"Clyde Barrow’s annual analysis of New England’s gambling industry came a little too late to make a difference in this year’s casino debate.

Barrow, one of the most knowledgeable local experts on the topic, often is targeted by opponents for his pro-casino stances.

The UMass-Dartmouth professor did little to shake that image by issuing a news release stating that Bay Staters still spend more than $1 billion a year on casino gambling and that is “an extraordinary indication of Massachusetts residents’ fervor for gaming-related entertainment.”

But look closely at Barrow’s numbers and one will see a very different message: If there’s a fervor for casino gambling in this state, it certainly is cooling off.

The report estimates that the amount of money Bay State residents spent at Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun in Connecticut fell by $30 million, or 3.4 percent, in 2007, at a time when both casinos saw modest revenue declines.

Barrow says some of the declines are the result of a short-term economic slowdown that’s causing consumers to cut back on discretionary spending. He also says recent gambling expansions in New York and Pennsylvania have increased the competition for the Connecticut casinos."

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ANALYSIS: Professor: Connecticut casino fervor cooling (GateHouse News Service 4/12)