Why A Casino Is Not A Done Deal
The first time any of us in Middleboro attended a meeting about a casino, we were told that the casino was a "done deal" and that we had better cut a deal or else we'd get nothing. As it turned out, the "sign or else" threat proved very compelling and caused many to either vote in favor of the casino or not vote at all
In order for a casino - any casino - to be built in Massachusetts, there are a number of things that need to happen. For a Native American casino there are even more hurdles.
First of all, class three gambling in Massachusetts is illegal. It will take action by the Governor and the state legislature(House and Senate) to allow it. This is where you come in. You must contact the Governor and your state legislators to register your concern. The Massachusetts House of Representatives in particular seems to be the most likely place to put a stop to this.
Any one of the Governor or either branch of the state legislature can stop casino gambling.
In the case of a Native American casino there are more hurdles and more places to stop the process. There have been cases where the host community entered into an agreement like Middleboro just did, and had the process stopped at the county level. This article goes into some detail about the trust process required to have class 3 gambling on off-reservation land. The big point is that once an application is made to put the land into trust - "state and local government that each will be given 30 days in which to provide written comment as to the acquisition's potential impacts on regulatory jurisdiction, real property taxes and special assessments."
Every town within 50 miles of Middleboro can make a valid claim about the negative impacts the casino will have on it's tax base. The two effects that come to mind right away is a loss of local business as discretionary income is spent at the casino, and the increased tax burden that will come with any housing/schooling demands created by casino employees.
You should get your local government to write a letter objecting to the casino to the Governor, state legislators, and the BIA(Bureau of Indian Affairs).
These groups were also told it was a done deal. They continued the fight and won.
So people, if you roll over and play dead because you think it's a done deal - it will be.
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