Governor says casino deal unacceptable

By Noah Bierman, Globe Staff

Gov. Deval Patrick has just declared that an agreement between House and Senate leaders to expand gambling in Massachusetts is unacceptable to him.

"I cannot support this bill in its current form,'' the governor said in a statement issued just minutes after House and Senate leaders announced that they had agreed to legislation that would authorize three resort casinos as well as slot parlors at two of the state's racetracks.

“I respect the Speaker and the Senate President and the teams that have so ably and thoughtfully worked to compromise on an expanded gaming bill,'' Patrick said. "Although we have not yet seen the details of the conference committee report, I am nonetheless disappointed that it includes more than one slot facility and that there is no provision for open, competitive bidding for the slot licenses."

Under the legislative agreement, one casino would be located in each of three regions across the state -- east, southeast and west. Two licenses to operate slot parlors would go to the state's racetracks.

Lawmakers estimate the gambling could generate $300 million in licensing fees for the state. It was not immediately clear what the annual taxes on racing facilities would generate.

Lawmakers planned to vote on the measure tomorrow, which is the last scheduled day of their two-year legislative session. It is not clear whether, if the governor vetoed their measure, they would attempt to reconvene at a later date and muster the two-thirds vote in each chamber that would be required to override a gubernatorial veto.

Meanwhile, lawmakers were making progress on a number of other measures in the final hours of the session. They announced agreement on an economic development bill and several others.

Here is the full text of the governor's statement:

Yesterday I called on the Legislature to finish their work on several key pieces of legislation that are critical to continuing our economic recovery and growing jobs. I am pleased that the House and Senate have begun to move on these measures today and will look forward to reviewing the content of the final bills to assure that they go far enough.

To break the legislative logjam on these measures, I offered to accept one slot facility, competitively and openly bid, as part of an expanded gaming bill. This is a big concession for me in light of my consistent view that slot parlors do not give us the jobs at higher wages and benefits that justify the social costs.

I respect the Speaker and the Senate President and the teams that have so ably and thoughtfully worked to compromise on an expanded gaming bill. Although we have not yet seen the details of the Conference Committee report, I am nonetheless disappointed that it includes more than one slot facility and that there is no provision for open, competitive bidding for the slot licenses. I cannot support this bill in its current form.

Noah Bierman can be reached at nbierman@globe.com