Suffolk Downs Casino?

I'd love to see a full-scale, world-class casino combined with Suffolk Downs at that location. Having a casino that close to the city combined with a rejuvenated Suffolk Downs would be a huge draw for the city.

My uncle (local entrepreneur/businessperson) grew up watching the races, loves horses, and now owns quite a few horses and a stable and such. He contributed a lot of money, time and support to his state senator due to his position on the Suffolk slot machines and the guy changed his mind because of pressure from the top. When my uncle found out what happened he drove down to the state house, barged into his office, and went absolutely ape-shit on the guy. It was hilarious. Having been to Suffolk Downs, I'd say it's worth saving.
 
I was at suffolk downs the other day and won $14. Quite a good time it was.
 
palindrome said:
I was at suffolk downs the other day and won $14. Quite a good time it was.
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Now I know who to hit up when I need a loan.
 
Lol, i was originally down $40 so i can't complain!
 
Published 2007-07-13
Casino (battle) royale
Menino throws Hub?s hat in the ring as Middleborough talks stall

BOSTON. Mayor Thomas Menino yesterday called for a casino to be built at Suffolk Downs in East Boston, one day after talks to place one in Middleborough seemingly hit a snag.


?We need to look to the future of Suffolk Downs,? Menino said in a statement. ?I want to ensure that long-term job growth opportunities remain for the residents of Boston. A plan for slot machines alone is not enough.?

Earlier this week, the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe reacted unfavorably to the town of Middleborough?s demands for millions of additional dollars to support a casino, and lawyers for both the tribe and the town are set to meet today to resume negotiations. The town is also set to vote on the plan July 28.

While Menino has made no formal proposal for a casino, he told reporters yesterday morning he?d like to meet with the tribe about the idea. However, it?s unlikely the tribe would be able to build in Boston since federal mandate requires any casino be built within 50 miles of its home ? in this case, Mashpee.


But Menino?s spokeswoman Dot Joyce said the mayor is open to any opportunity that would move forward casino plans here. In addition, a Suffolk Downs spokesman said yesterday in a statement, ?Should the state move to expand gaming, we?d be open to discussing the benefits Suffolk Downs brings.?


The mayor?s push to bring casino gambling to Suffolk Downs ? which now offers the only thoroughbred horse racing facility in New England ? was met with mixed reactions from elected officials of East Boston.

The neighborhood?s city councilor, Sal LaMattina, said yesterday he supported increased gambling opportunities there. He said Bostonians are leaving the city every day to spend money at Connecticut?s casinos, and that one here would add important jobs and revenue.
?Not many people are going to see horses anymore, and I?d like to see that place stay open,? LaMattina said.


However, East Boston?s senator on Beacon Hill, Anthony Petruccelli, called any casino plans for Suffolk Downs premature. Petruccelli said while he?s a supporter of slot machines at the racetrack, he is ?concerned with going beyond that.?

Greg St. Martin
 
One question

My understanding is that over the past decade, if not longer, the local horse and dog tracks have received millions of dollars in handouts from the state, in order to keep them up and running.

Now, they are facing a goldmine.

Are they gonna pay back the money?
 
Suffolk Downs

Yesterday's MassCap was a pleasant outing. The attendance looked good, and the age of the attendees was diverse. It was dressy enough for one of the regulars to complain "it looks like the Kentucky Derby out here". Current ownership has made an effort to spruce the place up, and the purse was high enough so that you weren't watching dog meat.
While I could easily imagine slots in the lower level of the facility, I had trouble picturing a resort casino there. On the other hand, while waiting in line Friday at the parking clerk window in the basement of City Hall, I could easily imagine that place as a casino. Labyrinthine, absence of natural light, lots of pointless space, money flying out of your pocket...
 
Re: Rose Kennedy Greenway

mass88 said:
What do you all think the chances are that nothing ever get developed of any significance on the Greenway for at least the next 5-6 years? I think it's pretty high.
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You might be 100% right. Don't worry we can all start to focus on East Boston Casino's that should be positive development while East Boston & Revere end up becoming poverty stricten. Are our reps really that GREEDY and STUPID?
 
Re: Rose Kennedy Greenway

TheRifleman said:
Don't worry we can all start to focus on East Boston Casino's that should be positive development while East Boston & Revere end up becoming poverty stricken.
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Over my dead body.

TheRifleman said:
Are our reps really that GREEDY and STUPID?
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As a lifelong resident of the Orient Heights neighborhood and an informed observer of our political landscape, I have come to believe that the only reason my elected officials took interest in public office is that they're too stupid to engage in organized crime. Just ask this guy...
 
Re: Rose Kennedy Greenway

^^ Are you against a potential casino at Suffolk downs? Would you say your neighborhood is generally for or against it?
 
Re: Rose Kennedy Greenway

GW2500 said:
^^ Are you against a potential casino at Suffolk downs?
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Staunchly against.

Some thoughts here, and here, and here.

GW2500 said:
Would you say your neighborhood is generally for or against it?
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This is a bit hard to quantify. I'm a bit of an aberration in my neighborhood. It was my good fortune to have generous parents who made sure I received a good education. I've been lucky to travel a bit and see the wider world. I read and write and think. I'm no prude, but I just don't see this working to the benefit of the community where my family's roots have been for nearly a century.

