"Casino gambling may not solve all of the fiscal challenges facing Massachusetts, but it is the best idea currently on the table. And Governor Deval Patrick seems determined to maximize its advantages.

Considered as a piece of political craftsmanship, Patrick’s proposal is particularly shrewd. It pressures the Wampanoag Indians to throw in their lot with the state, allowing them to develop a casino now and in such a way that would benefit Massachusetts’s taxpayers more than if the tribe were to wait for federal approval to build outside of Patrick’s proposed structure.

In fact, the Wampanoags would need the approval of the US government if they chose to build on their recently purchased Middleborough site, since it is not traditional tribal land. There was a time when the Wampanoags might have been able to count on the government’s rubber stamp, but those days are over. The Bush administration has placed a moratorium on such requests for the remainder of its time in office. That means that if the tribe chooses to wait for a new White House occupant, rather than to accept the promise of a license, it will be gambling with future returns worth mega millions.

As strong and as sensible as Patrick’s proposal appears, we should still expect heated debate and stiff opposition on Beacon Hill. Get ready for the argument that casino jobs are not good ones. That’s nonsense. First of all, new casino jobs are better than no new jobs. And new traditional manufacturing jobs are just not an option in this state, at least in any meaningful numbers. In fact, high-paying blue-collar jobs are expected to remain static at best, whether or not Massachusetts casinos are built. But the hospitality industry — and that is how casino should be viewed — has a proven track record of providing good jobs."

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Patrick’s winning hand (The Boston Phoenix 9/20)