Gambling Bill Being Drafted

BOSTON -- Legalized gambling, seemingly dead after it was soundly defeated in the House this spring, is about to resurface in the Senate. Sen. Michael Morrissey, D-Quincy, is drafting legislation that would allow an Aquinnah Wampanoag casino in Southeastern Massachusetts and slot machines at several locations across the state.

A gaming vote isn't expected until after the Senate concludes this week's debate on a proposed $22.56 billion state budget that would make deep cuts in education and local aid. The Legislature must close a $3 billion shortfall for the 2004 fiscal year, which begins July 1.

Sen. Morrissey said it could take two to three weeks to write the bill. "After we get through the budget and see how bad things are, and we still haven't bottomed out yet, maybe people are willing to reconsider it, maybe not," said Sen. Morrissey, who co-chairs the Government Regulations Committee.

Other senators also are expected to push plans for slot machines and commercial casinos if the issue hits the Senate floor. Sen. Morrissey said the final bill should not restrict slot machines to the state's racetracks. A number of state representatives in the House, including some from the SouthCoast, voted against putting slots at the tracks because it offered no economic development opportunities for their districts.

Southeastern Massachusetts lawmakers said lobbying over the gaming issue intensified this week. But even if a gambling bill passes the Senate, it faces tough opposition. House Speaker Thomas M. Finneran opposes the expansion of gambling, saying it could hurt the state Lottery.

Gov. Mitt Romney has pushed a plan to allow slot machines for a limited period of five years, rather than allowing full-fledged casinos. In April, The House defeated a proposal to allow slots at the state's four racetracks by a vote of 86 to 65.

"I think the House voted quite substantially against gambling," said Rep. Anne Paulsen, a Belmont Democrat and a leading gambling opponent. "It was not close. It will be very difficult to overturn it."

Sen. Mark C.W. Montigny, D-New Bedford, remains on the fence about gaming. "I continue to be very skeptical about this as proposed as manna from heaven," Sen. Montigny said. "The only people who are pushing it are the lobbyists and those that will make money from it."

Sen. Montigny said a number of questions need to be answered to get his vote, including the location of the gambling parlors and the effect on the state Lottery. The Lottery generates $900 million a year in aid to cities and towns.

"When there's desperation and blood in the water, that's when the sharks in this industry come out in droves, and they are out right now in droves," Sen. Montigny said. O'Leary, a gambling critic, said "there is a significant amount of opposition" to it in the 40-member Senate.

The Senate has yet to vote on a bill sponsored by Sen. Joan M. Menard, D-Somerset, that would allow three commercial casinos across the state -- including one in SouthCoast -- and slots at the four racetracks.

There is also concern that opening the door to gambling could lead to a proliferation of Indian casinos. Two other Massachusetts tribes -- the Nipmuc in central Massachusetts and the Mashpee Wampanoag on Cape Cod -- are believed to be close to securing federal recognition. That would make them eligible to offer whatever type of gambling is legal in the state.

But gambling supporters say slots alone could raise $500 million a year, helping to save local aid and human service programs. They want to recapture the $200 million a year that state residents spend on casinos and slots in Connecticut and Rhode Island. "We will try to put together a draft and present it to the members of the Senate to see what their feeling is," Morrissey said.