What's the Rush?

Worcester Telegram and Gazette Editorial Board

Worcester T&G

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Governor should move slowly on casino issue

With the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe and Middleboro negotiating what is billed as a $1 billion casino deal, the pressure has been mounting on Gov. Deval L. Patrick to issue a speedy policy statement. From Boston, to Marlboro, to Palmer, to the Berkshires, and even in Worcester, gambling promoters and aficionados are impatient for a chance to get a piece of the hoped-for action.

Mr. Patrick may have raised their hopes when he indicated he would have something to say on the matter sometime after Labor Day. Given the high stakes involved, however, it would be a serious mistake for him to let pressure from Massachusetts racetrack operators, out-of-state gambling promoters and other gaming interests to push him into a premature policy pronouncement.

There is absolutely no need to rush.

The farthest-advanced casino plan right now is the Middleboro proposal, recently endorsed by the town meeting and local officials.

However, the U.S. Department of the Interior still has to agree to have the tribe’s new landholdings in Middleboro placed into federal trust as a tribal reservation. The tribe applied for the designation last week.

Approval is unlikely to come under the Bush administration, which has expressed skepticism about creating new reservations.

Moreover, a decision on a typical application takes three years, according to UMass Dartmouth professor Clyde Barrow, who has studied the gaming industry. State Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill, who keeps close tabs on the casino issue because of the potential impact of casino gambling on state lottery revenues, agrees.

Meanwhile, the Connecticut casinos are moving to solidify their hold on gaming in New England, adding shopping, new convention space and hotel rooms, performing arts centers, restaurants, golf courses, spas and more.

What’s at stake for Massachusetts?

The deal floated in Middleboro offers a chilling hint of one potential cost. The casino developer evidently hopes to tap Massachusetts’ state and federal transportation funds to cover a yet-to-be-determined portion of the $250 million in roads, bridges and other public infrastructure work associated with the project.

Casino gambling may or may not come to Massachusetts, but with $15 billion to $19 billion in road and bridge maintenance needed statewide, such an expenditure is truly a sucker bet.