So we went down to Mohegan Sun, last night, for the Killers concert. Getting there is pretty easy, west on the Pike, south on 395. Once you get on-site, there is outside and garage parking. So far so good. We waited for a shuttle to get to the casino. Came quickly. The ride through the parking lot took a good 20 minutes, they overloaded the bus, and they were playing old "Molly and McGee" radio shows on the speakers, for some reason.
The parking lot is small; for about fifteen minutes we circled around and we could see our car parked on the opposite side of the lot the entire time. Turns out the entrance to the casino was pretty close to where we parked - reminded me a lot of the Simpsons episode where Homer ends up parking in the farthest corner of the power plant's parking lot and it turns out it's right next to his home ("Hi, Homer," says Bart.)
We made it to the casino.
One thing I can say in its defense, the casino was absolutely packed with people. There are plenty of slot machines and gaming tables. The design seems absolutely the worst, you can never tell where anything is and it's lit too poorly, even for a casino. It's hard to find anything even though there are maps and signage everywhere you look.
They have a lot of casino floors as well as a very extensive selection of restaurants and a food court. Prices were not outrageous, but higher than normal.
The arena is nicely laid out. Very easy to get from the casino into the arena and our seats were right across from the entrance. Big enough arena to make it feel "big" but not as large as the Garden or similar. Filled out in time for show to begin. Great 1 1/2 hour show. Beers were $6.50 for a Coors Light. Eh.
Afterward I ate pizza. The crowd seemed to include a lot of teenagers. I suspected that local kids come into the casino to hang out on weekend nights. Some of the casino space is taken up by restaurants and clothing stores.
We hated the casino. Part of it was its design. Part of it was the people. Too many parents had brought their young children. The 20- and 30-somethings seemed to be having a good time at the bars, which seems okay. There was a hair-band knock-off singing when we left. Cheap Trick's version of "Ain't It A Shame".
The experience certainly didn't make me any more of a fan of casinos. I love gambling and have been to Las Vegas multiple times and have been on cruises many times and lost thousands and thousands of dollars. I just don't see enough benefits to bringing casinos to Massachusetts. We don't have every type of industry in Massachusetts, we don't have to have every type of industry in Massachusetts.
Casino gambling will not be the panacea to what is ailing Massachusetts. Yeah, I see $800 million in potential annual tax revenues and it seems appealing, but beyond that, there seems no pressing reason to open the floodgates to gaming in the state.
If voters do end up wanting it, and we bring it in, I would say I'd want three or four things. *) No Indian casinos, the casinos should be under the control of the state; *) Start with one casino in/near Boston, I don't understand the concept of putting another one in a run-down city such as New Bedford; *) it has to be a no-smoking facility, everywhere (it was gross at Mohegan Sun); *) off-limits to 18 and under, throughout facility, or, if it must be open to allow families to visit and shop, it should be very clear which parts are for adults and which are for children - none of those paths that make their way between banks of slots and gaming tables. Alternatively, the entire casino should be off limits to under 18 after 11 PM weeknights and 12 AM weekends.
