MA Casino Developments

Commuting Boston Student said:
It doesn't need to be anything like the MA economy for it to have an impact on MA. My argument boils down to "RI could go bankrupt, and when it does, it'll pull MA right down with it."

Like a chain reaction.
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You're argument is wrong. RI is already a basket case. It won't become more of one if it files for bankruptcy (as an aside, the legality of a state bankruptcy is questionable). Any impact on Massachusetts' economy is already built in. And in spite of this, the Commonwealth's finances are solid.
 
No waaaayyy MAN! Once RI goes down, then CT isn't far behind!!! Then MA, then CA, then the whole frigggin' thing man! Gold Standard! Hyper-Inflation!!! Socialism!!! Doomsday preppers!!!!!

Btw, has anyone watched Doomsday Preppers? Really a phenomenal show.
 
Opinion: Resort casino would bring jobs, other benefits to East BostonMay 10, 2012|By Carlo P. Basile, Globe Staff

(Jeremy C. Fox for Boston.com)

A scene from Suffolk Downs.


By Carlo P. Basile

As a lifelong resident of East Boston who is privileged to represent this great neighborhood, I believe that a world-class resort casino at Suffolk Downs, done the right way and with the interests of the community taken into account, would be extremely beneficial to East Boston and our neighboring communities.



First: It will bring jobs. A destination like the one Suffolk Downs is proposing — not just gaming space but a hotel, restaurants, shopping, and entertainment — would create thousands of much-needed jobs.

Wherever I go in this community, I meet people who are looking for work. It pains me to see families suffering as they try to make ends meet. East Boston residents are looking for good-paying jobs with benefits and room for advancement. They need them now. We have to maximize this opportunity for them.

Second: It will pay for local road improvements. The development’s impact on traffic is a major concern among local residents. It is one of mine, too, and as part of my discussions with Suffolk Downs officials over the last few years I have not been shy about voicing that concern. Based on what I’ve seen, I think they’ve heard that message loud and clear.

They’ve had traffic engineers and planners working on this for three years and have pledged publicly to spend $40 million on infrastructure improvements, including addressing existing conditions at Boardman Street and along McClellan Highway. While concerns about traffic are legitimate, it is also worth noting that without this development at Suffolk Downs, the traffic problems that persist today would not be addressed to the extent that they are going to be and woud not be completed in the same timetable.

Third: The neighborhood decides. As part of the gaming law, Suffolk Downs is required to have host community agreements with both Boston and Revere to make sure that the needs of the host communities are appropriately addressed.

Once host community agreements are reached, there will be referenda votes in both communities, and both must approve the plan for it to proceed.All of Revere will vote in their referendum, but the Boston vote will be limited to East Boston unless Mayor Thomas M. Menino and the Boston City Council opt to seek a city-wide ballot question.

Senator Anthony Petruccelli and I fought hard in the legislative process to ensure that the residents of East Boston, the people who would be most affected by the development, are the ones who get to decide. Mayor Menino and Councilor Salvatore LaMattina support the East Boston-only ballot question. This project cannot move forward without the neighborhood voting to do so.

There is still a lot of work to be done. Suffolk Downs needs to roll out detailed development and traffic plans for the neighborhood to review and react to. Mayor Menino recently appointed an advisory board to help ensure that the city maximizes the benefits of the Host Community Agreement.

I look forward to working with Mayor Menino, the casino advisory board, Senator Petruccelli, and Councilor LaMattina to ensure that East Boston’s needs are met in this process, so that when the time for a local ballot question comes, you know exactly what you’re voting on. There will be ample opportunity for the community to be heard during this process.

I know people are concerned and want to know all that is going to happen. There will be many community meetings and opportunities for the neighborhood’s issues to be addressed. Your voice will be heard and with that input, I’m confident that we can make this work for East Boston.

After it is all said and done, this is in the hands of the people of East Boston, and we will listen to what the people want.

Carlo P. Basile is a state representative. He can be reached at Carlo.Basile@mahouse.gov or 617-722-2220.

Follow East Boston on Twitter: @YourEastBoston.
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http://articles.boston.com/2012-05-...uestion-mayor-thomas-m-menino-suffolk-downs/2

This just doesn't effect E.Boston or Revere. This effects all of us especially with second in Bold.
 
Rep Carlo Basile said:
Mayor Menino recently appointed an advisory board to help ensure that he gets the result he wants.
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I fixed that for you Carlo.

In all seriousness, here's a response to Rep. Basile's editorial, from my friend John Dudley.

John Dudley said:
Dear Representative Basile:

In response to your recent Globe.com editorial, here are some points you may consider considering:

#1: “It will create jobs…They need [jobs] now.”

