CasinoWatch

Wamp consultant wants Middleboro job; Beautiful town with an ugly past

Former Brockton mayor seeks Middleboro job
Is consultant for Wampanoag PR firm

Former Brockton Mayor John T. Yunits Jr. is one of four finalists for town manager in Middleboro, a job advertised at $130,000 a year.  The town manager search committee finished its culling process Tuesday and gave selectmen the names of four candidates...Selectmen could name a town manager as soon as Saturday, said Wayne C. Perkins, search committee chairman.

Yunits, who headed the city's government for 10 years, is president of the Brockton Rox baseball team and has opened a consulting firm since leaving office.

Yunits is also a consultant for the Liberty Square Group, the firm that handles public relations for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and their bid to open a casino in Middleboro...  Enterprise.
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Hugger- mugger
A beautiful town with an ugly past

Turners Falls is a beautiful place with an ugly past. The former mill town, a village of Montague on the Connecticut River, is named for Captain William Turner. In 1676, Turner led a group of 160 men into an Indian encampment on the river, where women, children, and elders from the Narragansett, Pocumtuck, Nipmuc, and other tribes lay sleeping. Turner and his men massacred them.

The village has wrestled with that legacy, and in 2004, Montague officials joined with representatives of several Indian tribes in a Reconciliation Day ceremony to recognize the tragedy...  There are few Indians living in Turners Falls today. Currently remaking itself as an arts mecca, the village, two hours west of Boston, is a happening place, with a small but healthy private airport.

Over the last couple of years, airport officials hoping to expand a runway have been stymied by representatives of the Narragansett nation and the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), who say that the hill that would be leveled for the runway is an important cultural site and that piles of stones there mark spots where spiritual ceremonies were performed. An archeologist who assessed the site disagrees with the tribes, and the Narragansett nation has appealed to the National Register of Historic Places to settle the matter... Globe.

 

Gambling debate turns to slots; Let smokers balance the Bay State budget

Casino gambling debate turns to tribe, slot machines

The Tribe was willing
Members of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribal council had indicated a willingness to bid on one of the state’s three casino licenses, especially since Patrick put his thumb on the scale by drafting the legislation to say one of the licenses had to go to an applicant with "a Native American component." But the Wampanoags also knew the plan could succumb to Beacon Hill politics, so they decided last summer to simultaneously forge ahead with federal approval for their casino.
   Over the next six months, the Bureau of Indian Affairs will review the tribe’s application to put the Middleborough land in a federal trust. If the Department of Interior does so, the tribe would be free to build a casino on its sovereign territory - but without the revenue-sharing plan included in Patrick’s proposal.When the House voted to kill Gov. Deval Patrick’s plan to license three casinos in Massachusetts, it did not end the gambling debate in the state. It merely refocused it in other arenas.

The Mashpee Wampanoag tribe continues to plod through the federal process to build its own casino in Middleborough. And the deal that killed the Patrick plan in the House included a promise to let members debate a proposal to place slot machines at the state’s four racetracks.

The issue is whether those proposals will have less regulation and taxpayer benefit than Patrick’s casino plan, and more in the way of social ills.

Patrick insists that when he sat down last year to consider casino gambling in Massachusetts, he expected to end up opposing it. Over time and through study, though, he came to believe it was inevitable in the state. After all, 38 states have casino gambling of some sort.

The governor concluded the best course was to legalize casinos in Massachusetts in a way that tried to minimize the potential problems while maximizing the potential returns...  Herald.  
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Lawmakers figure how to close the budget gap without casinos

The Mashpee Wampanoag tribe is lobbying the federal government for permission to build a $1 billion resort casino in Middleborough, which would bring gambling to Massachusetts without any state government regulation.Gov. Deval Patrick's plan to build three resort casinos in Massachusetts to boost state revenues was shut down on the House floor last week, effectively killing the bill until next January, with the state facing a $1.3 billion spending gap.

Massachusetts lawmakers must now find alternate revenue-boosting methods in the face of a "gloomy economic forecast," said Victoria Bonney, spokeswoman for House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi. Patrick said the proposed legislation would raise $124 million in casino licensing fees to help balance the state's budget, but now legislators must look elsewhere for the money.

In lieu of the casino plan, DiMasi, a Boston Democrat, has proposed a $1 tax increase on cigarette packs, which he said will raise $152 million in revenue...  Daily Free Press.

 

BIA listens to Wampanoags in Middleborough; Environmental concerns raised

Federal hearing held in Middleborough about casinos

Federal officials were in Middleborough, Massachusetts Tuesday night to seek input as they consider the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe's request to put land in trust for the facility.

