Menino, Patrick oppose casino

Governor Deval Patrick and Mayor Thomas M. Menino said yesterday that they would oppose any move by the owners of Suffolk Downs to speed up the timeline on casino gambling, as track officials pulled back from an initial plan to possibly open a temporary casino on their site by next summer.

"I'm not interested in temporary licenses," said Patrick. "I'm not interested in a piecemeal approach. We put out a comprehensive plan, because we think a comprehensive plan with those terms and conditions is what will and can work in and for Massachusetts and that's what we intend to stick to."

Menino, who has been advocating for a casino at the East Boston horseracing track, said he was blindsided by a Sunday Globe story that said if granted a casino license by the state in 2008, Suffolk Downs' owners could be ready to go with a 180,000 square foot temporary facility, equipped with slot machines and gaming tables, as early as July, four years earlier than the governor's plan envisions. The temporary casino would remain in place during development of a full-scale entertainment complex."If this is going to be successful," said Menino, "it has to be a destination resort."

Both Patrick and Menino said they aren't looking for any improvised, short-term casino operation, only a mega-complex complete with hotels, restaurants, shopping, and nightclubs that would generate a full complement of jobs and tourist activity.

Suffolk Downs officials said yesterday they had not intended to press ahead with a temporary casino unless the administration backed the plan. They said it was just one piece of a sweeping proposal they submitted to Patrick aides early this summer.

"Our proposal for a high-end resort casino is consistent with the governor's vision for jobs and economic development," said Chip Tuttle, Suffolk Downs chief operating officer.

"We have no intention of moving ahead with a temporary facility unless the public policy makers think it's a good idea. We had to make a set of assumptions to present our case to the governor's panel. That was one thing in a comprehensive report that said if the state were to go in that direction, we have the ability to do that and get the state revenue quickly."

Suffolk Downs said its full-scale resort, which would include the horseracing track, casino, hotel, shops, and a theater, would be developed in two phases and finished by 2013.

Patrick last week offered a broad plan to license three casinos across the state: in Southeastern Massachusetts, Western Massachusetts and a region containing Boston and points north. Patrick said his plan would create 20,000 jobs and $2 billion in gambling revenues, 27 percent of which would be kept by the state in annual gambling taxes. The three casino licenses would be competitively bid, potentially generating $600 million to $900 million for the state up front.

So far, few details have emerged. Patrick yesterday said he would file a comprehensive bill with the legislature "probably in a week or two."

But already Senate President Therese Murray, one of Patrick's few key legislative allies, has expressed skepticism about locating a casino in Boston, saying that she would need to be persuaded.

In an interview with WCVB-TV, Murray said a casino in the western part of the state "makes sense, and southeastern part makes sense."

"If there is something metropolitan or north of Boston, show me," she said.

But, she added, a plan to license fewer than the three casinos proposed by Patrick could persuade House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi to soften his opposition to expanded gaming. "It doesn't have to be in the city of Boston, if that is a concern to him," Murray said. "There are going to be three licenses or maybe there should be two. I don't know."

Though Patrick has been slow to advance his casino agenda, a union has launched an advertising blitz in support of the plan.

UNITE HERE, the union that represents hotel and casino workers, has taken out 60-second spots on radio stations that will run for the next week, said union spokesman Stephen Crawford.

"Resort casinos will create 20,000 new middle-class jobs with good wages, generous benefits and retirement security," the ad said. "We paid for this message because we support Governor Patrick and his efforts to promote economic development in Massachusetts."

Patrick aides said the administration was not consulted about the advertising campaign.

While Patrick needs legislative approval for his plan, so far no House or Senate sponsors have been designated to file the bill. Senator Stanley Rosenberg, designated by Murray as the Senate's point person on gaming, said he plans to meet soon with the administration to discuss the specifics of the bill .

"They painted a picture of the outline of the bill, " Rosenberg said. "But the devil is always in the details on something this complicated."

Also yesterday the Massachusetts District Attorneys Association said they may oppose any casino legislation unless the governor can allay their fears of increased crime.

"We have great concerns about the public safety implications," Jonathan Blodgett, Essex district attorney and president of the association, told the Associated Press. "We're looking for the governor to meet us so we can express our concerns."