Monday, August 02, 2010

A temporary reprieve from Massachusetts casinos – Governor Patrick put his big foot down and said "no!" to slots in racetracks. You know, because they lead to addictive behavior, unlike all other forms of gambling in brightly-lit "resort" casinos.

After the construction jobs have been long gone, I look forward to all the great new businesses that spring up around casinos: pawn shops, "escort" services, gambling addiction centers, blackjack-dealer schools, flop houses, security services, etc. Hooray for jobs!

1 comment:

Nigel Tufnel said...

Blatant power grab by Speaker DeLeo. They wouldn't even be considering the slots at race tracks if it weren't for the fact they are located in DeLeo's district. Patrick said all along that he wouldn't vote for a bill that included them.

If they allow slots at DeLeo's racetracks it undercuts the rationalization for those who support casinos in Massachusetts. "Racinos" won't create a significant number of new jobs and there will be no big construction projects - they'll just back up the 18-wheelers and drop off slot machines into existing facilities in DeLeo's district.

They try to pretty up the casinos with shops, entertainment, etc., but the foundation of their business model is poor people and old ladies shoving money they can't afford to lose into one-armed bandits.

Casinos are the last resort of politicians who have run out of ideas for fostering job creation.