For whom? Every single out-of-work East Bostonian? Or, for a few newly casino-burdened Eastie residents, and for so many others who don’t live anywhere near the new complex? And yes, there are many people who need jobs now. Today. We completely agree. So what good is it going to do these same people, to wait for the Gaming Commission to justly and prudently go through this brand-new industry-creating process, then accept applications, then fully vet them, and then make construction arrangements. How will we pay our out-of-work friends’ and neighbors’ bills until 2014-2015? It’s also important to note Boston currently has an unemployment rate below that of Massachusetts as a whole, and far below the national average. And watch the news: there are several multi-million and even billion dollar development projects already underway or on the verge of happening in the Greater Boston area, as we speak. And they all have more noble and economically-promising purposes than gambling.
A casino resort will strip existing jobs from the community. For every dollar spent in a slot machine (or anywhere else, really, inside the casino walls) by an Eastie resident, that’s one less dollar being spent at one of Eastie’s fine small restaurants, shops, and nightspots. Actually, it’s one less dollar going into local churchs’ collection plates, Bingo nights, and non-profit organizations’ fundraising efforts, too. [You may argue that there are East Boston residents already getting on buses weekly and heading to Connecticut with their money, so why not keep the dollars here? That might be a valid point, if the number of trips they made to a new community casino remained constant. But this would be a “convenience casino,” allowing not one trip a week or month, but upwards of multiple times per week or month – each time, sucking new money out of an already struggling small business economy.]
Eastie’s restaurants and small businesses – the pride of Eastie – will lose business, lay off workers, and perhaps even close their doors altogether. Which Eastie restaurants, bars, artistic spaces, and nightspots can offer 24-hour-a-day entertainment, and free alcohol beverages to boot? How will they compete? How many small business owners who we’ve all come to know and love would prefer to go out of business and instead take a new job making beds or cleaning trash bins at a casino? You must also know that many of the better-paying casino jobs are usually filled by out-of-state or even out-of-country workers already trained by and working at other casinos.

#2: “It will pay for local road improvements…Based on what I’ve seen, I think [Suffolk Downs has] heard [my message about needed infrastructure improvements] loud and clear.”

If that is true, why are Suffolk Downs developers offering only one-tenth of the funds needed to bring the Rt. 1-A corridor up to speed, at pre-casino traffic levels? Better yet, why are you (and the Senator) satisfied with such a measly offer? Don’t East Boston residents deserve more than just transportation Band-Aids?

#3: “Suffolk Downs is required to have host community agreements […] to make sure that the needs of the host communities are appropriately addressed…Senator Petruccelli and I fought hard in the legislative process to ensure that the residents of East Boston, the people who would be most affected by the development, are the ones who get to decide.”

The host community agreement actually would serve to try to deal with “mitigating” negative casino impacts on the East Boston neighborhood. The definition of mitigation: “To lessen in intensity, as wrath, grief, harshness, or pain.” So, the plan is to supply Eastie residents with additional grief and pain by way of a casino, and then try our best to offset it? Sounds like a wash. So, why go through all the trouble to begin with?
And would the neighborhood of East Boston get 100% of the mitigation monies, for being, as you stated, “most affected by the development”? No, it won’t. A hefty chunk would flow to each and every other neighborhood in the City of Boston. Is that fair? And Mayor Menino just appointed a Host Community Advisory Committee of five individuals, only one of whom is a resident of East Boston. Did you and the Senator try to persuade him to appoint a Committee that was far more representative of, and fair to, East Boston?
Finally, the Mayor’s chief gambling adviser Fr. Richard McGowan of B.C. called the neighborhood you represent, “no problem politically.” You certainly don’t agree with that statement, do you? Is that the real reason most elected officials – and the developers themselves -- want to keep the vote Eastie-only? People are beginning to talk…
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Indeed, people are starting to talk. They're also meeting and acting together to educate the communities that will be impacted by the casino proposal. This fight isn't over -- it's just getting started.
 
Do casinos emit nanoparticles? That seems to be a successful gambit.
 
No matter what happens Beton. Your group just needs to educate the residents of E.Boston and Revere. At least force the politicans to let the citizens of Mass in those areas vote for this clusterfuck.

Yes.....in my opinion the casino will be a success especially for the developers & owners.
But truly what will happen to E.Boston & Revere.

**Revere in my opinion seems very run down but is not that dangerous as it used to be.
**E.Boston is upcoming and continues every year to get better.

