Should Boston build a Casino?

Should a Casino be built at Suffolk Downs?


  • Total voters
    12
Let's have casinos. Just not government sanction monopolies on them.
 
Suffolk Downs area would be a disaster on a Infrastructure issues. GRIDLOCK TRAFFIC everywhere in that area.

Just leave them in Ledyard CT.

Ironically enough, the road to the GIGANTIC Foxwoods casino is a little country lane in the middle of no where and traffic seems to be doing just fine.
 
No; casinos and the casino way of life are antithetical to Boston's brand, if you ask me.

Then again, the 'Vegas' idea of planning (what happens in the building stays in the building) is particularly appropriate in reference to a casino--as long as it is properly designed, I don't see why it's a problem for anyone to build a casino. It's not the gambling that people are afraid of, it's the incidental effects (trashiness, basically).
 
Ironically enough, the road to the GIGANTIC Foxwoods casino is a little country lane in the middle of no where and traffic seems to be doing just fine.

The major difference being that Ledyard, CT doesn't have a large population and a multitude of other businesses utilizing the same roads like East Boston does. Foxwoods is the only draw in the area.

That said, casino traffic (even in a massive facility) is different than, say, Red Sox traffic as arrivals and departures are staggered throughout the day/night as opposed to a wave of people arriving at a specific time and leaving at a specific time. There would need to be some improvements around Suffolk Downs, but nothing on a massive scale.
 
The major difference being that Ledyard, CT doesn't have a large population and a multitude of other businesses utilizing the same roads like East Boston does. Foxwoods is the only draw in the area.

Right, but my point is that if a tiny two lane road shows zero effect from a gigantic casino, surely an entire city neighborhood worth of transit infrastructure can handle a smaller one.
 
Right, but my point is that if a tiny two lane road shows zero effect from a gigantic casino, surely an entire city neighborhood worth of transit infrastructure can handle a smaller one.

Your pipe dreaming comparing Ledyard to E.Boston infrastructure Location.

The Traffic near Suffolk downs area is already a complete nightmare around 3 and 5. Now throw in the equation a billion dollar casino.

The taxpayers will have to pick up the tab for hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure costs so a small group can reaps billions of dollars and demoralize a society with gambling, drinking, and prostitution. Nothing good will come out building casino near Suffolk Downs nothing.......This will add such a negative aspect to those areas.

BIFFS CASINO (Back to the Future II) Perfect business model for that depressed area.

Anytime you see the Mayor talking about building a casino near Suffolk Downs, he is like drooling from the mouth. You know its not good
 
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I think there is a good way to go about this and a bad way. Bringing in a casino will not mean we have a vegas economy. it means there will be a diversity in entertainment. I, for one, hope this revitalizes the racetrack itself, because I would like to see some quality horse races on par with saratoga.

(I'll be taking the T there)
 
I have a good solution: stop fretting about traffic congestion, you can't solve it by building more infrastructure anyhow. This saves you millions of dollars! Plus, it'll encourage people to use the underutilized Blue Line.

You could solve congestion by tolling. Pay money to save time. But I can only imagine how well that'll go over in this whiny Masshole state.
 
Your pipe dreaming comparing Ledyard to E.Boston infrastructure Location.

The Traffic near Suffolk downs area is already a complete nightmare around 3 and 5. Now throw in the equation a billion dollar casino.

You're still not explaining to me how one of the largest casinos in the world manages to operate on a two lane country road, but a smaller casino wouldn't be able to operate in a city neighborhood. If people coming and going out of the mega-sized Foxwoods causes next to no observable impact on traffic limited to one two lane road, what makes you think a smaller sized casino would cause gridlock when a) fewer people would come/go, b) they'd have exponentially more options for travel route, and c) they could even take the train?

demoralize a society with gambling, drinking, and prostitution. Nothing good will come out building casino near Suffolk Downs nothing.......This will add such a negative aspect to those areas.

Oh my! Drinking?! Bring on the Nanny State!
 
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And pray tell, at the stadium in the seaport you incessantly harp on, what would people be drinking, prune juice?
 
You're still not explaining to me how one of the largest casinos in the world manages to operate on a two lane country road, but a smaller casino wouldn't be able to operate in a city neighborhood. If people coming and going out of the mega-sized Foxwoods causes next to no observable impact on traffic limited to one two lane road, what makes you think a smaller sized casino would cause gridlock when a) fewer people would come/go, b) they'd have exponentially more options for travel route, and c) they could even take the train?


Ledyard is the in the middle of NO-WHERE land. The only thing out their is the casino. That's IT.

East Boston/Revere is already a cluster fuck with Traffic.
In the surrounding areas
Traffic is a complete nightmare now driving through these areas.
Medford/Somerville
Everett/Chesea
Revere/East Boston
Development has exploded in these areas but the infrastructure has been either deteriorating around it or nothing to improve or expand it.

Underground I’m dead serious about this.
Building a billion dollar a Casino in this area will be a traffic nightmare for the residents without billions of dollars in highway, MBTA, roads, infrastructure costs & upgrades. This will be a big dig money pit in the making.
***Are the casino owners who are going to reap the benefits of all the profits willing to at least pay for this? Or are the taxpayer slaves of Mass get stuck this bill?


Build the casinos in Worcester/Foxboro out of the city………….
Even the Seaport would probably be better positioned to handle the traffic than Revere and E.Boston

Do you remember Patriots Monday night football game when the traffic was gridlock from 5-9 2-4hour..............I believe that area near Revere & E.Boston would be awful all day.
 