Town residents have their chance to debate the proposed gambling casino in their town.

A second hearing will be held Wednesday in Mashpee.

The tribe wants to build its administrative, housing and educational facilities on 140 acres in the Cape Cod town.

House lawmakers voted to killed Governor Patrick's casino plan last week.

The Mashpee tribe still has the ability to open a gaming resort under the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act....  NECN
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Hearing on tribe’s trust land draws 300 in Middleboro.

About 300 people attended a Bureau of Indian Affairs hearing Tuesday as federal officials sought input on the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe’s plan to take land into trust, the first step toward opening a casino on Route 44.

Environmental Concerns over Casino in Middleborough
But the Mashpee Wampanoags' casino proposal in Middleborough is meeting environmental objections. The Massachusetts Audubon Society is asking the Bureau of Indian Affairs to make the Mashpee consider alternative sites...  WBURThe comments, limited to three minutes each, ranged from traffic problems, crime worries and decreases in house values to protecting the Nemasket and Taunton rivers and the impacts of a casino on surrounding communities.

During the hearing in the gymnasium of Middleboro High School, many, including Barbara V. Frappier, a member of the Middleboro Resort Advisory Committee, said the plans lacked detail, calling them the equivalent of the Sunday funnies...  Enterprise. 

Mass. gamblers spend $177 million yearly in Rhode Island casinos; Online poker saved

One-fifth of Mass. gamblers’ outlay spent on R.I. slots


The study found that the renovated Twin River attracted $177 million from Bay State gamblers last year Despite a slowing economy and rising gas prices, Massachusetts residents last year spent more than $1 billion for the fifth year in a row at Connecticut and Rhode Island gambling sites, and about one-fifth of the spending went to Rhode Island’s slot parlors, according to a new study by the Center for Policy Analysis at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth.

The Bay State gamblers last year dropped $195 million at Twin River in Lincoln and Newport Grand in Newport. Massachusetts residents also spent $846 million at Foxwoods and the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut.  The study found that the renovated Twin River attracted $177 million from Bay State gamblers last year, up $32 million from 2006. About 42 percent of Twin River’s gambling base comes from Massachusetts, the study found...

Meanwhile, at Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods
In Connecticut, Foxwoods is planning the opening of its $700-million MGM Grand hotel and complex in May, and Mohegan Sun is in the midst of a $750-million expansion.

At Twin River, the company that owns the slots parlor has until Friday to work out its financial problems with its lenders. UTGR Inc., which owns Twin River, missed a loan payment earlier this month, prompting negotiations with its lenders and collection efforts by contractors that worked on the building’s $225-million reconstruction... Meanwhile, the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs will be in Middleboro, Mass., today to hold a public hearing on the plans of the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian tribe to build a gambling facility on 540 acres about 20 miles from Rhode Island’s border... Providence Journal.  
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How Massachusetts Came Close to Banning Online Poker

Music To Lose Money By
What is it with gambling emporiums and their penchant for ruining rock songs? Last year Rhode Island's Twin River casino used "Take Me To The River" to promote their "entertainment" complex. The singer in the ad has the nads to rip off the vocal inflections used by David Byrne in the classic Talking Heads recording. Now Connecticut's Mohegan Sun has grabbed hold of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" for their latest ad campaign.
   Now I know that bad taste and casinos go hand in hand, but the hatchet job done on "Sweet Home Alabama" is a true disgrace. That song has a legendary place in rock history. It was Skynyrd singer Ronnie Van Zant's "answer" song to Neil Young's "Southern Man." It was about racism and civil rights -- Old South and New South -- regional pride and regional bias. Important stuff. Heck the Drive-By Truckers devoted a whole double CD to the issues in their epic "Southern Rock Opera." This is not stuff to be trifled with, and that's exactly what Mohegan Sun has done.
   At least Twin River chose not to mess with the lyrics of their rip off (just the hack vocalist singing take me to the river in clipped bursts)...  Gather.com  Indeed, the Massachusetts House voted 106-48 last Thursday against Governor Deval Patrick's Casino Bill that includes a section to criminalize playing online poker or gambling on the Internet, and to fine violators up to $25,000 or a two year sentence.

But the vote could easily have gone the other way, had the governor's office reached out to key interest groups earlier and lined up their support.

Missed key casino supporters - the Mashpee Wampnoag Indians
First, the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian tribe proposed an agreement last month that would have assured the tribe a casino in Middleborough in exchange for the tribe's support of Patrick's legislation.

The Mashpee Indians were willing to support Patrick's bill for 2 other casinos, if in turn Patrick would support the tribe's plan to open a casino in Middleborough under the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, and assure the tribe they would have no competition from other casinos in the southeastern part of the state.

