If his position was not clear before, Robert DeLeo, speaker of the Massachusetts house, made sure everyone knows that his plans for gaming in the state include support of slots at tracks
.
In an interview on Boston’s Channel 5 On the Record, DeLeo said, “I’ve always been a slots person. The proposal that I’m going to make to the house later on in February or in early March is going to set forth a joint proposal of slots and resort casinos.”
Clyde Barrow, the director of UMass Dartmouth’s Center for Policy Analysis, says DeLeo’s stance makes sense on two fronts.
“The tracks have always had enough supporters in the house to block a casino bill if the tracks were not taken care of, too. There are definitely some expanded gambling proponents who would vote against it if it were just casinos," he said.
"Second, while the state would stand to rake in more money from casino gaming, revenue from slot machines would come in a lot sooner. They can get licensing revenue almost immediately, and they could even get some slot revenue this fiscal year. Two years ago the governor said he would be willing to compromise on the number of casinos or slots at the tracks. I don’t know if that’s changed.”
(Harness Tracks of America)