Hopes for slots at tracks in Massachusetts -- a roller coaster ride -- took a new dip yesterday with the announcement of a Senate plan to approve three casinos in the state, including one for an Indian tribe, but continue the ban on
track slots.
The plan means a coming battle in the legislature, where House Speaker Robert DeLeo immediately announced he will push forward with his plan for both casinos and 750 slots at each of the state’s four racetracks.
The Senate proposal was announced by Democrat Stanley Rosenberg, who said track slots would “glut the market.”
The DeLeo plan, which would require $500 million in private investment from the resort casinos and $75 million from each of the tracks, passed the House decisively, and DeLeo says he will continue to support it despite likely opposition from Governor Deval Patrick, who favours the Senate idea but has not said he would veto the House measure if it prevailed.
The opposing views also portend a serious dispute in the economically devastated city of Fall River, where one faction wants the immediate action of track slots while another favours using land intended as the site of a massive biotech project for construction of a resort casino instead.
The biotech idea was well underway, with state funding and university support and participation. The state indicated it would demand its money back if the idea was abandoned for a casino.
(Harness Tracks of America)