As you probably heard, the Massachusetts Senate last week approved the casino gambling bill, paving the way for Governor Deval Patrick’s anticipated signing later this year. The vote was 24-14 in favor of the bill.
One of those voting against it was Senator Jamie Eldridge (D-Acton) who represents Southborough, among other towns. “I strongly believe expanding gambling in Massachusetts will harm our local small businesses and our communities, and that’s why I voted no,” Eldridge said. “We need revenues and jobs here in Massachusetts, but casinos aren’t the answer. There are better ways, less destructive ways, to solve our fiscal problems and make the Commonwealth a better place to live.”
Southborough’s other legislators – House Representatives Carolyn Dykema (D-Holliston) and Steven Levy (R-Marlborough) – also opposed the casino bill when it passed through the House.
If a recent My Southborough poll is any indication, the Southborough constituency agrees with its legislators’ votes, but barely. According to the poll, 55% of you oppose casino gambling while 45% of you support it.
I am happy and pleased to see our elected officials have not voted for allowing gambling. Thank you very much.
I am unhappy that our elected officials keep allowing people from this state to spend their money in another state. People gamble, it is what it is and we might as well get the revenue from it instead of another state. We might even get some of the revenue from people from another state – GASP! Time to wake up, you can deny it but it won’t go away. BTW, I don’t gamble, have no interest in it, nor do I understand it but it still happens.
People do heroin. It is what it is and we might as well legalize it and tax it instead of letting that revenue go to the drug cartels. /sarcasm
Its about drawing lines on how much you want to degrade your society, it has nothing to do with denying it etc. Obviously you don’t think that it will have much of an effect on our state. Our officials do, as well as 55% of mysouthborough readers, and they don’t think the benefits outweigh the costs.
dead set against it. Glad our elected officials voted against it. Poor choice for a
renevue source, in my opinion.
Kudo’s to Jamie. There is a dark side to gambling which no one likes to talk about.It is not black or white, but gray. No one thinks of the cost to society. I have a cousin whose father lost his childhood home, to his dad’s addiction to gambling. Gambling is a product, to be bought or not. I don’t buy it. I do like the music and talent they bring in, I have only gone for some of the great shows.