Neighbor News
Somervillians Wary of Casinos
The Supreme Judicial Court's recent decision to allow a casino repeal measure on the November ballot has Somervillians talking about the bil
SNN CASINO VIDEO
Somerville, MA, July 15, 2014 – The Supreme Judicial Court’s recent decision to allow a casino repeal measure on the November ballot has Somervillians talking about the billion-dollar casino and gambling industry again.
A Boston Globe poll found that 52 percent of respondents support the 2011 Expanding Gaming Act law, while just 41 percent said they would vote to repeal it. But that was not the breakdown discovered by Somerville Neighborhood News.
Questioned in Davis Square recently, a diverse collection of Somerville residents or visitors leaned strongly toward repealing the law, or they were at least wary.
“I’m opposed to it,” Steve Thomas told Somerville Neighborhood News. “I think it’s a terrible thing that the government has to depend on things like casinos for revenue. Gambling is a terrible problem for people, and casinos don’t tend to bring the best class of people into a neighborhood. If you need revenue as a government, then you need to man up and raise taxes.”
Find out what's happening in Somervillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
After years of intense lobbying by the “gaming” industry, in 2011 the state enacted the Expanded Gaming Act. The law allows for one casino in each of three regions, and one slots parlor. The stated goals of the law are to bring in revenues to the state and to cities and towns, with the assumption that the process of bidding for gaming licenses would be competitive and that the new facilities would create thousands of jobs through construction, tourism and hospitality.
“I guess a casino wouldn’t be so bad, I can definitely see the up sides which would be helping out the economy,” said Matt Lee of Somerville. “The down side could be that it would draw a really particular kind of crowd.”
Find out what's happening in Somervillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Angel Padilla was much more wary.
“As soon as a casino comes into a specific community, crime rates go up extremely. When it comes to local businesses, they run dry,” he said. “The only people that benefit from it are obviously the people who invested the time to build it. You’re most likely not going to get a job when it comes to the casino…They paint it like it’s a good picture, but it’s not really a good picture for the community.”
