"Fresh faces join push to build casinos in Bay State" by Matt Viser, Globe Staff | May 28, 2009
The renewed quest on Beacon Hill to legalize gambling has attracted a fresh set of casino interests to Massachusetts, promising another high-dollar lobbying blitz in coming months by developers sensing potential for a big jackpot.
Steve Wynn, one of the most famous casino moguls in the world, is making a much more concerted effort to lobby for a casino in Massachusetts, hiring a lobbyist and sending a representative from his company here yesterday.
Related: Las Vegas Rolls Crap
Related: Gamblers Dealing Mass. Democrats Dollar$
Just wanted you to see him in action.
"The signals coming out of the capital are pointing to a fall debate on gaming," said Jeff Hartmann, chief operating officer of Connecticut's Mohegan Sun, which earlier this month set up a storefront location in Palmer to describe its casino plans for the Western Massachusetts town and drum up local support....
I don't think so: The Palmer Protests
Yeah, we don't want you here!
Much of the recent flurry of activity has been driven by developers from outside Massachusetts, creating competing versions of what gambling in the Bay State should look like.
That is where they will be TAKING the PROFITS, fellow citizen.
Now if you paid a local person for a service, well, maybe that money might get back around to you -- and not kept by the developer-dealer!
Well-financed developers from around the country pushing for full casino resorts are up against local racetrack owners, who want Governor Deval Patrick and lawmakers to quickly install slot machine parlors at the racetracks.
The Mohegan tribe, for instance, is hoping to develop a resort featuring a 600-room hotel, a spa, a casino, restaurants, and shops on a site less than a mile from the Massachusetts Turnpike. Companies also have sent representatives to look at possible resort casino sites throughout the state, including property in Milford, Palmer, Raynham, and New Bedford.
Interest in the state's racetracks also is intense....
With no jobs and foreclosures shooting through the ceiling.... who can go to a gaming parlor?
Related: Boston Globe Says Everyone is a Winner at Casinos
Is that really the best thing to be doing with the retirement dough
The other two tracks in Massachusetts, Suffolk Downs and Wonderland Greyhound Park, have already partnered to pursue a casino development.
Senate President Therese Murray spurred the renewed interest with a single act last month, pulling down her arm and saying, "Ka-ching" to a roomful of business executives.
Yeah, FROM YOUR POCKET into THEIRS, taxpayers of Massachusetts!!!
Oh, yeah, I almost forgot the campaign kickback they call a contribution, CHA-CHING!
Her outspokenness in favor of gambling - along with the progambling stance of House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo - has developers looking more intently than last year, when former House speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi killed Patrick's casino bill.
"We're going to have gaming," Murray said yesterday....
You mean GAMBLING, right?
The debate is likely to be complicated by political differences.
PFFFFTTTT!!!
DeLeo wants slot machines at racetracks, while Patrick envisions resort casino developments.
I'll tell you what: THEY WILL EACH GET WHAT THEY WANT!
Murray has not expressed any preference. Gambling economics also will probably play a factor. Developers have struggled with the economic downturn, halting projects midstream, laying off employees, and putting off future developments.
But some remain optimistic that the industry may be ready for a rebound.
Like that gambling addict watching his pile of chips slip away?
Wynn said in a conference call earlier this month that he was "cautiously optimistic that maybe we've seen the bottom." He also said, "If the stars line up, we might be an acquirer," but added, "We have no deal cooking."
I would rather depend on something else a little more earthly, tangible, and in our control, thanks.
No, no, I'll check to the king.
Gary Loveman, a Massachusetts resident and chief executive at
Related: Globe Interviews Gambling Mogul
More: Sheldon Adelson
Another Zionist criminal and thief.
One of the biggest question marks is where the casinos would be built.
There are various pockets of land available, including a large plot near Interstate 495 in Milford. The Turnpike Authority owns a swath of land off the Massachusetts Turnpike in Warren, which could be available.
Wynn, who was born in New Haven and later took over his family's Maryland-based bingo business, has developed lavish resorts - including the Bellagio, The Mirage, and Treasure Island - and has also expanded to Macau, where he is competing with Adelson.
Umm, there is NOTHING NEW or FRESH about these faces, Glob!!!!!
What a deceptive PoS!
Wynn last year also had discussions with Wonderland Greyhound Park owner Charles Sarkis, inquiring about the Revere property. The discussions did not become serious, and Wonderland later entered into a deal with Suffolk Downs to pursue a casino.
A subsidiary of Wynn Resorts Limited recently hired a Boston lobbying firm to pave the way on Beacon Hill. The subsidiary, Development Associates, also was among those bidding this month to build a casino at Aqueduct Racetrack in New York....
--more--"So like vultures they have been circling above for over a year:
"Casino developers make their pitches; House passage of bill brings raft of promises" by Casey Ross, Globe Staff | April 16, 2010
Casino and racetrack operators yesterday began to angle for one of the gambling licenses just approved by the Massachusetts House, promising to spend hundreds of millions of dollars building gambling complexes that would provide hundreds of new jobs.
