House Passes Legislation

In a landslide vote of 120 to 37, a House bill was just passed on Beacon Hill to legalize casino gambling in Massachusetts. The passed bill lets two casino resorts be built and also allows some 3,000 slot machines to be installed at local race tracks.

The bill will be sent to the Senate for review, alteration, passage etc.. The Senate plans to have bill complete by July 31st 2010 to be sent to the Governor for his signature.

The landslide vote from the house gives this bill a very positive outlook for passage. This may cause strong competition from the casinos in Connecticut if the bill passes.

This is the best legalazation of casinos in Massachusetts has looked in the last couple of years.

BooYa!!

Former Massachusetts House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi

He was arraigned in early June 2009 on federal corruption charges in connection with the awarding of lucrative state contracts.

This is good news for the pro casino legislation as DiMasi fought against opening casinos in Massachusetts.

The new Speaker of the House whose District's include Suffolk Downs racetrack and the Wonderland Dog track showed support for slot machines. A step in the right direction, and further discussions will probably take place in the fall of 2009.

HOW THE HOUSE VOTED - - -

HOW THE HOUSE VOTED - - -
A "yes" vote was in favor of sending the bill to a study committee which kills the bill; A "no" vote was against sending the bill to committee, which would have kept it alive.

Geraldo Alicea, D-Charlton - Y
Willie Mae Allen, D-Boston - N
Cory Atkins, D-Concord - Y
Demetrius J. Atsalis, D-Hyannis - Y
Bruce J. Ayers, D-Quincy - N
Ruth B. Balser, D-Newton - Y
Carlo P. Basile, D-Boston - Y
Fred Barrows, R-Mansfield - N
John J. Binienda, D-Worcester - Y
Daniel E. Bosley, D-North Adams - Y
Garrett J. Bradley, D-Hingham - N
William N. Brownsberger, D-Belmont - Y
Antonio F. D. Cabral, D-New Bedford - Y
Jennifer M. Callahan, D-Sutton - Y
Thomas Calter, D-Kingston - N
Linda Dean Campbell, D-Methuen - Y
Christine E. Canavan, D-Brockton - X
Stephen R. Canessa, D-New Bedford - N
Paul C. Casey, D-Winchester - N
Katherine Clark, D-Melrose - Y
Cheryl A. Coakley-Rivera, D-Springfield - Y
Thomas F. Conroy, D-Wayland - Y
Michael A. Costello, D-Newburyport - Y
Geraldine Creedon, D-Brockton - N
Sean Curran, D-Springfield - N
Steven J. D'Amico, D-Seekonk - Y
Robert A. DeLeo, D-Winthrop - Y
Viriato Manuel deMacedo, R-Plymouth - Y
Brian S. Dempsey, D-Haverhill - Y
Salvatore F. DiMasi, D-Boston - Y
Stephen DiNatale, D-Fitchburg - N
Paul J. Donato, D-Medford - Y
Christopher J. Donelan, D-Orange - Y
Joseph R. Driscoll Jr., D-Braintree - N
Lori Ehrlich, D-Marblehead - Y
James B. Eldridge, D-Acton - Y
Lewis G. Evangelidis, R-Holden - N
James H. Fagan, D-Taunton - Y
Christopher G. Fallon, D-Malden - X
Mark V. Falzone, D-Saugus - Y
Robert F. Fennell, D-Lynn - Y
John V. Fernandes, D-Milford - Y
Barry R. Finegold, D-Andover - Y
Jennifer Flanagan, D-Leominster - N
David L. Flynn, D-Bridgewater - Y
Linda Dorcena Forry, D-Boston - Y
Gloria L. Fox, D-Boston - Y
John P. Fresolo, D-Worcester - N
Paul K. Frost, R-Auburn - N
William C. Galvin, D-Canton - X
Sean Garballey, D-Arlington - Y
Colleen M. Garry, D-Dracut - N
Susan W. Gifford, R-Wareham - N
Anne M. Gobi, D-Spencer - Y
Thomas A. Golden Jr., D-Lowell - Y
Mary E. Grant, D-Beverly - Y
William G. Greene Jr., D-Billerica - N
Denis Guyer, D-Dalton - Y
Patricia A. Haddad, D-Somerset - Y
Geoffrey D. Hall, D-Westford - Y
Robert S. Hargraves, R-Groton - Y
Lida E. Harkins, D-Needham - Y
Bradford Hill, R-Ipswich -N
Kevin G. Honan, D-Boston - Y
Donald F. Humason Jr., R-Westfield - N
Frank M. Hynes, D-Marshfield - N
Louis L. Kafka, D-Stoughton - Y
Michael F. Kane, D-Holyoke - Y
Rachel Kaprielian, D-Watertown - Y
Jay R. Kaufman, D-Lexington - Y
John D. Keenan, D-Salem - Y
Thomas P. Kennedy, D-Brockton - Y
Kay Khan, D-Newton - Y
Peter V. Kocot, D-Northampton - Y
Robert M. Koczera, D-New Bedford - N
Peter J. Koutoujian, D-Waltham - Y
Paul Kujawski, D-Webster - X
Stephen Kulik, D-Worthington - Y
William Lantigua, D-Lawrence - Y
John A. Lepper, R-Attleboro - N
David P. Linsky, D-Natick - Y
Barbara A. L'Italien, D-Andover - Y
Paul Loscocco, R-Holliston - Y
Elizabeth A. Malia, D-Boston - Y
Ronald Mariano, D-Quincy - Y
Allen J. McCarthy, D-East Bridgewater - N
Paul McMurtry, D-Dedham - Y
James R. Miceli, D-Wilmington - Y
Michael Moran, D-Boston - Y
Charles A. Murphy, D-Burlington - Y
James M. Murphy, D-Weymouth - Y
Kevin M. Murphy, D-Lowell - Y
David M. Nangle, D-Lowell - Y
Patrick Natale, D-Woburn - N
Harold P. Naughton Jr., D-Clinton - N
Robert J. Nyman, D-Hanover - N
James O'Day, D-West Boylston - N
Eugene L. O'Flaherty, D-Chelsea - Y
Matthew C. Patrick, D-Falmouth - Y
Sarah Peake, D-Provincetown - Y
Vincent A. Pedone, D-Worcester - Y
Alice H. Peisch, D-Wellesley - Y
Jeffrey D. Perry, R-Sandwich - N
George N. Peterson Jr., R-Grafton - N
Thomas M. Petrolati, D-Ludlow - Y
William "Smitty" Pignatelli, D-Lenox - Y
Elizabeth A. Poirier, R-North Attleboro - N (z)
Karyn E. Polito, R-Shrewsbury - N
Denise Provost, D-Somerville - Y
Angelo Puppolo, D-Wilbraham - N
John F. Quinn, D-Dartmouth - N
Kathi-Anne Reinstein, D-Revere - X
Robert Rice Jr., D-Gardner - N
Pam Richardson, D-Framingham - Y
Michael J. Rodrigues, D-Westport - Y
Mary S. Rogeness, R-Longmeadow - Y
John H. Rogers, D-Norwood - Y
Richard J. Ross, R-Wrentham - N (z)
Michael F. Rush, D-Boston - N
Byron Rushing, D-Boston - Y
Jeffrey Sanchez, D-Boston - Y
Rosemary Sandlin, D-Agawam - N
Tom Sannicandro, D-Ashland - Y
Angelo M. Scaccia, D-Boston - Y
John W. Scibak, D-South Hadley - Y
Carl M. Sciortino Jr., D-Somerville - Y
Stephen Smith, D-Everett - N
Frank I. Smizik, D-Brookline - Y
Todd M. Smola, R-Palmer - Y
Theodore C. Speliotis, D-Danvers - Y
Robert P. Spellane, D-Worcester - Y
Christopher N. Speranzo - D-Pittsfield - Y
Joyce A. Spiliotis, D-Peabody - Y
Marie P. St. Fleur, D-Boston - Y
Harriett L. Stanley, D-West Newbury - Y
Thomas M. Stanley, D-Waltham - N
Ellen Story, D-Amherst - Y
William M. Straus, D-Mattapoisett - Y
David B. Sullivan, D-Fall River - N
Benjamin Swan, D-Springfield - Y
Walter F. Timilty, D-Milton - N
A. Stephen Tobin, D-Quincy - Y
Timothy J. Toomey Jr., D-Cambridge - N
David M. Torrisi, D-North Andover - Y
Eric Turkington, D-Falmouth - Y
Cleon H. Turner, D-Dennis - N
James E. Vallee, D-Franklin - Y
Anthony J. Verga, D-Gloucester - Y
Joseph F. Wagner, D-Chicopee - Y
Brian P. Wallace, D-Boston - N
Patricia A. Walrath, D-Stow - Y
Martin J. Walsh, D-Boston - N
Steven M. Walsh, D-Lynn - Y
Martha M. Walz, D-Boston - Y
Daniel K. Webster, R-Hanson - N
James T. Welch, D-West Springfield - Y
Alice K. Wolf, D-Cambridge - Y
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(z) Reps. Poirier and Ross indicated after the vote that they had both intended to vote "yes" instead of "no"
------
N no
Y yes
X not voting
P present

