Slot Machine Supporters in Massachusetts Resume Push
It was recently reported that supporters of slot machine legalization in Massachusetts are resuming their push for a bill that would allow slots installation at the state's four horse and dog racetracks. A pro-slots bill, which would authorize the operation of as many as 2,000 slot machines, has already been approved by the Senate, but it is not yet clear what the House's decision in the case is going to be.
Advocates of the slots bill reportedly argue that the state government is losing millions of gambling dollars to neighboring states where slot machines are already legalized. Gary Temple of the Raynham-Taunton Greyhound Park was reported as saying that the facility loses up to 50% of its customer base due to out-of-state slots gaming competition.
Nevertheless, slots critics, Governor Mitt Romney among them, have maintained that slots gambling devices are likely to cause and promote social ills, such as gambling addiction. Although they acknowledge that the state is expected to collect an additional $300 million in tax revenues, slots opponents have argued that the cost of regulating expanded gambling and the loss that the state lottery is likely to suffer might negate any potential gain.
