Gambling industry moguls for the last five years have had their sights set on building a new casino in Massachusetts. After spending roughly $11.4 million dollars on lobbying, their efforts paid off in November, when Governor Deval Patrick approved a bill to allow three casinos to be built in the state. The bill specifies that the casinos must be geographically distributed, with potential locations including the Greater Boston area and Southeastern and Western Massachusetts.
Once a host city has been selected, citizens of that city need to approve the casino via referendum vote, with the final decision resting in the hands of state legislators. While the decision allowing the casinos is a positive one for the state, the voting process by which residents of Massachusetts approve the construction must be refined.
Recently, the Wampanoag tribe announced Taunton, Mass. as its choice for one of the three casinos. This would fulfill the bill's quota for a casino in Southeastern Massachusetts, provided approval is given by the Taunton residents. But the problem lies in the fact that Taunton residents are the only people voting via referendum on whether or not to approve the casino, whereas its construction has implications on cities and towns throughout a good portion of the commonwealth.
Building a casino is a massive undertaking, with some companies projecting costs of around $500 million. It is likely to be a massive full-scale resort, and, as a result, it is going to affect a lot more than just one city when it's built. It may draw tourists from all across the country, and the surrounding cities of Raynham, Middleborough, Attleboro and Norton are likely to see an influx of visitors and traffic.
Only allowing Taunton residents to vote would exclude a good deal of the population that could be affected by the casino. Referendum voting should occur in all of Bristol County to ensure that the residents of the region, and not just one city, are satisfied with the casino.
Also in the southeast, casino mogul Steve Wynn has his sights set on Foxborough as the location of the commonwealth's next resort. Foxborough already houses Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots, and residents are concerned that building a casino in such close proximity to the stadium will cause massive spikes in crime and traffic.
The struggle in Foxborough is representative of the typical debate that occurs with casino construction in any town. Wynn and his company are promising economic growth, job creation and a steady revenue stream for the city, which they can use for public works projects. On the other side of the argument are concerned residents who feel that a casino will disrupt their way of life and bring a torrent of crime to the city.
Still, in an economy where jobs are scarce, the chance to employ thousands of people in need is just too good to pass up. We understand the issues that a casino brings with it, but the opportunity for development that a casino can bring in for a town can also be an amazing boon for the economy. Because of this, we urge Massachusetts to allow for the construction of these establishments. The voting process should be done right, and all parties that will be affected should have a say, but in the end, the casinos are just too big a windfall to pass up.