I don't imagine anyone in my neighborhood (or surrounding communities) with an IQ north of room temperature who sees this as a the best and highest use of the Suffolk Downs site. Unfortunately, the promise of money all too often trumps reason.
 
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Re: Rose Kennedy Greenway

^^^ So it seems your main reason your against it is lack of adaquate infastructure. Driving there is a mess I agree, I went to the hot dog saffari once. But if enough infastructure improvements are part of the package would you still be very against it?
 
Re: Rose Kennedy Greenway

They'd need to put six to eight lanes of blacktop from Neptune Road in East Boston to the New Hampshire border. I think it's safe to assume that that's not happening.

And also, I think the good people of East Boston, Revere, Winthrop, Chelsea, and Everett have enough to deal with in the way of "malignant land use." If the land-owners wanted to put 10,000 units of mixed-income housing, or a movie studio, or labs for biotech or pharma, I'd be all for it.

Taking a larger view (economic and socioeconomic) casino gambling will not be the budgetary panacea that some on Beacon Hill believe it to be. If they build it and it fails to generate the promised tax revenue (and a profit for its investors) I don't want my neighborhood to be left holding the bag.

Make sense?
 
Re: Rose Kennedy Greenway

I recommend you all run for office, then. You have two weeks before the April 27 deadline to collect 150 signatures to get on this fall's MA State Representative ballot. Then you can argue against the casinos in a public forum.
 
Re: Rose Kennedy Greenway

This probably needs a new thread, ( I went back 6 pages and couldn't find anything for suffolk downs **.) I hear what your saying, but I opptimistically think if done right, it could maybe extend Boston (what people think of when they think of boston) to East Boston. B/c right now its no different than Everett. Sure I love Santarpios, but besides that I have no reason to go to Eastie.

And it has a lot a great things going for it, near the Harbor (but unfortuanetly not on the water), real close to the airport (super easy for acts to come in and out),a subway line stop, close to highways (but most certainly roads would have to be improved), and real close to downtown Boston, a great American city. Also it would have horse racing and be near Revere beach, which still might be nice one day. Those are a lot of perks. I suppose it would create a few more degenerates, but those people already exist as do bookies and drugies. It could only add to Boston's entertainment/nightlife scene, which could still be enhanced.




**Actually I recomend people go back a few pages and look at all the proposed developments for Boston. There was a lot, I forgot about a lot of these. I'd like to think some of these might have updates, a lot are probably dead in the water though.
 
Re: Rose Kennedy Greenway

GW2500 said:
^^^ So it seems your main reason your against it is lack of adaquate infastructure. Driving there is a mess I agree, I went to the hot dog saffari once. But if enough infastructure improvements are part of the package would you still be very against it?
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I'm somewhat against it because crime tend to be a side effect of casinos in an urban environment. It's a double edged sword. While it does provide revenue for the city, I'm afraid of those chronic gamblers who would gamble their life away which may result in the rise of the homeless.
 
Re: Rose Kennedy Greenway

KentXie said:
I'm afraid of those chronic gamblers who would gamble their life away which may result in the rise of the homeless.
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That's their problem. Let them do so; free up some cheap-o apartments for working, contributing citizens.
 
Re: Rose Kennedy Greenway

kmp1284 said:
That's their problem. Let them do so; free up some cheap-o apartments for working, contributing citizens.
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Seriously?

Gambling is essentially a license to run a private tax on the population. Granted an opt-in tax, but come on, is this really what we want commerce in the Commonwealth to be about?

If money is so tight and raising new revenue is the only answer, perhaps we could come up with an income source that has a long-term net positive impact on the local economy.

With gambling we get crime, personal crisis, and dead-end jobs.

Worse than that, gambling siphons capital out of the productive sectors of the economy -- it distorts the economy towards what the Econs call "rent seeking behavior".

We'd be better off with sweatshops in an export processing zone -- perhaps that way we'd eventually get high-speed trains and new superhighways too... probably not, but what we get with gambling is a dead certainty: a whole lot of nothing good.
 
Re: Rose Kennedy Greenway

I suppose all of you are right about the negative aspect of gambling, I don't deny that it would atleast increase some self inflicted problems in our region. But to be harsh, until we can protect the victims of all non-self-inflicted problems in society, I have little time for the ones who choose to fuck up.



Also it's important to note that bookies have been in the area forever. I've known a few who got in too deep. Also drug addiction and prostitution have been here for a long time too. So I guess I'm saying these vices already exist in Mass. As for the economy I don't think 2 casinos will change the landscape of economics in MA. And really I think it's the glitz and glamor that is the double edged sword, at least in regards to drug addiction. All and all I think Boston need's more of it (glitz), even at the price of a few people falling to the dark side. Like a pimp, NYC turns a lot of people out, but you love it anywase. Common sense tells you to not jump infront of train, it also tells you to not gamble your life away. Those who don't have it are predisposed to fail in life and I'm not sure there is much you can do about that. If they don't fuck up this way, they will find another way.

And finally CT seems to be the same state it's allways been. It certainly hasn't gone to hell in a hand basket.
 
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