Last week’s State House hearing on casino gaming drew a notably smaller crowd than the previous year’s event, when hundreds of supporters and opponents of legalizing casinos in Massachusetts packed the chamber to testify. This time, the hearing room was only half full as the debate stretched on for nearly eight hours. The reduced turnout may suggest that many residents and a majority of state lawmakers have already formed their positions on an issue that narrowly failed to pass last year. State lawmakers largely abstained from testifying, with only a handful participating, and the fervor that had characterized previous discussions seemed absent as both sides mechanically presented their arguments about whether gaming would rescue the state’s finances or lead to moral decline.
The reality, however, lies somewhere between the two extremes. Expanded gaming will neither create the epidemic of addiction that some warned about at last week’s hearing nor will it single-handedly resolve the state’s fiscal challenges. Testimony came from various perspectives, but attention centered primarily on Suffolk Downs Racetrack’s presentation. The historic horse racing facility has long sought to expand gaming operations to stabilize its struggling thoroughbred business and intends to apply for one of three available gaming licenses should the legislature approve one of several compromise proposals to Governor Deval Patrick’s bill from last year legalizing resort-style casinos.
Before Suffolk Downs receives what some call a “permission to print money,” the racetrack and its ownership team, headed by Richard Fields, would need to agree to substantial mitigation measures. These would encompass meaningful job creation and significant roadway and infrastructure enhancements. During last week’s testimony, Suffolk Downs’ Chief Operating Officer Chip Tuttle made another appeal to skeptical lawmakers, emphasizing that the racetrack seeks not only a gaming license but is committed to generating local employment and upgrading surrounding infrastructure. “We propose to invest hundreds of millions to immediately create thousands of construction jobs and thousands of permanent jobs while improving our existing racing operation, enhancing the areaÕs tourism economy and providing much-needed support for local traffic and transportation infrastructure upgrades,” Tuttle stated. His testimony this year diverged from last year’s focus on moral obligations, instead emphasizing job creation and preservation. “A 2007 analysis showed Suffolk Downs generating 2,300 jobs in the horse racing industry and related agribusiness throughout the state. This includes over 1,000 at the track itself, including our direct employees Ð mutual clerks, maintenance workers, restaurant, cleaning, security and administrative personnel — as well as the owners, trainers, jockeys, exercise riders, grooms, vets, blacksmiths and stable hands licensed by the state of Massachusetts who care for our horses and work at farms throughout the state where our horses are bred, raised and boarded,” Tuttle said. “There are currently 18 registered Thoroughbred breeding farms in Massachusetts. We believe that number could double over the next few years as we improve our purses and racing operations, extending the benefits of expanded gaming to the agricultural sector of the Massachusetts economy.” Tuttle noted that unlike other regions where such development faces resistance, a casino at this location would likely be embraced as an economic and employment benefit. “As an existing gaming destination with a 75-year track record as a good neighbor and an employer of thousands through the years, gaming development at Suffolk Downs is welcomed by our local communities communities like East Boston, Revere, Chelsea, Winthrop and Everett whose residents have been hit hard by the scarcity of good jobs with good benefits,” Tuttle explained.