Re: Gov. Deval Patrick to propose three MA casinos
From the above link:
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By Globe Staff
Governor Deval Patrick will announce his decision this afternoon about the expansion of casino gambling in Massachusetts, according to a scheduled issued by his staff.
After months of study and a long stretch of public silence, Patrick is holding a press conference at the State House to discuss legalized gaming.
The Globe reported Sunday that Patrick will propose that the state sell licenses for three full-scale resort casinos, citing their potential to spur economic growth, create jobs, and generate new government revenue. The casinos would be licensed in three regions: Southeastern Massachusetts, Western Massachusetts, and an area that includes Boston and points north, officials said.
All three licenses would be put up for competitive bid, in a process that is expected to raise hundreds of millions of dollars in immediate and direct state revenue . Suffolk Downs in East Boston and Revere's Wonderland Park immediately began jockeying for one of the three casino licenses, while gambling foes began mobilizing and vowed a major fight against casinos.
Patrick's plan would not give preferential treatment to the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian tribe, which has already inked an agreement with the town of Middleborough to build a $1 billion resort casino. The tribe would have to outbid other competitors for a license or could proceed with a longer, more arduous federal approval process that could result in a fourth Massachusetts casino. Shawn Hendricks Sr., the tribal council chairman, and other Wampanoag leaders have scheduled a press conference in Mashpee today at 3:30 p.m.
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My question is, where does this revenue projection come from? Is it realistic?
If the State of Massachusettes were to license and sanction an online site(s), which they can legally do, and open it up to all residents of localities where participation is not prohibited by law, how much revenue could they expect?
I am somewhat perplexed by the failure of some state politicos in some state or other to not recognise a fairly lucrative cash source.
The North Dakota guys got bamboozled by the DOJ shill saying that it may violate some law or other. But it seems that a little research would have proven that they could have politely told the shill to go pound sand.
What am I missing?
Tuff
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