In the state of Massachusetts, players have been awaiting casino gaming for some time. The state has been going back and forth with slots and casino gaming with licenses awarded earlier this year, but a repeal effort is currently on the table. On the 4th of November, the state will see if casino gaming will be available thanks to a referendum that is going to be added to the ballot. The question will ask if voters want to see the 2011 casino law will be repealed or continue.
In 2011, the state created legislation that would allow for the construction of three casinos with resort style lodgings. A single slots casino was also added to the options for gaming in the state. A slots parlor was licensed back in February and is in the works by Penn National.
The state Gaming Commission gave a casino license to MGM and will see a casino created in the western part of the state. Wynn Entertainment was recently given a gaming license for Boston in the Eastern region of the state and a third should not be given out until next summer.
The casino law has been under scrutiny for months and there is strong support for the repeal, so much so that the referendum has been added to the November ballot. Once the projects were announced, anti-casino groups began to pop up and prove that there are some people who do not love gambling.
The groups have now rallied together and are working to try and see the casino law changed. The groups do not want to see casinos added to their neighborhoods. With the licensing process in the state, every town had to decide if a casino would be right for their town. The gaming commission then selected which proposal was appropriate for the three regions of the state.
The anti-gaming groups began to provide inaccurate information which has many feeling negatively about the gaming industry in the state. It will be interesting to see if the voters will keep the gaming options as-is or if the state will lose the opportunity for casino gaming before it gets started.
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