Massachusetts House of Reps to Vote on Slot Machine Bill on April 5th
Almost six months after the Massachusetts Senate approved a bill allowing the operation of slot machines at the state's horse and dog racetracks, the House of Representatives is finally ready to vote on slots as well. According to a recent report, the House is scheduled to vote on slots on April 5th. Representative David Flynn, a staunch supporter of the slot machine bill, said that if House speaker Sal DiMasi remains neutral, the bill is likely to pass.
Advocates of the slots bill reportedly argue that the state is losing millions of gambling tax dollars to neighboring states where slot machines are already legal. Also, some gaming industry insiders predict that slot machines will provide their hosting communities with new employment. For example, George Carney, owner of Raynham-Taunton Greyhound Park, said that slot machine operation is expected to create as many as 500 new positions at the track.
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. Slots opponents have also repeatedly argued that the cost of regulating expanded gambling might negate any future gain.
