Massachusetts Gaming Briefs - Will There Still Be Casinos in Mass After all is Done?

Things seem to be imploding in Massachusetts.  Let's look at the facts:

• The opposition continues to gain ground, after ousting Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods.
• The Mass Gaming continues to over-scrutinize each licensees.
• One powerful Casino Industry representative after another is turned away.

I had a discussion with a friend of mine recently about my blog. He said that all the crazy stuff happening in Massachusetts over casino gambling is so crazy and complicated, he'd just rather hear the news when the smoke has cleared and they are built. I'm starting to agree with him.

So, here's the latest - just like Joe Friday said in Dragnet, "Just the Facts...."

Chris Orchard of the Somerville Patch says investigators are looking into whether a man with a criminal background is a hidden owner of land connected to the Everett casino proposal, according to Boston.com. Criminal connections could jeopardize the proposal, as the state's gaming law seeks to prevent criminal organizations from being involved in casinos.

In a survey by the Western New England University Polling Institute a few weeks ago, three of five adults in Massachusetts said they favor having casinos in the state. However, it seems only if it's not in their backyard.

Do Massachusetts residents like gambling? Check this out.....Massachusetts adults spent more of their personal income on lottery tickets — an average of $860.70 annually in 2010 — than residents in any other state, according to Bloomberg research based on U.S. Census Bureau data, annual state lottery reports and other sources.

Gov. Deval Patrick insists the state’s casino gambling law was “working exactly as it was supposed to,” and that he was not surprised by several recent votes against proposed gambling facilities.

Finally, Howard Stutz from Gaming Guru writes "Caesars Entertainment Corporation Chairman Gary Loveman is still fuming over his company’s rejection by casino regulators in Massachusetts. Loveman, who said he spent 13 years lobbying Massachusetts to legalize gaming, is embittered. He lives near Boston, taught at the Harvard Business School, holds a doctorate in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and owns a minority interest in the National Basketball Association’s Boston Celtics. What angers Loveman most is that Caesars, which is licensed for 50 casinos in 13 states, wasn’t given the opportunity to rebut allegations raised in the report."

That's all for now, but the way things are going in Massachsetts, the biggest thrteat to lost revenue for New England casinos could be looming west in the the state of New York.!

Binbin