Gambling fever develops 2 strains
Camps divide into casinos vs. slots
For gambling proponents, it was like drawing a full house in poker when state Senate President Therese Murray raised her arm last week, mimicked pulling a slot machine lever, and said, "Ka-ching." But even with new momentum for legalized gambling in Massachusetts, disagreements abound over what form it should take.
Mayor Thomas M. Menino, Suffolk Downs racetrack, and a coalition of trade unions and North Shore politicians renewed their push yesterday to legalize full resort casinos in Massachusetts. Their vision mirrors the pitch by Governor Deval Patrick last year to license casinos on the scale of those in Las Vegas and Connecticut, complete with lavish hotels and other amenities.
Other political heavyweights, including state Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill and House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo, have been making the case that major players in the casino industry have fallen victim to the economic downturn, are trying to stave of bankruptcy, and are not in a position to build lavish resorts. They argue that stripped-down slot machine parlors would be easier and cheaper to build and would produce money for state coffers sooner.
"I feel there has to be a component for slots at the tracks before we even have a discussion relative to casino gambling," DeLeo told reporters yesterday. "My position hasn't changed. . . . I see it as a relatively quick way of gaining revenue."
Resort casino advocates counter that Massachusetts needs to compete directly with Connecticut's destination casinos, Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun. They also want the higher number of jobs that resorts would generate.
"We don't have the luxury to continue a policy that exports Massachusetts tax revenues, jobs, and tourism to Connecticut and Rhode Island," Menino said yesterday in a statement. "We have an opportunity with the authorization of resort casinos to create a new and sustainable revenue source for the state and cities and towns that will also create thousands of new jobs and stimulate tourism and economic development growth. And we need to seize that opportunity now."
The coalition includes a range of local officials, from mayors to selectmen. Trade unions in the group include sheet metal workers, carpenters, and the Massachusetts AFL-CIO.
The topic of casinos dominated the State House last year before its defeat was engineered by House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi. DiMasi resigned in January and was replaced by DeLeo, who is a gambling proponent.
But some of those pushing for resort casinos are coming from DeLeo's own district, which includes Suffolk Downs and Wonderland racetracks
"I can say categorically and unequivocally, this is not a criticism of anything that Speaker DeLeo has proposed," said Mayor Thomas Ambrosino of Revere, who favors resort casinos. "Perhaps there's some compromise out there that says, let's move eventually to resort-style casinos but start with slot machines."
The letter from local officials, which is going out this week, was signed by Menino, Ambrosino, Mayor Kim Driscoll of Salem, and City Manager Jay Ash of Chelsea.
The coalition was initially formed last year to advocate for the governor's proposals, and it has largely been led by Suffolk Downs.
Last year, for example, the operators of Suffolk Downs enlisted Mayor Michael Bissonnette of Chicopee to be featured on a pamphlet, mailed statewide, that sought to make the case for resort-style casinos.
Suffolk Downs also paid for a 50,000-piece mailing that went out statewide in November 2007 and was signed by Robert J. Haynes, president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO.
Matt Viser can be reached at maviser@globe.com. 
