMasi plans to resign tomorrow under a cloud of controversy and charges of ethics violations, the path to casinos be open wide in the state.

DiMasi is accused of having accepted a "loan" from an acquaintance who needed legislative support for a bill regarding ticket-scalping policies. Too bad that it wasn't known last year all DiMasi required to vote for a project was a little financial encouragement; hundreds of millions in casino money stood in the balance.

Whispers had already surfaced that casino gambling may have been revisited as a potential revenue source for the state, as economic conditions have severely worsened since the rejection of the Patrick plan. Neighboring Rhode Island has even prepared a bill bringing full casino gambling to its state as a preemptive strike before Massachusetts does the same.

DiMasi was by far the most vocal opponent of the casino plan, employing both political sticks and carrots to persuade legislators to vote against the measure. Governor Patrick was so humiliated by the defeat, he made sure to be out of town when the bill was voted down, and might have reservations being the front man for a second effort.

One aspect of Patrick's bill that was quietly included will need to be removed before advancing the bill once again. A clause had made online gambling a criminal offense, seen at the time as a way to capture all gaming under the state tax net as well as a nod to the big casino operators involved in the project. 

Now, with online casinos almost a certainty for the future and land casino companies likely to be involved, any clause outlawing Internet gaming will be a reason to force a rewrite of the proposed law.

The successor for DiMasi is unknown at this time, as one of the top candidates may be dragged down by the same scandal forcing DiMasi's resignation.