#1 When somebody claims Suffolk Downs was a gambling facility before so what is the difference? The difference is back in the 70's-80's their might have been 1 car per every household. Now we have 3-5 cars per household in the area. The traffic is already a nightmare so tack on a billion dollar racetrack and gambling parlor.

The residents of E.Boston & Revere should vote on this one and understand that minimum of 400million will be used in taxpayers money to upgrade the MBTA & Highway Transit. (I still don't see that happening for while but the taxpayers will be on the hook for that in the long-term)
 
HenryAlan said:
You're argument is wrong. RI is already a basket case. It won't become more of one if it files for bankruptcy (as an aside, the legality of a state bankruptcy is questionable). Any impact on Massachusetts' economy is already built in. And in spite of this, the Commonwealth's finances are solid.
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You're absolutely correct insofar as the legality of a state bankruptcy is concerned, and we - none of us here, you or I or anyone else - know exactly what would follow in the wake of a state bankruptcy, since it's never been tried before.

I'm making an educated guess as to what will happen, and I could very well be wrong. However, I believe that even an attempt at calling state bankruptcy will:
  • Immediately deflate the value and attractiveness of RI and its immediate border communities, leading to
  • A prolonged deflation in value and attractiveness as those that can leave the situation do
    • Some will move to MA, but the majority will likely move elsewhere
  • A protracted, and likely messy, legal battle will unfold that shines a negative spotlight on RI, and its surrounding communities by extension, all this resulting in
  • Decreased interest for new business and residents relocating to RI and the surrounding communities
    • Again, some may likely choose MA instead, but the majority will probably seek new location elsewhere
  • Degradation in physical quality of RI and the surrounding communities following this deflation which will
  • Ultimately create a negative image of RI that casts a shadow on its neighbors in the same way living next to a dump, a power plant, or an entire block of foreclosed property would.
We don't live in a hard vacuum, entirely separate from every other state. I don't think it's at all unreasonable to suggest that the full and total impact of RI on MA is still being realized every single day, and there's never going to be a time (barring unprecedented, horrific, and unrealistic disaster) where one can no longer continue to impact the other.
 
Why in the world would every household in Eastie have 3-5 cars?
 
For reaction to the rah-rah coverage of the issue in the East Boston Times, check out the comments.

Matthew said:
Why in the world would every household in Eastie have 3-5 cars?
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You are aware that many of the residential properties in East Boston are multi-family dwellings, right? I have neighbors across the street (great people) who rent one apartment (two employed parents, two employed adult kids) and they have four vehicles. This is a common condition.
 
For whom? Every single out-of-work East Bostonian? Or, for a few newly casino-burdened Eastie residents, and for so many others who don’t live anywhere near the new complex? And yes, there are many people who need jobs now. Today. We completely agree. So what good is it going to do these same people, to wait for the Gaming Commission to justly and prudently go through this brand-new industry-creating process, then accept applications, then fully vet them, and then make construction arrangements. How will we pay our out-of-work friends’ and neighbors’ bills until 2014-2015? It’s also important to note Boston currently has an unemployment rate below that of Massachusetts as a whole, and far below the national average. And watch the news: there are several multi-million and even billion dollar development projects already underway or on the verge of happening in the Greater Boston area, as we speak. And they all have more noble and economically-promising purposes than gambling.
A casino resort will strip existing jobs from the community. For every dollar spent in a slot machine (or anywhere else, really, inside the casino walls) by an Eastie resident, that’s one less dollar being spent at one of Eastie’s fine small restaurants, shops, and nightspots. Actually, it’s one less dollar going into local churchs’ collection plates, Bingo nights, and non-profit organizations’ fundraising efforts, too. [You may argue that there are East Boston residents already getting on buses weekly and heading to Connecticut with their money, so why not keep the dollars here? That might be a valid point, if the number of trips they made to a new community casino remained constant. But this would be a “convenience casino,” allowing not one trip a week or month, but upwards of multiple times per week or month – each time, sucking new money out of an already struggling small business economy.]





If I was in the opposition I wouldn't talk about jobs. I can't believe those numbers are in your favor. I see it as a net gain. Also it comes off as somehow Suffolk Downs owes East Boston residents jobs in 2012. Creating jobs is a slam dunk and a reasonable person understands it can't happen by tomorrow. Also saying Boston unemployment rate is above the national average and we don't need more comes off as completely out of touch with Boston's jobless and again is always going to be a loosing argument. As far as mom and pop stores loosing out to the big box, although I agree sucks, is happening all the time in America. Its also a stretch to say that all these other businesses will end. Not all these establishments are really trying to compete with high end night life entertainment. The other gripes are stronger arguments for your cause I'd focus on them.
 
statler said:
Do casinos emit nanoparticles? That seems to be a successful gambit.
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Oh God, I'm trying to remember what it was Ned Flaherty was complaining about and I'm drawing a blank. Was it nano-particles? Maybe the No Casino people can figure it out and go that route. It worked for Ned!
 
