Patrick Sends Gambling Bill Back To Legislature With No Racinos

Governor Duval Patrick tried to lead last week when lawmakers were unable to compromise on a gambling expansion law in Massachusetts. The governor opened negotiations by agreeing to one slot parlor in the state, and that was one more than he wished for.

Legislators then spent the weekend crafting their own legislation and finally completed a law that was acceptable to both the House and the Senate. The only problem was that Patrick was not on board for the legislation that would have authorized two slot parlors.

The governor has made it clear that he does not want state racetracks to be the beneficiary of expanded casino gambling. Instead, Patrick has been pushing for casino resorts, with no affiliation to the tracks.

When Patrick sent the legislation back on Monday, it had several amendments, and the one slot parlor Patrick had compromised on was no longer on the table. That is likely to be met with a negative response from House Speaker Robert DeLeo on Tuesday.

DeLeo authored a bill that would have brought 750 slot machines to state racetracks. The House passed the law, but the Senate passed a plan without any slots at the tracks. The two separate pieces of legislation led leaders from the House and Senate into negotiations last week.

Tempers are now riding high with no deal in place and millions of dollars in revenue at stake. Without the revenue, Massachusetts will have to find other ways to bridge a budget deficit that will be in the billions by next year.

Patrick originally proposed four casino resorts for the state last year. His efforts were undermined by then-House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi, and the proposal was denied by lawmakers. When DeLeo became the House Speaker, it opened the door for casinos in the state.

DeLeo, however, has pushed for the slots at the tracks, and the divide began to widen between himself and the governor. Senate President Therese Murray is also against the slot machines at tracks in Massachusetts.

August 3, 2010
Posted By Terry Goodwin
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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