And pray tell, at the stadium in the seaport you incessantly harp on, what would people be drinking, prune juice?

There is a big difference between Seaport District out of town Residents and the Revere & E.Boston Townies.

If the goal is to boot out all the E.Boston & Revere residents then fine build the casinos.........

Suffolk Downs/Wonderland it was different back in the 70's 80's......1 car per house in those areas if that. Now we have 4 cars per 1 household with the same Infrastructure grid that was build in the 70's & 80's with minor upgrades.

Deval Patrick should be ashamed of himself not letting the VOTERS of Mass decide the Casino Fate.
 
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Underground I’m dead serious about this.
Building a billion dollar a Casino in this area will be a traffic nightmare for the residents without billions of dollars in highway, MBTA, roads, infrastructure costs & upgrades.

RIFELMAN I BELIEVE YOU'RE SERIOUS!!! but you still haven't answered how Foxwoods' traffic can operate so seamlessly while this will be a disaster of epic proportions (and boot out all the townies? Okay... I guess...). The point that Ledyard is the middle of nowhere is the point. There's one road. It's two lanes. There's no T. Foxwoods is huge. The traffics fine.
 
RIFELMAN I BELIEVE YOU'RE SERIOUS!!! but you still haven't answered how Foxwoods' traffic can operate so seamlessly while this will be a disaster of epic proportions (and boot out all the townies? Okay... I guess...). The point that Ledyard is the middle of nowhere is the point. There's one road. It's two lanes. There's no T. Foxwoods is huge. The traffics fine.

If I may weigh in, just for sake of doing so...

I agree that building more infrastructure will not alleviate congestion (imagine losing weight by loosening your belt or buying bigger clothes), yet at the same time I also think the Foxwoods comparison to an urban location is a poor one. There are no additional users of that small country road, and I think that's why it works so well accommodating the large numbers of users who are going to a single destination. In a neighborhood, there are other competing uses, with competing destinations, which means there will be casino traffic on top of what exists, and it won't be point A to point B, but will instead by a, b, c, etc., with associated stop-go movements. Your points about public transit and a gridded street layout with multiple travel options is important to note, however typically a planning board will require some sort of improvement in street access to make sure that the grid is NOT used for overflow traffic, even though it works best that way (like prohibited turns, medians, curb cuts, etc.).
 
Rifleman, it's easy to avoid spending a billion dollars on highways, etc. Just don't do it.

Saying inane things like "but we have to spend billions" is how we ended up with the Big Dig. We don't have to do anything. Some congestion is simply unavoidable and it is not worth time or money on "fixes" which will never work anyhow.

Just say no.
 
Rifleman, it's easy to avoid spending a billion dollars on highways, etc. Just don't do it.

Saying inane things like "but we have to spend billions" is how we ended up with the Big Dig. We don't have to do anything. Some congestion is simply unavoidable and it is not worth time or money on "fixes" which will never work anyhow.

Just say no.

I'm not saying don't upgrade the infrastructure overtime. I'm saying a billion dollar Casino in this location will be a nightmare for the residents of Revere & E.Boston.

The majority of these locals in Everett, Chelsea, Revere, Somerville, Medford, Malden, Lynn, E.Boston are already the biggest gambling degenerates in the Country. Now lets put a Legalized Casino in E.Boston. Our hacks must really want to see these people living out on the streets.

Traffic is already pain getting to the Aiport which can be major headache, now we have to deal with going through Casino traffic now.

A very bad idea for residents that live in these areas. The Casino will add No value to this area it will only take and consume all the energy & money out of this district.

A great idea for the people that own the casino. The owners will make Billions if the Casino is put in this location. Alot of major drug dealers can wash out their drug money through the casino also.

Lets not act like the Casino is good thing for this type of community.

It's amazing that the Politicans are completely disregaurding Revere residents opinion on this as it truly will have a major affect on their community.
 
So for $22 billion we built the Big Dig and the Ted Williams tunnel and getting to the Airport is still "a major headache?"

Why would dumping another billion into nasty arterial roads help anything except corrupt contracting companies?
 
I invite anyone on this board who wishes to have a better understanding of the present-state traffic on arterial roads in East Boston and Revere to pay a visit to the corner of Boardman Street and the McClellan Highway on any weekday, during commuter hours.

Its an absolute Castrophe.........A Casino would be a NUCLEAR BOMB in traffic in this area.........The residents are going to be SCREWED.

The city & state reps, BRA........This is the typical planning process instead of understanding the demographics lets just put a billion dollar casino in the worst possible area that has the poorest infrastructure in the state.

This is way to
#1 force the development without any regaurd to saving the taxpayers money
#2 dump hundreds of millions of tax dollars for new infrastructure. Its snowjob in union job creation for the Democrats to keep these elected fools in office.
 
So for $22 billion we built the Big Dig and the Ted Williams tunnel and getting to the Airport is still "a major headache?"

Why would dumping another billion into nasty arterial roads help anything except corrupt contracting companies?


I'm with you........I think this is very bad idea for the taxpayers.

Overtime the infrastructure needs to be upgraded but to pay for some billionaire to reap more billions for a casino is not my cup of tea.

This is an epic taxpayer scam if I have ever seen one.
The proper Planning has not been done for this area to understand the impacts of a billion dollar casino. BOTTOM LINE

Fine if the residents of Massachusetts want a casino find a place to good location or keep it near a highway in the west of Ma.
 

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