However, "an administration official said Friday that with the casino legislation uncertain, they were reluctant to cut a quick deal with the tribe that they may have protracted negotiations with over the next couple of years," according to the Boston Globe...  PokerPages. 

Mass. residents spent $1.1 billion; DiMasi - bare-knuckles do-gooder; Gambling may be on fall ballot

 

Bare-knuckles do-gooder
In today's Boston Herald, Casey Ross shows how hard House Speaker Sal DiMasi went at casino-gambling supporters — to the point of awarding lucrative leadership positions to six legislators who had supported expanded gambling in the past. Four voted "no" last week, and the other two missed the vote.
   Naturally, those who were interviewed by Ross deny there was any quid pro quo. But let's say there was an understanding. It would be too cavalier to dismiss it with a "so what?" But this is the way the legislative game has been played for so long that I can only be amused at the outrage over DiMasi's use of strong-arm tactics to stop something that would be of incalculable harm to the state.
   The danger now is that some of these same legislators seem to think they'll get their way in pushing through slot machines at the state's race tracks. Let's hope not. For now, though, I think DiMasi deserves credit for using his muscle for the greater good.  MediaNation.Mass. residents spent $1.1b at nearby gambling venues, study says
Casino foes dispute survey's methodology

Massachusetts residents spent $1.1 billion last year at gambling venues in Connecticut and Rhode Island, shrugging off a shaky economy to top the billion-dollar mark for the fifth consecutive year, according to an annual survey to be released today.
 Connecticut and $195 million at Rhode Island's two slot p
Bay Staters plunked down an estimated $846 million at Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun casinos inarlors, according to the Center for Policy Analysis at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth.

While opponents of gambling in Massachusetts have disputed his methods, Clyde W. Barrow, the center's director and an authority on the economic impact of gambling, said the figures show that gambling revenue is resilient, even in the face of an economic downturn.

The study, which is based on the number of Massachusetts license plates counted at the facilities during a five-day span, also seemed to substantiate the potential revenue estimates of Governor Deval Patrick, whose proposal to set up three casinos in the state was defeated by lawmakers last week...  Globe. 
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Casinos plan may receive another spin:
Nonbinding question on fall ballot gains support

Love 'em or hate 'em, the Bay State hasn't heard the last of casinos.  Even those opposed to Gov. Deval Patrick's plan to legalize three resort casinos admit the lure of $450 million in revenues means the proposal will persist, especially as Massachusetts veers into grim economic waters for the next few years.  "I think the proponents of casinos will always be pushing their issue because until we have an environment in Massachusetts where there is enough revenue to pay for services, casinos are seen as an easy solution for our fiscal problems," said Jamie Eldridge, D-Acton, who opposes legalizing casinos...

"It would be good to have it on the ballot," said Rep. Bill Greene, D-Billerica, who supports casinos. "I don't agree with the governor's plan completely, but with the number of people who go to Connecticut, it seems silly that we don't have something here."  The non-binding ballot question would have to be approved by the House and Senate by July to get on the 2008 ballot. While it won't have any legal recourse, it will give lawmakers political cover from DiMasi's influence, said casino supporter Rep. Brian   TradingMarkets. 

Two forums on casinos this week; Patrick vs. DiMasi mayhem continues

The game goes on
When it comes to casinos, no end to volley of opinions

The legislative fight over casino gambling up at the State House is sliding nicely into mayhem. House Speaker Sal DiMasi is working feverishly to kill Governor Deval Patrick's bill allowing three casinos in the state, so the hearing to be held on it there this Tuesday promises to be a sweetheart.

While the bile builds, we forget about another casino saga that is moving quietly along a separate track. I'm talking about the bid by the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe to build a casino in Middleborough, the very place where I heard a ghost recorded by a pair of paranormal investigators a couple of weeks ago say, "Hell, no."  Oh, you forgot about the Wampanoag gambit? You thought that the State House spectacular was the only game in town? No, no, no.

Dismiss Middleborough at your peril. If Patrick's bill goes down, which appears likely, all eyes turn to the town, where the tribe is pushing hard to realize its dreams of ka-ching. Big casino operators behind it are hungry, and much of the citizenry is salivating over the millions supposed to come their way from gambling profits...  Globe. 
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Foes gird for forums on casinos

Casino foes are getting ready for battle on two fronts over the next couple of weeks, beginning Tuesday with a hearing at the State House on Governor Deval Patrick's proposal for three resort casinos in Massachusetts.  A week after that session, on March 25, the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs will hold a hearing in Middleborough to gather reaction to the Mashpee Wampanoag proposal for an Indian-run casino on 500 acres off Precinct Street. That hearing will help shape an extensive environmental review of the project.

