Column: Casino out of the gate in Massachusetts

Monday, August 6, 2007  

"I was resting easy, thinking repeated efforts to make the Bay State a Biloxi North were just the serenades of gamblers and tax foes.

Then came the Wampanoags to Middleborough and we're off to the races, as they say. It's more than a saying in this case, though, because race track owners will see a casino in Middleborough - if the state allows one - as their ticket to slots operations.

This latest development is sad for many reasons. It's sad that two out of three Middleborough Town Meeting voters think casino gambling is a good bet for the town. In an area where wind turbines and commuter rail generate intense opposition, it's fascinating that casino gambling is considered a good thing.

It's sad that the casino proposal made it past the first hurdle with so little time for townsfolk to study and debate the consequences. What's the rush, for heaven's sake? That people might figure out if they thought about it for a while that this is not such a great idea for their town, is my guess.

The Wampanoag tribe bought land in Middleborough only in April and here it is August and visions of chips and dice and a few million have overcome the good sense most people rely on when someone tries to sell them a bill of goods."

Get the Story:
JoAnn Fitzpatrick: Horse named Casino is out of the gate (The MetroWest Daily News 8/5)

More Opinions:
Editorial: Corruption and casinos (The MetroWest Daily News 8/5)
Editorial: Casino gambling bad bet for Palmer (The Republican 8/5)