Brownsberger Continues Voting No on Casino Bill

Despite last week's lopsided victory in the House of Representatives to bring casinos to the Bay State, local rep Will Brownsberger continued his long-standing opposition to introducing gaming to the state as the bill's supporters contend gambling will funnel jobs and revenue into Massachusetts.

The bill, which calls for licensing of three resort-style casinos and one slot parlor to Massachusetts overwhelmingly passed through the House last Wednesday with a vote of 123-32.

A similar bill passed the House last year but stalled on Gov. Deval Patrick's desk in a dispute on how to move forward with the legislation.

Brownsberger said House Speaker Robert A DeLeo has been actively pushing casino legislation for the past two years and "the state has been moving in that direction," he said.

Despite the bill's strong support on Beacon Hill, Brownsberger's misgivings to legalized gaming has not diminished.

"I think the belief is, which I don't entirely share, that it brings both jobs and revenue," said Brownsberger, who announced earlier this month a run for state senate, filling the remainder of State Sen. Steven Tolman term as he heads off to become president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO.

While he thinks it's clear that gambling will create some construction jobs, most of the long-term jobs in the casinos will likely be filled by out-of-state workers who have the needed skills having worked in the industry in Connecticut or in other states.

Brownsberger joins supporters in acknowledging increased revenue heading into state coffers.

"I don't dismiss the contribution (gambling) can have to revenues but it is quite easy to overstate the input to the bottom line," he noted.

What isn't brought up by supporters is the casinos impact on the state are the "big social negatives" including an anticipated rise in gambling addiction and harming local businesses that competes with gambling halls.

"I believe casinos will kill jobs in downtown and hometown entertainment and restaurants," said Brownsberger.

Driving 75 miles to gamble

"I just like the development we have been able to draw to Belmont, Boston and Cambridge. Healthy main street development is a beautiful thing and I don't think casinos are good for that. What casinos do is put people in their cars to drive 75 miles to gamble," he said.

But the most dilatory impact from the introduction of gambling will be in the legislature.

"Bringing a heavily regulated, money-intensive industry into the state can only increase the opportunity for corruption to the legislature," said Brownsberger.

He noted that during the latest round of hearings, the casino promoters were pervasive and aggressive in how they sought to control the debate and message.

"You should've seen the room fill with lobbyists at the hearings. It was like they owned the place," he said.

Brownsberger also warned that once the bill is signed, the gambling interests will not leave the Massachusetts political landscape.

"Every year, they will be right back before future legislatures for another casino or more slots or a lower tax rate," he said, requiring the legislative bodies to "making room" for their repeated foyers on Beacon Hill.

"There's simply only so much bandwidth that you can have in the legislature," said Brownsberger, noting that this year the legislature passed the budget, court reform and two other major measures.

"If casinos are always there, gambling legislation will likely take away time and energy from both the House and Senate, crowding out more important issues," said Brownsberger.

And as an environmentalist, Brownsberger is not enthusiastic about the resort entertainment model where they "bulldoze 10 square miles of forest so you can build a hotel and a tower in the middle of nowhere."

"At the end of the day, we has some great institutions in this state: great universities, hospitals, a financial center, money managers and biotech and software industries," said Brownsberger.

"We want to work with them and help them create more jobs rather than distracting ourselves with something with a lot of downside and just a little upside," he said.