Wellesley's Senators Vote Against Casino Bill

Both of Wellesley's state senators voted against the casino bill that passed the Senate July 1, Sen. Cynthia Creem to oppose too much gambling, Sen. Richard Ross protesting too little.

The Senate bill would license three resort-style casinos in the state.

Ross, a member of the conference committee that will reconcile the House and Senate versions of the bill, is confident he can persuade at least one of the other senators to add a House-version measure allowing slot machines at racetracks to the final version.

The conference committee is made up of three members of the House, whose version of the bill allowed slots, and three members of the Senate, including Ross. All that's needed for the slot machine measure to make the final bill is the vote of one of Ross's fellow senators.

Ross said that once he was certain the casino bill would pass without his vote, he decided to vote "nay" as a protest of the Senate version of the bill. That version left out expansion of gaming at tracks to include slots.

That part of the House bill would have allowed 750 slot machines at the state's race tracks at Plainridge in Plainville, Suffolk Downs in East Boston, Wonderland in Revere  and Raynham-Taunton Greyhound Park in Raynham. In the case of Plainridge, Ross said, the track has been operating at a loss in hopes of increasing revenue with slot machines. Without slots, the track could close and cost about 1,200 people their jobs, he said.

The Senate version of the casino bill, Ross said, seems to be a gamble on an unproven business in the state, casino gambling, to create jobs and revenue, without consideration of the tracks, which are established businesses proven to provide both. "We already know what the tracks are and what they're capable of," Ross said. With the casinos, "There is no guarantee that this is going to happen in real time," he said.

 "I voted against it because I believe it is not the form of economic development I believe this state needs here," said Creem. She said she supported efforts to attract biotech firms and film companies to Massachusetts. "I saw that they certainly brought jobs to our state," Creem said. But she's not so convinced about casinos. Meanwhile, she said, casinos' impact on local business and their social toll are evident. "When you look at the communities that have casinos, they're in worse shape than we are," Creem said.

While the two senators appeared to be acting in concert, Creem makes it clear she's not in favor of slots. "That would be even worse," she said. In fact, Creem said she's also not in favor of simulcast greyhound racing at the tracks. Greyhound racing in the state was outlawed in a referendum in 2008. Creem said she thought voters would also frown on simulcast greyhound racing.