Beton Brut said:
You are aware that many of the residential properties in East Boston are multi-family dwellings, right? I have neighbors across the street (great people) who rent one apartment (two employed parents, two employed adult kids) and they have four vehicles. This is a common condition.
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We may have a different definition of household. Multi-family dwellings would be multi-household (I was using it as a synonym for dwelling unit).

I'm sure your neighbors are wonderful folks, but if every apartment in the city had 4 cars there wouldn't be room for people to live. That's why we have buses and trains.
 
statler said:
Do casinos emit nanoparticles? That seems to be a successful gambit.
Click to expand...

underground said:
Oh God, I'm trying to remember what it was Ned Flaherty was complaining about and I'm drawing a blank. Was it nano-particles? Maybe the No Casino people can figure it out and go that route. It worked for Ned!
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Ned made frequent references to Ultrafine Particulate Matter (UFPs) originating from vehicular traffic.

With Logan Airport in my back yard already, I'm familiar with them as well. I regularly power-wash them off of my home.

A playground or little league uniforms and equipment are not really mitigation when 30% of school-age kids in a community have respiratory problems. Many East Bostonians have been requesting a comprehensive state-sponsored epidemiological study focused on long-term respiratory problems and certain forms of cancer since the CA/T Project got underway in 1992.
 
Beton Brut said:
For reaction to the rah-rah coverage of the issue in the East Boston Times, check out the comments.



You are aware that many of the residential properties in East Boston are multi-family dwellings, right? I have neighbors across the street (great people) who rent one apartment (two employed parents, two employed adult kids) and they have four vehicles. This is a common condition.
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The state has never really did a massive upgrade to the Highway systems. I actually believe the MBTA ran unbelievable in the 70's & 80's but it just hasn't kept up with the times.

This state needs a major overhaul in HWY Infrastructure, Bridges, roads,and MBTA upgrades.

Alot of energy & resources were sucked up by the BIG DIG money pit in my opinion and that is why we haven't seen much since.
 
In Reality.

I really believe the Mayor has everyone in place to push around the nay-sayers on this development. The just say no-group for the casino will need a very organized party with serious opposition to stop this one.

What I'm seeing is that Menino could careless what the citizens of the area think of him. He is pretty much only has one more term left in him and I feel like this casino deal is sometype of retirement deal in the making. LIFETIME 150K upper management position after he is done serving as the mayor of Boston.

Everytime the Mayor talks about the Casino deal you see him drooling between the gums. This deal is going to make a group of individuals very RICH.

That is why I could see this backfiring big-time

I actually believe chelsea, Revere, Everett, Malden, Saugus, Cambridge, Somerville and beyond will all be affected. So in theory its not just E.Boston.
 
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I found this in a past issue of The Standard Times that was laying around at my parents' house last night.

1znvsia.jpg


Footprint of the garage is larger than the casino complex itself.
 
Adelson won’t seek a casino in Mass.

The worldwide casino company run by billionaire Boston native Sheldon Adelson will bypass the chance to build a casino in Massachusetts, saying the state’s plan to license up to three casinos and a slot parlor is going to dilute the market, according to a spokesman.

Adelson, who had spent nearly $500,000 lobbying lawmakers on the casino bill approved last November, is known for building lavish gambling resorts, some costing several billion dollars.

“With multiple facilities being proposed, it didn’t synch with our business model,’’ Ron Reese, a spokesman for Adelson’s company, Las Vegas Sands Corp., said Monday.

The confirmation that Adelson will skip the Bay State comes just two weeks after another Las Vegas casino developer, Steve Wynn, abandoned his plans to build a resort in Foxborough in the face of stiff local opposition. Wynn has given no indication he will choose another site in Massachusetts.

The absence of two industry giants, each with vast experience and deep pockets, could mean less competition for the Greater Boston casino license, potentially leading to lower bids or less ambitious projects, specialists say.

“When you have major corporations with all the wherewithal they have competing for one license - a prized license that the one for metropolitan Boston would be - I don’t think there is any question that each one would be coming out showing you something better,’’ said Frank Fantini, publisher of Fantini’s Gaming and Lodging Reports.

The state gambling commission will eventually solicit bids for up to one gambling resort in each of three regions of the state, and one slot parlor that could be built anywhere. The Greater Boston license, expected to be the most lucrative in the state, is being pursued by Suffolk Downs in East Boston in partnership with Caesars Entertainment. Suffolk Downs has said it will invest $1 billion in the development. Developer David Nunes, who has proposed a casino in Milford, has also pledged he will bid on the license but has not yet announced a financing partner.

