MAYOR AMBROSINO TESTIFIES BEFORE GAMING COMMISSION

The prospect of legalized gaming is gaining momentum within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and Mayor Thomas G. Ambrosino is working hard to ensure that Revere’s interests are adequately protected in any new gaming legislation. While attention to this issue has remained strong among the state’s four racetracks over the past six or seven years, until recently, Beacon Hill has shown comparatively little interest in advancing legislation to support expanded gaming in this state. Now, with the state in the midst of a budgetary crisis, legislators are taking new notice of the proposition as studies show states with legalized gaming accrue substantial government revenues.

Under one proposed piece of legislation, expanded gaming in Massachusetts would be limited to the introduction of 1500 slot machines at each of the state’s four racetracks: Plainridge, Raynham, Suffolk Downs and Wonderland Greyhound Park. Revere is home to two of the four, Wonderland Greyhound Park and Suffolk Downs. Studies show revenue from the slot machines could be as high as $550 million for the state.

On Thursday, December 12, Mayor Ambrosino testified on behalf of the City of Revere before the Governor’s Commission to Study Legalized Gaming. In his presentation, Mayor Ambrosino highlighted Revere’s concern that host communities to gaming facilities receive fair revenue treatment in any proposed legislation. In other states which have legalized gambling, the impacts on a host community like Revere have been partially addressed by providing increased financial resources by means of a host community fee.

“Obviously, if gaming facilities are legalized in the Commonwealth, any community that hosts such a facility will suffer from increased traffic, additional public safety needs and the generally negative societal impacts that inevitably accompany increased gambling opportunities,” said Mayor Ambrosino. “For communities like Revere that bear the brunt of expanded gaming, there has got to be recognition of the need for some special treatment in the way of dedicated revenue. As Mayor of the City of Revere, I am requesting a bare minimum of at least 2% of total gaming revenues,” Mayor Ambrosino stressed.

“Host communities will not only experience increased traffic and safety concerns, but also demands on infrastructure and rises in compulsive gambling. For virtually every community, these problems will be little more than interesting academic issues, but not so for the few host communities. Any negative impact from expanded gaming is going to fall almost exclusively on those two or three communities that will host expanded gaming facilities. To create a gaming program that will benefit the entire Commonwealth and all of its local communities, but leave the handful of host communities to bear the entire burden, would be the height of hypocrisy,” Mayor Ambrosino said.

“I am not here to express my personal views on the merits of gaming,” said Mayor Ambrosino. “Instead, my focus is to emphasize Revere’s need for added protection. As a potential host community to two of the four proposed sites for expanded gaming, there will be no community in the Commonwealth more impacted by the legislation than the City of Revere. We must be protected,” concluded Mayor Ambrosino.

The Governor’s Commission to Study Legalized Gaming was established a few months ago by acting Governor Jane Swift to study and consider the pros and cons of expanded legalized gaming in Massachusetts. State legislators, not local officials, will then decide whether gaming comes to Massachusetts.

Photo Caption: Mayor Ambrosino addresses the Governor’s Commission to Study Legalized Gaming in the Gardner Room at the State House on December 12, 2002.

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