I was in a bank yesterday to meet with a loan officer. The last time I was in a bank was, ah, well -- actually, I don’t recall. It’s been a long time.
Drive-up ATM’s, direct deposit, debit cards and on-line banking meet my needs quite well. And that application for a loan...I could have done that online but the banker is a friend.
I go to grocery stores, hardware stores, (I haven’t caught up to the term “home improvement store” yet) and one or the other of my two favorite breakfast places. Other than that, I shop on-line. No Black Friday mobs and every day can be Cyber Monday.
Find out what's happening in Milfordfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
I use less and less brick and mortar.
We have lived in the digital revolution for more than a generation now. It’s not going away and whatever we can do today will be very old tech in five years. Think beyond Goggle Glass.
Find out what's happening in Milfordfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
So why is Massachusetts even thinking about building brick and mortar casinos? Massachusetts should skip the soon to be outmoded ‘destination casino’ model of gambling and legalize full on-line gambling.
Play poker on the commute; blackjack at the beach; slots while waiting for the kids at dismissal.
Think of the benefits: no host / surrounding community struggles; no new on / off ramps; no hundreds of thousands of dollars of impact studies; no behemoth projects that might overwhelm a town; and everyone who wants to, gets to gamble -- at home, at the club, on a picnic.
The Commonwealth already has on-line gambling. Walk into the nearest convenience store and watch the numbers change on the Keno monitor every four minutes.
A Las Vegas outfit called Station Casinos brought ultimatepoker.com on-line this week. Right now, only folks in Nevada can play but if you plan to visit the Silver State, you can register in advance.
Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware have passed legislation legalizing online gambling. According to a NYT article, nearly two dozen companies have obtained licenses to establish online gambling sites including MGM Resorts International, Bally and Caesars.
Can Foxwoods be far behind?
Where does your family watch more movies? At the brick and mortar cineplex (do they still exist?) or on cable or Netflix?
Poker-only gambling sites may not reduce attendance at brick and mortar casinos but as online gambling advances and all casino games come online, a study conducted by the American Gaming Association found that traditional casinos would suffer.
Hopedale has the massive Draper Mill sitting vacant and unproductive.
Will Milford have an 350 room hotel producing no hotel tax; unused space for 4,000 slot machines and several vacant restaurants and shops sitting on the edge of a residential neighborhood?
Does a closed up casino pay property taxes?