In Palmer, Mohegan Sun wants to build a $700 million casino with 3,000 slot machines, a 600-room hotel and convention center, and up to five restaurants. The owner of Suffolk Downs in East Boston would spend up to $750 million on an entertainment complex that would include both gambling and horse racing. In Milford, a Las Vegas casino operator has teamed with a developer to propose a $675 million casino and 250-room hotel.
The legislation passed by the House this week would allow for two casinos in Massachusetts and let racetrack owners add as many as 750 slot machines to their facilities. Gambling developers are combing through the legislation to determine how best to position their proposals.
But the bidders may have to be patient. Leaders of the Massachusetts Senate indicated yesterday that they may take months to devise their own version of legalized gambling, one that could differ from the House’s....
See: Against All Odds: Senate Sleight of Hand
Yesterday was a day of optimism for racetrack owners and casino operators, many of whom have been hawking their proposals for years, only to be repeatedly blocked by the previous speaker of the Massachusetts House, Salvatore DiMasi.
With DiMasi gone and House approval now in hand, it appears more likely that some form of expanded gambling will pass this year....
Which casts his comeuppance in a whole new light since they are all crooked over there.
Gambling opponents said these promises should be sharply scrutinized, arguing that the casinos will siphon business from local merchants and wind up saddling residents with higher taxes to pay for the effects of gambling.
Hey, your are used to it, right, Massachusetts?
What's another little piece of flesh?
Laura Everett, associate director of the Massachusetts Council of Churches, said the 15,000 new jobs the House estimated seems exaggerated compared to what other states have experienced.
I call them lies.
Four years after Pennsylvania legalized gambling in 2004, nine gaming facilities had produced fewer than 6,000 jobs, Everett said, citing a recent report in Commonwealth magazine.
“We’re deeply skeptical about these numbers,’’ Everett said. “There’s never been a real cost-benefit analysis.’’ Added Kathleen Conley Norbut, executive director of United to Stop Slots in Massachusetts: “The lack of intelligent analysis is truly disconcerting.’’No, because EVERYBODY WINS according to my agenda-pu$hing paper!!!
--more--"
Related: Casino pitched for Fall River
In Middleborough, some disappointed by the change
And casinos are like vampires once it has gained access to your house:
"Pattern shows first casinos are rarely last; Most states allow gambling to expand" by Casey Ross, Globe Staff | June 28, 2010
Lawmakers poised to approve the first casinos in Massachusetts promise to control the spread of gaming, but pressure to expand has led to growth in slot machines, video gaming terminals, and new casinos in nearly every state that has legalized gambling in the last 20 years....
Maybe you can have one on every street corner, Massachusetts.
Oh, you already do; they are called convenience and package stores that sell lottery tickets.
“Once you get the breakthrough of legalization, there is always a push for expansion, and states almost never pull back,’’ said Nelson Rose, a professor at Whittier Law School in California who tracks the gambling industry. “It always happens one way or another.’’
Which is why -- like the wars -- we DIDN'T WANT THEM!
Expansion can dramatically expand access to gambling and dilute the market, cutting revenue at large casinos and increasing the costs of addiction, crime, and government regulation, critics said.
Even gambling supporters in Massachusetts agree the trend is worrisome....
In other states, the urge to authorize more taxable slot machines or video terminals has fueled an explosion of gambling facilities....
In some cases, expansion has created significant regulatory costs and complications....
Didn't see those coming, didja?
Yeah, see if you can draw that inside straight.
“The efforts to expand gambling never stop, because it starts to dictate economic policy,’’ said John Kindt, a University of Illinois professor who has been critical of the industry’s growth. “I would hope that Massachusetts, as the birthplace of American freedom, will be a leader in economic freedom and not be beguiled and seduced by this.’’
Sorry to disappoint you.
But gambling supporters said those arguments are overly political and ignore the benefits of expanding the industry....
Un-flipping-real!
They could stand there with their hair on fire and tell you to get some marshmallows.
These are the same guys that paid the gambling industry to sell you a self-serving study, folks!
--more--"I don't care where they put 'em as long as it isn't here.
"Suffolk Downs pitches a casino; Track owners want a resort complex; proposal has powerful backers" by Jenifer B. McKim, Globe Staff | July 7, 2010
As lawmakers yesterday began to hash out a compromise gambling bill, the owners of the Suffolk Downs racetrack unveiled their proposal for a resort-style casino at the East Boston facility....
Suffolk Downs would be one of several competitors for the few coveted casino licenses that lawmakers are expected to approve. Other developers have already proposed similar gambling resorts at locations in New Bedford, Palmer, and Milford. Two Wampanoag Indian tribes also want to open casinos at separate sites in Fall River.
But Suffolk Downs is seen by many political observers as being well-positioned in the competition because it is in the district of House Speaker Robert DeLeo, a strong proponent of gaming who led his chamber’s approval of a casino bill earlier this year. DeLeo’s father once worked at the track. Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino is also a strong supporter of Suffolk Downs getting a casino license....