Neither the state nor federal session involves any votes. But Rich Young, a Middleborough resident who is president of the local opposition group CasinoFacts.org as well as the statewide opposition organized as Casino Free Mass, said casino opponents will use each event to make their case.  Tuesday's hearing, before the joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies, will focus on Patrick's proposal to legalize gambling and put three commercial casino licenses out to bid...  Globe. 

Patrick's casino obsession; Guv, Wamps pow-wow; Squabble with DiMasi

Patrick's casino obsession
Tribe rebuffs Governor, pursues U.S. casino OK

Patrick administration, Wampanoags hold casino huddle

Governor Patrick's aides huddled today with members of the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian tribe as they seek common ground over plans to bring casino gambling to Massachusetts.
Meanwhile, the governor is ratcheting up his dispute with House Speaker Sal DiMasi over the plan.
   In a rare end-around on a legislative leader, the governor wrote directly to all the members of DiMasi's chamber.
   He criticized their leader for blasting his proposal to license three resort-style casinos after the revelation it might not create the 30,000 construction jobs Patrick had estimated.
   Patrick argued that the "speaker's alternative" was zero jobs.
  A DiMasi spokesman shot back -- saying it's "understandable that the governor is concerned since his numbers don't add up"...  WPRI. 
Someday we may learn why Gov. Deval Patrick has been so willing to risk his entire governorship to fight for a proposal that will lead to increased crime, increased gambling addiction, and rises in the divorce and suicide rates — social ills all well documented by Casinofacts.org.

I don't think it's because his wife's law firm stands to benefit, although that is a pretty blatant conflict of interest. He must know by now that he was sold a bill of goods in terms of the number of construction jobs and the extent of the revenues that would come in. My best guess is that, deep down, he knows he made a terrible mistake, but he can't publicly admit he's wrong.

House Speaker Sal DiMasi, a casino opponent who's been reasonably diplomatic about the governor's three-casino fiasco, signals that he may finally be ready to bring down the hammer, mocking Patrick's ludicrous claim that the casinos will create 30,000 construction jobs (Globe story here; Herald story here).

Meanwhile, consider this post at Blue Mass Group by Lynne, who blogs at Left in Lowell and who is the sort of idealistic progressive activist who propelled Patrick to his rousing victory in 2006. Lynne's anger and disappointment are palpable, as she accuses Patrick of "lying" to advance his agenda. Specifically, she cites his factually incorrect claim that if the state fails to get out in front on the casino issue, Native American tribes will be able to move ahead anyway, with no state regulation or benefits.

As Lynne rightly points out, federal law only allows tribal facilities that are in compliance with state law. If the state does not legalize casino gambling, then the most the Native Americans can do is open a glorified bingo parlor. Lynne writes:

I know that being disappointed in your leaders is par for the course in politics. I just thought this time might be a little different. Patrick has decided to hang his hat on bringing casinos to Massachusetts, ignoring large swaths of objective information, and using fear and lies to accomplish it. But it's this last part that I may not be able to forgive.

Why is Gov. Patrick doing this? His proposal is guaranteed to end badly: He'll lose or, much worse, he'll win. Is there no one who can talk sense to him?  MediaNation. 
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Tribe rebuffs Patrick, pursues U.S. casino OK

The Mashpee Wampanoag tribe won’t be jumping on Gov. Deval Patrick’s casino bandwagon, for now anyway.  Tribal leaders emerged from an hour-long, closed-door huddle with Patrick administration officials on Beacon Hill to say they will press forward with their quest for a full-fledged tribal casino.  The governor wants the tribe to drop its bid to win federal approval for a sovereign tribal reservation in Middleboro on which to build a $1 billion casino. The gaming resort, on tribal land, would not pay state or local taxes and would be exempt from many rules and regulations.

Patrick has instead urged the tribe to pursue its gambling ambitions under his plan to build three casino resorts across the state, all of which would be on the tax rolls.  But tribal leaders made clear yesterday that, for now, they don’t plan to switch tracks...

Still, the tribe’s determination to push forward comes as Patrick also warned that the Mashpee Wampanoags’ quest to build a tribal casino means that expanded gambling is coming to the Bay State, one way or another. The governor has argued the state should get ahead with its own plan, instead of letting the tribe dictate terms...  Herald. 

