"The casino debate is about to heat up on Beacon Hill, fueled by House Speaker Robert DeLeo's announcement last week that he now strongly supports the construction of resort casinos in Massachusetts.

Previously, the Winthrop Democrat has only shown support for slot machines at the state's horse and dog tracks - two of which are in his district.

But on Friday he upped the ante. In a speech to 300 members of employers group Associated Industries of Massachusetts, DeLeo said he "has expanded his thinking" on the issue and now believes the cash-strapped state can't afford to pass up the revenues and employment opportunities casinos would provide. It's about "jobs, jobs, jobs," he said.

We beg to differ.

Connecticut's Foxwoods Resort Casino reported that slot revenue dropped 13.3 percent in August and jobs at casinos are far from the sure-bet they once were."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Casino gambling wrong way to fix economy (The Waterbury Republican 9/21)

Another Story:
Casinos get boost as DeLeo signs on (The Boston Globe 9/19)