Casino Legislation Stopped

DiMasi and his cronies has stopped any hope of further discussion of casinos in Massachusetts for the year.

Blue law still prevails in the State and if you are pro casinos you will be taking a close look at your Representatives to view how they voted on the issues and adjust your own personal voting accordingly.

With a very strong State debt DiMasi has managed to keep our gambling money to Connecticut.

As for the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe they will attempt to work with the Federal goverment for the right to open a casino. If there is a victory by Senator John McCain, who strongly opposes so-called off-reservation Indian casinos, it could derail the Wampanoags' efforts.

2008 Update on Mass Casinos

In a poll taken of 114 Massachusetts Legislators 19 support, 27 oppose, and 40 were undecided.

Casino Legislation Filed

Governor Deval Patrick filed casino legislation that will legalize gambling activity in the state. There will be three gambling zones created with a 7 member gambling authority created.

The bill itself will probably not get voted on until 2008 and will hotly debated until that time.

Deval expresses his doubts on casinos in cities.

Deval Patrick changed his tune a bit on a radio broadcast the other day saying cities in Massachusetts didn't have enough space for a resort size casino. Building in a urban area has become an argument for disagreement.

Suffolk downs still looks like a choice with 165 acres available for development.

In a poll 53% of the vote backed Deval's proposal for casinos.

Deval Patrick plans for legislation that will cover all these issues.