Maybe Next Year For Casino Gambling In Massachusetts

Casino gambling and the state of Massachusetts are prepared to come together in the future, it just will not happen this year. That is the word coming down from lawmakers in the state who want to ensure they get casino legislation right the first time.

Governor Duval Patrick has been pushing his casino resort agenda since he took office. His first attempt at bringing casinos to Massachusetts was turned away by lawmakers. Lately, however, there has been a change of heart in the state's government.

House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Senate President Therese Murray have both joined Patrick's crusade to legalize casinos. Murray spoke just a couple of weeks ago of how the revenue generated from casinos could be beneficial to the state.

This week, however, all parties involved acknowledged that it could take longer than anticipated to pass gambling legislation. The stress is on making sure that all bases are covered before bringing a proposal to lawmakers for a vote.

"I want to make sure we've got all our I's dotted and our T's crossed so this legislation is done the right way," said Senator Anthony Petrucceli, one of the lawmakers in favor of legalizing casino gambling. The governor himself also echoed these sentiments.

DiMasi wants to give lawmakers time to study the issue further and come up with a plan that would be most beneficial to the state. That may take longer than just a couple of months, and DiMasi sees no reason why the legislation cannot wait until the beginning of 2010.

September 29, 2009
Posted By Terry Goodwin
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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