Region Braces For New Gaming Legislation
Beacon Hill legislators could consider a bill to allow expanded gaming in Massachusetts as early as next month, state Sen. Karen Spilka, D-Ashland, told a group of regional officials Wednesday night.
Spilka said any new gaming legislation would likely originate in the House and would include legalizing one or multiple resort-style casinos or slot machines at racetracks.
Regardless of the details, any piece expanded gaming legislation would have to pass through the Senate's Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies, which Spilka chairs.
Spilka spoke at an event at the Ashland Public Library titled "Regional Casino Contingency Planning" sponsored by the MetroWest Growth Management Committee, the MetroWest/495 Partnership and the SouthWest Advisory Planning Committee. About 50 town administrators, planners, elected officials and concerned citizens attended the meeting, which included a panel discussion the potential impacts a casino would have on individual communities and the region.
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A reinvigoration of the casino debate could have important consequences for the growing MetroWest region. In fact, developers have already set their eyes on the region. Two developers from Colorado and Nevada have presented conceptual plans for Crossroads, an $850 million, 200-acre casino in Milford near the intersection of Interstate 495 and the Massachusetts Turnpike.
Two casino opponents from Western Massachusetts - Kathleen Conley Norbut and Edward S. Harrison -- spoke about a 23-point letter they wrote to the legislature last year raising issues that they say needed to be considered. Norbut is the founder of United to Stop Slots in Massachusetts and Harrison is the chair of the Western Massachusetts Casino Task Force.
The pair shared advice with the regional officials in the audience and gave their wish list should gaming legislation move forward. They specifically asked for local representation on any gaming or oversight commissions that might be created.
Other issues raised during the meeting included the potential increased strain on public safety and infrastructure if resort-style casinos are allowed.
The audience, which was relatively subdued but clearly curious about the potential impact of gaming, asked Norbut and Harrison how local businesses would be impacted by a casino and what specifically the impact would be on housing and the school systems.
Attendees also asked about how they could ensure that costs associated with a casino would be mitigated over the long-term. Harrison recommended reevaluating the impact a casino would have on an annual basis.
Dennis Giombetti, a selectman in Framingham and member of the MetroWest Growth Management Committee, said the three regional organizations that sponsored the meeting would work on drafting a letter to state legislators articulating the region's concerns related to gaming in the commonwealth.
Before any legislation could be passed, Spilka said the state must get updated revenue and job projections. And she said if casinos are allowed, a regulatory oversight body would need to be created and that communities surrounding the site of the casino must have some say in the development.
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