Casino gambling legislation hit a dead end in summer 2010 when Gov. Deval Patrick vetoed a bill.
Gov. Deval Patrick said in a radio interview Thursday that he and legislative leaders would discuss casino gambling in the Commonwealth after budget talks are finished.Gov. Deval Patrick said in a radio interview Thursday that consensus on whether or not to expand casino gambling in the Commonwealth could be reached after his office and the Legislature completes work on the state budget.
"I think when the Senate finishes their budget, the three of us should be able to turn to this and figure something out," Patrick said, referring to ongoing discussions between himself, House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Senate President Therese Murray, adding that there was no clear consensus just yet.
"We're talking. We don't have a deal. We've been, frankly, concentrating on getting the budget done," he said. "The budget's pretty tough this year."
Patrick's remarks came during a regular appearance on WTKK-FM in Boston.
Patrick and DeLeo have been at odds over the inclusion of licenses for so-called "racinos" — race tracks licensed to install slot machines — within the final version of gambling legislation that made its way to Patrick's desk last summer. The Governor vetoed the bill, saying the racino provision, which would benefit race tracks in DeLeo's district, amounted to a "no-bid contract."
Patrick said there was one thing the three agreed on, though.
"The one agreement we had is that we should re-start the hearings and get the input from the general public and that is what has begun," Patrick said.
The first such hearing was held earlier this month in Boston, where experts, advocates and opponents of casino gambling testified before the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies.
Under the proposed legislation, the state would allow three resort-style casinos, one of which would be based in Western Massachusetts.
Joseph A. Lashinger, managing member of Paper City Development Co., testified in early May about the group’s proposal for a casino in Holyoke. The plan would involve sharing revenue with the city and surrounding communities, though critics have said the proposed 1.25 percent shared with the city of Holyoke would not be enough to offset social and economic damage caused by the presence of a large casino.
Another proposal has been developed by the Connecticut-based Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority for a casino in Palmer, though the size and scope of the project has shrunk significantly from the original $1 billion proposal to a smaller $600 million one.