The 78-year-old Adelson, raised in Dorchester, had been seen as a big unknown force in Greater Boston, a potential game-changing player with the know-how and financial resources to produce a top-flight bid - and to force other bidders to aim high.

Forbes pegs Adelson’s net worth at $24.9 billion, ranking him the world’s 14th-richest person. Adelson’s Venetian hotel is a top attraction for sightseers on the Las Vegas Strip, incorporating canals and gondolas, and an indoor shopping and dining plaza designed to recreate Venice at dusk. He has spent billions developing resorts in Macao, China, and Singapore, which have become huge gambling markets.

Back in 2007, as Massachusetts was giving serious consideration to legalizing casinos, Adelson expressed interest in developing a casino around Marlborough, near the intersection of the Mass. Pike and Interstate 495. But more recently he hinted he had lost interest in his native state. In a call with investors late last year, Adelson talked up the potential of Asian expansion and admitted he was less enthusiastic about emerging domestic markets, which he sees as far less lucrative.

Stephen Crosby, chairman of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, said the panel is thinking carefully about how much casino gambling the Massachusetts market can handle. The commission will tackle the question at a forum it is hosting in June.

“One of the things we have to do is re-look at what the market could bear, and see what is the economic prognosis for the model in the legislation [three resorts and a slot parlor] in today’s environment,’’ said Crosby. “We’re going to reconvene all of the people who have done projections and we’re going to say, ‘What do you think of your projections now?’ I think the casino legislation gives us the room to think carefully about the competitive environment and the size of the market and to act accordingly.’’

In late February, Adelson terminated his Massachusetts lobbying firm, Donoghue Barrett & Singal, after spending more than $470,000 on lobbying in the Bay State from 2009 to 2011, according to records in Secretary of State William Galvin’s office.

Professor Clyde Barrow, a casino specialist at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, said Adelson has been consistent, having recommended five years ago that Massachusetts limit the state to one casino.

Since then, he said, Adelson has focused on markets overseas.

“A lot of Wall Street investors have criticized him for getting involved in Sands Bethlehem [a casino in Pennsylvania] even though it has been a profitable facility,’’ said Barrow. “The view has been, ‘Why are you wasting your time on something that small when you have all the stuff going on in Macao?’ ’’

Crosby declined to comment directly on Adelson’s decision not to pursue a casino in Massachusetts, or how the absence of Las Vegas Sands would affect competition. “Clearly, competition is good and competition from well-funded, stable, legitimate companies is the best kind,’’ he said. “But at this point we’re not in the business of commenting about who’s in and who’s out.’’

Mark Arsenault can be reached at marsenault@globe.com.
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Seems like the city & state officials will screw this one up. I agree with Adelson that they will cannibalize the industry
 
Suffolk Downs to unveil casino plans tomorrow
By Chris Cassidy
Monday, June 4, 2012 - Updated 23 minutes ago


Suffolk Downs will release its long-awaited plans for a resort casino in East Boston tomorrow morning, the 77-year-old thoroughbred race track announced today.

Track owners and managers will brief the media tomorrow at 11:15 a.m. and release architectural drawings, giving the public its first significant glimpse at what the proposed casino will look like.

Suffolk Downs is partnering with Caesars Entertainment Corporation, whose CEO is Bay State resident Gary Loveman.

The site for the Suffolk Downs casino sits on the Revere/East Boston line. When a Foxboro casino proposal by Vegas mogul Steve Wynn and New England Patriots [team stats] owner Bob Kraft broke down last month, Suffolk Downs became the near sure-shot to receive the one casino license the Massachusetts Gaming Commission can award to a gaming palace in eastern Massachusetts.

The track’s only other competitor appears to be developer David Nunes who wants to construct a casino and 350-room hotel plus retail and restaurants in Milford off Interstate 495. He told the Herald last month that any Suffolk Downs bigwigs tempted to celebrate apparent victory should “keep the foil on those corks.”

-— chris.cassidy@bostonherald.com
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Beton I hope you sharpened your knives.

http://bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1061136663
 
We've been expecting this.

Here's a clip of Mumbles talking about "educating" the people of East Boston about what's right for our community.

Perhaps it's time for Mayor Menino to buy some Tommy Bahama shirts and take up shuffleboard. In his spare time, he could teach a couple of sections of Ineffectual Public Policy 101 at Florida International University.

If you live in Boston, consider signing this petition.
 
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