Guv plugs casino as tourist bonanza; Lawmakers undecided on casinos; What the Wamps want

Casino stoppers plan public meeting; Task force examines Mohegan Sun's $1B proposal

Stop the Casino meeting

The Public is Invited
ACasinoFacts.org general meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Marsh 6 from 6 to 8 p.m. in lower level of the Middleborough Public Library (lower level), located on the corner of Peirce St. and N. Main St. (Rt 105), Middleborough, MA.
   The public is welcome. Topics to include: Status of the proposed Mashpee Wampanoag Resort Casino in Middleborough and the environmental issues surrounding the project. For more information you can go to our website at www.casinofacts.org, call and leave a message @ 508-471-5019 or e-mail. Task force looks hard at casinos
Likely impact on towns, school systems studied

MONSON— State Rep. Todd M. Smola, R-Palmer, said this weekend that with Gov. Deval L. Patrick’s casino legislation heading for the Joint Committee on Economic Development for study and hearings, a debate on the bill may well not come before this fall.  If that’s the case, communities that might find themselves in the neighborhood of a casino have plenty of time to weigh the pros and cons, and fully investigate the impact a casino next door might have.

Already Mohegan Sun has proposed building a $1 billion resort casino on 150 acres across from the Palmer exit of the Massachusetts Turnpike.  That is what gave rise last September to the Western Massachusetts Regional Casino Task Force.  “We’re not for it. We’re not against it. The task force is neutral and its goal is to fully evaluate the economic and social consequences such a project might have on our communities,” said Edward S. Harrison, selectman and chairman of the task force.  Discussion among officials of the towns surrounding Palmer will continue when the task force meets at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Monson Free Public Library...  Telegram. 
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Massacusetts appoints casino consultants 
Outside bidding process used to select independent report on proposed casinos
 
The contentious Massachusetts debate on whether to accept Governor Deval Patrick's proposals for three land casinos in the state took an interesting turn last week with the announcement that an outsourced expert report had been commissioned by the state.  Opponents of the governor's proposal immediately criticised the move, claiming that the governor was hiring a pro-casino firm in a preemptive strike. But administration officials said the firm is independent and stressed that it was hired through an outside bidding process. Despite having extended the period when groups could bid on the contract, Spectrum Gaming of New Jersey was the only group to respond.
 
The firm is being paid $189 000 by the state to analyse the governor's plan to license three casinos in Massachusetts and is expected to complete its study within two to three months, reports the Boston Globe.  But Casino Free Mass, a coalition of organisations opposed to casinos, called on Patrick yesterday to rescind the contract, alleging that the organisation is biased.
 
"This is just another example of how the casino industry tries to control the information and rig their games," Doug Bailey, a spokesman for the group, said in a written statement. "This study, whatever it says, will be dead on arrival"...  Online-Casino.com. 

Casinos can kill you; Patrick hires gaming consultant for casino plan review

Why you won't hit the jackpot if you get hurt at a casino
Tribal Laws Discourage Lawsuits, Limit Damages

An investigation by WCBV's Team 5 Investigates found that some casinos are playing by a different set of rules that could cause their customers to lose out on thousands of dollars if they're seriously injured while on casino property. NewsCenter 5's Sean Kelly reported on Thursday that by law, federally recognized Indian tribes are immune from lawsuits because they are considered sovereign nations.

The lure of Lady Luck attracts millions to Indian Gaming. Richard and Carolyn Murch hoped for a jackpot on their 45th wedding anniversary. But their luck ran out before the first hand was dealt.

"We thought we were going to lose him," said Carolyn Murch. The Murches had just pulled up to Foxwoods Resort and Casino in Connecticut. He stood by the trunk when suddenly a valet drove into Richard. The collision pinned the 67-year-old grandfather between the two cars. "Somehow or another I got dragged and ended up underneath the car," said Richard.  Murch spent six days on life support, then doctors told him his leg had to be amputated. "It was a very difficult thing, very difficult. When my family and my doctor left I began to cry and I was really in despair, doing a lot of praying," Richard added...  WCVB-TV.  

Raw Interview: Richard Murch
Watch Video
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Patrick hires gaming consultant for casino plan review

Gov. Deval Patrick has hired an internationally known gambling consultant to conduct a financial review of his proposal to license three commercial casinos in Massachusetts.   The state recently signed a contract with Spectrum Gaming Group for $189,000. The New Jersey-based consultant was the only bidder for the job. The contract took effect Wednesday.

Spectrum's clients include state and local governments in the United States and governments around the world, from Singapore to the Bahamas. Spectrum has also done work for Indian nations, according to its Web site, but does not list who they are.  Spectrum Gaming Group's private clients include Harrah's Entertainment and Las Vegas Sands. Top executives of both companies, Gary Loveman of Harrah's and Sheldon Adelson of Sands, are pushing for casino licenses in Massachusetts...  Standard-Times.