Massachusetts news in the Boston Globe now reads like a gambling gaming industry trade magazine. Today’s stories from The Gaming Channel:
Deval Patrick’s casino plan is released today.
Governor Deval Patrick will file a casino gambling bill today that gives him control of a seven-member gaming authority that would auction off licenses and regulate the casinos..."I don't think it's a good business model to have elected officials as part of the oversight process," [State Treasurer Tim] Cahill said. "This is the most lucrative license anyone will ever bestow on anyone in Massachusetts."
Together We Can, Tim.
Meanwhile the Lottery is becoming less particular about location and is deploying new video Keno games to draw $160M more revenue:
Lottery officials said the revamped Daily Race Game would be introduced as soon as possible at the existing 220 locations where the car racing game is being played and then be rolled out to a total of 1,500 locations by April. The game is expected to generate $160 million in annual revenue once fully operational…Originally, the car racing game was targeted at just bars and restaurants, but the more aggressive rollout plan means it will probably end up in additional locations. There are currently 1,750 Keno locations in the state.
And the Globe editors believe Deval’s casino-funded property tax rebate is irrational:
Still, the rebate plan doesn't address the need for the state to find a rational way to share revenues with cities and towns at a time when property taxes are rising and services are declining. Patrick promised in his campaign that he would "cut the property tax by reinvesting in cities and towns." That elusive goal hasn't been brought any closer as a result of his casino bill.
Silly Globe. Deval Patrick is merely passing the onus of raising taxes to the cities and towns.
1 comment:
Thanks for your coverage of the casino debacle.
From my blog I offer a few comments:http://cfotruthtopower.blogspot.com/2007/10/buy-in-or-being-bought.html
"One of the most likely results of the ill conceived Patrick Plan will be to further increase tensions on the local level to recover the “pay-off” to property owners by the Administration’s gaming proceeds by municipalities to fund essential services. That is another losing proposition given the unwillingness of the public to override 2 ½ in order to fund schools, police, fire, sanitation and infrastructure. In close to eight years of local public service, I have not seen a worse scenario for towns and cities."
and,
"Offering tax credits to promote support for egregious public policy is not a new strategy."
Just some simple soccer Mom observations.
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