After the Massachusetts House handily defeated Gov. Deval Patrick’s proposal to legalize casino gambling and ban internet gaming, House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi issued a strongly worded statement urging people to move on. The bill was defeated on a 108-46 vote. For our previous coverage of the story you can see our posts from yesterday and three days ago.
Today, the big money special interests lost and the people of Massachusetts won. Members of the House withstood incredible pressure from the deep‐pocketed gambling industry, unions and the Governor’s office.
This is the third consecutive session in which the House has overwhelmingly voted to reject the harmful expansion of gaming in the Commonwealth. The cost of creating a casino culture is too high. There are far better ways to create jobs and increase revenue The House has repeatedly pursued initiatives that spur our economy through life sciences, clean energy and other industries that far better utilize our strengths. Massachusetts has always been known for its brain power, innovation and technical expertise.
Connecticut, Rhode Island and New York all have casinos and they all have higher taxes than Massachusetts. Pennsylvania allowed slots to give property tax relief and, now, their governor is proposing a major sales tax increase.
This issue has dominated the debate here at the State House for more than six months. The Legislature had three public hearings, including a 13‐hour session this week, and proponents and opponents debated for more than six hours on the floor today before voting.
The debate on casino gambling is over. We will move on and the House will continue to work collaboratively with the Governor and the Senate to grow our economy in meaningful ways.
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[...] sooner than has the dust settled over Massachusetts Governor’s Casino Bill which contained anti-online gambling provisions, [...]