Pacheco: Odds now in favor of casinos

State Sen. Marc Pacheco says a plan allowing a combination of resort casinos and slot machines at racetracks will have the best chance of passing in the state Legislature.

A handful of bills that would expand gambling in Massachusetts were recently filed by lawmakers. Pacheco says he sponsored several of the bills and signed onto others, including a bill by Rep. David Flynn of Bridgewater to bring slots to the tracks, such as Raynham Park.

“With resort-based casinos — two or three of them — plus slots at tracks, the state could earn anywhere from $300 million to $1 billion per year,” said Pacheco, D-Taunton. “That’s a significant sum of money, either way.”

Pacheco said a plan combining the two would gain the most votes in the House of Representatives, which has shot down proposals for casinos and slots several times in recent years.

Slot machines at racetracks could be up and running within 90 days, potentially a major boon to the financially troubled state government, Pacheco said. “Slots are almost an immediate form of income for the state,” he said, unlike casinos, which would take several years to build.

Pacheco added he doesn’t know how soon the bills might be discussed in the Legislature.
Expanded gambling has seemingly gained new life with the election of Robert DeLeo as speaker of the House last week.

DeLeo replaced Salvatore DiMasi, a casino opponent who was a major force last year in halting Gov. Deval Patrick’s plan to license three casinos for Massachusetts. DeLeo voted in favor of allowing slot machines at racetracks in 2006. He told the Statehouse News Service this week that he remains in favor of bringing slot machines and is open to casinos.

“In terms of casinos, have I embraced the concept yet? No. Am I willing to talk about it and have further discussion? Yes I am,” he told the news service.

The renewed interest in bringing slot machines to the racetracks comes as Raynham Park mulls its future following a vote last November to ban dog racing in the state. The greyhound track will cease operation by next year, and slots have been suggested as an alternative measure to save the business.


Meanwhile, it’s unclear how a proposed Middleboro resort casino might be affected if the state opts to license commercial casinos. The Mashpee Wampanoag tribe, which has proposed the $1 billion casino, has consistently said it will move forward with its plans to build the casino on sovereign tribal land, regardless of what the state does.

The tribe is waiting for a decision from the federal government on whether more than 500 acres off Route 44 in Middleboro will be placed into federal trust for the casino.

State officials, including Patrick, have said they prefer to work a deal with the tribe that would allow the casino to function as a commercial, not tribal, casino. That way the state would be able to receive tax dollars from the casino.
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