Massachusetts Casino Proposals May Be Revived
The Massachusetts casino bill has been dead in the water since it was rejected 2-1 by the state House, but it might receive a new lease on life soon. The bill was defeated largely by the hand of Speaker Sal DiMasi, and now DiMasi is locked in a power struggle for his position.
Even though the vote might indicate sentiment was strongly against Governor Patrick's casino bill, the truth was that many legislators were persuaded to vote against the bill by DiMasi, who used a combination of promises for return favors and intimidation of those who would publicly oppose him.
An actual poll of state residents by the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth found that approval of the creation of two or more destination casinos was favored by a 58% to 30% margin, almost 2-1 for gambling.
Clyde Barrow, a UMass Dartmouth professor and director of the Center for Policy Analysis, stated, “It shows the vote by the House as really out of step with public opinion.”
The stark contrast between public opinion and the House vote may be attributed to DiMasi's political skills and power. However, a determined group of legislators have mounted a challenge to DiMasi's leadership. If a new Speaker were to take over, the gambling debate would likely spring back to the forefront.
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Robert DeLeo is mentioned as a possible candidate for DiMasi's job, and DeLeo is on record as having voted for slots at race tracks in 2006. Certainly a gambling initiative would emerge if DeLeo became Speaker.
Hopefully, if new casino legislation is considered, the bill will be free of the penalties for online gambling Patrick had included in his proposal. In order to unite the gambling factions, online players must be treated with the same respect as their land-preferring counterparts.