Opponents feel outgunned. John Ribeiro, founder of the opposition group Neighbors of Suffolk Downs, said he consistently hears in the community that a casino at Suffolk Downs is “a done deal.’’
That's why I don't want to spend much time on it.
**********
Although the track has lost money for several years, its owners have held out for expanded gambling in Massachusetts to turn their business around....
Yup, YOU are TAKING a GAMBLE, Massachusetts!
Robert Goodman, a gambling researcher and author, questioned the presumption by Massachusetts lawmakers that casinos would increase revenue for the state. Instead, gambling customers would be spending money at casinos they otherwise would have spent on other businesses, he said.
“No serious economic impact analysis has been done in Massachusetts,’’ he said.
“More money is going to be sucked out of the local economy.’’
Yup!
Governor Deval Patrick ramped up his rhetoric against a signature proposal of House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo yesterday, calling DeLeo’s plan to license slot machines at four race tracks “effectively a no-bid contract’’ that would hand valuable gambling licenses to a handful of private developers.
DeLeo quickly shot back, asserting that his plan is the state’s best hope at assisting cities and towns that have recently been hit by budget cuts and challenging his opponents to come up with something better....
Of course, he has no $elf-$erving interest!
--more--"
Sorry, busted.
And look who is still sitting at the table.
"Firms up ante on lobbying for casinos; Spending jumps as approval nears" by Noah Bierman and Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff | July 17, 2010
Casinos have yet to win approval on Beacon Hill, but some of the promised economic growth has already come.
Gambling interests spent nearly $1.8 million in the first six months of this year on lobbying and related expenses, much of it from out of state and almost all of it from an industry that wants to legalize casinos and slot machines at the state’s race tracks, records show.
Yeah, I noticed the Globe wasn't as sour on that outside money as it is when it came to Scott Brown or initiatives to roll back taxes. Depends on what agenda-pushing cause it is coming from, I guess.
“It has certainly led to full employment for lobbyists,’’ said Secretary of State William F. Galvin, who regulates lobbying in Massachusetts.
So that's where the jobs are.
The latest numbers from Galvin’s office show a significant surge in spending over last year. The total spending on gambling lobbying for all 2009, when the issue was discussed but not fully debated, was $2.5 million, and had reached roughly $1 million by the midyear point.
The increase comes in large part because the Commonwealth is closer than it has ever been to approving Vegas-style casino gambling....
By contrast, an interest group on the other side of the issue, Stop Predatory Gambling, spent just $1,250, records show.
Spokesmen for legislative leaders and for Patrick said the fierce lobbying has little bearing on their decisions.
Can't help but lie, can ya?
House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo’s spokesman said he is guided solely by the potential for economic growth through casinos. Senate President Therese Murray’s spokesman said she does not meet with casino interests and three years ago named Senator Stanley C. Rosenberg, an Amherst Democrat, to serve as the chamber’s point person on gambling so that she could avoid the perception of undue influence within her office.
“The pace and the intensity of [lobbying] has picked up dramatically over the last five or six months, as . . . it became clear that both the House and the Senate were serious about taking up bills,’’ Rosenberg said yesterday. “Lobbyists provide information. Our job is to sort through the information.’’
Or SOMETHING ELSE!
Yeah, I knew I was smelling something.
But gambling opponents say they are badly outnumbered, compromising their ability to get their message out on Beacon Hill.
Even if you did I doubt they would hear you.
“I do hope people will realize that this is not a grass-roots movement. It is major casino owners who will make major profits and racetrack owners who will make major profits,’’ said Scott Harshbarger, a former attorney general who has been one of the most prominent opponents of casinos. “They are selling it in the interest of jobs. I understand the frustration [with the economy], but this is being driven very much by money and politics.’’
Harshbarger predicted that the industry will spend more if casinos are approved in an effort to expand gambling further.
A proven fact if the article above is to be believed.
The soliciting has largely come from developers, owners of potential facilities, and manufacturers of everything from slot machines to security systems.
They have come armed with white papers and brochures, diagrams, and pictures....
And one other thing you forgot there, Globe.
Yeah, that i$ what I meant!
Also see:
- Boston Globe Says Everyone is a Winner at Casinos
- State House Pulling Out All Stops For Slots
- Gamblers Dealing Mass. Democrats Dollar$
- DeLeo and His Dad
- Casino Comparisons: Connecticut's Foxwoods Failure
- Casino Comparisons: Rhode Island's Red Ink
- Casino Comparisons: The Maine Message
- Casino Comparisons: Out of Luck in Ohio
- Casino Comparisons: California Crash
- Casino Comparisons: All In in Iowa
- Casino Comparisons: Hawaiian Hiatus
- Wampanoags Welch Out on Casino Deal
- Milford Makes Its Move
- The Palmer Protests
- Last Race at Raynham
- Wonderland Loses Its Luster
- Against All Odds: Senate Sleight of Hand
- Against All Odds: The Story of How the House Passed Casinos
- Against All Odds: Winners and Losers
