The CFO presentation to CRAC: MS Word| PDF
Lakeville Selectmen are asking residents for comments on a casino that might be located in Middleboro. Residents can submit comments in writing with their name and address via e-mail at board.selectmen@lakevillema.org, or in person or by mail. When e-mailing, put "Middleboro casino" in the subject line.WHY THE CASINO IS NOT A DONE DEAL
Palmer specific page
Video: No casino tour
Action Items! How you can help right now...
If you live in Bridgewater, Raynham, Lakeville, East Bridgewater, Rochester, West Bridgewater, Kingston, Plymouth, Duxbury or Easton:
Immediately contact your selectmen and insist they hold an informational forum regarding the casino - and urge them not to wait! Have them contact casinofacts.org or feedback@casinofacts.org
Contact your representatives, starting with Governor Deval Patrick. Write, call or e-mail.
Click here for a page with links to your other reps.
In addition to the Governor, contact your local Board of Selectman, and your two State Officials. You don't have to write a long letter. They represent you and are interested in knowing how you feel on this issue.
Other towns - start getting educated!
Studies have shown that towns within 35-50 miles of a casino will be negatively effected. Click here for more information.
CasinoFacts.org is a volunteer organization whose purpose is to bring attention to the
well-documented negative effects that casinos can have on the state of Massachusetts and especially on the communities nearest the casino. Do you know that nice undeveloped land that you like to walk on? If it's near a highway chances are some casino developer is looking at it right now.
Who are we and why are we doing this? We are your neighbors. We live in Middleboro, or Plympton, or Norwood, or Palmer. We're young and old. We are typical residents who believe the social problems that will come with a casino can not be remedied with money or assigned a dollar value.  We believe that our fields and forests will be enjoyed by us and our children far more with clear skies that are unsullied by a 40 story building looming over it and the roar of cars, trucks, and buses as they ferry the unwary and vulnerable up and down our roads. We believe that our great grandchildren will thank the generation that had the courage to stand up to billion dollar corporations and the lure of easy money. We believe that generations yet to come deserve the same wholesome environment that our citizens have enjoyed since 1620. We believe that Massachusetts is ours to watch over, care for, and pass on to future residents and future generations.
We believe that our state and it's towns need fiscal responsibility, vision, and sound fiscal planning more than they need a quick influx of cash that will do nothing to solve fundamental financial problems. We believe that Massachusetts and it's citizens do not need a casino. We believe that we have the facts to back up the notion that a casino is a bad fit for towns, communities, regions, and the state.
The proposed Middleboro casino will be situated very close to downtown. This picture shows the intended location.
- Cause Increases In Crime
One of the most comprehensive studies on casinos and crime reported that casinos increased crime in the catgories of rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny and auto theft. The increased crime starts about three years after casino introduction. This pattern is consistent with the theories that problem and pathological gamblers commit crime as they deplete their resources. It found that the effects of crime outweigh the potentially positive effects on crime that casinos may have through offering improved labor market opportunities.14
- Cause The Host Community To Lose Control Of Their Town
The casino will transplant 10,000 jobs into the host community at the
expense of surrounding communities. A likely side effect of this
is that they will have a built-in voting bloc than can control any
town. This would be true no matter what sort of facility it was -
10,000 employees in a small city or town - many of whom live and vote
in the host community - would be a formidable voting force.
The area selectmen recognize this possibility. Here one refers to the
Casino becoming an "800 pound political gorilla" which is commonly
accepted slang for an extremely powerful force. He wisely mentions
the likelihood that this political force will eventually control town
meeting and thus the town - saying that the political process can
become controlled by "casino interests".
In the Middleboro Selectmen's meeting of July 8th, Mr. Bond stated
that we should change our form of town government to prevent the
casino from taking over the town.
Given that the only draft agreement we have seen already obligates
us to work on the Casino's behalf to one level or another --- we
should all be very concerned about our ability to control our own
destiny.
- Deepen Our State's Budget Problems
Not one state in the country has ever solved its budget problems with gambling revenues. Even New Jersey, with its 17 casinos, had to shut down its state government due to a budget crisis.1
- Dramatically Increase the Tax Burden on Non-Gamblers
Connecticut, New Jersey and Rhode Island all have casino gambling and
all have higher taxes than Massachusetts..2 Under the ruse of property tax
relief, Pennsylvania passed a bill to legalize slots two years ago and
today their Governor is calling for a major increase in the sales tax
rate..3 These states
pay higher taxes in part because they need to make up for the unmet
revenue needs that were promised by the casinos - every $1 in gambling
taxes costs $3..4
Non-gamblers pay for the massive social costs that the casino gambling
industry brings along with it. The industry certainly doesn t pay the
bill.
- Detract From Our State's Economy
Casinos don't bring an economic multiplier effect to a region..5 It's why cities like
Atlantic City and Detroit and states like Louisiana and Mississippi
are still languishing, despite their heavy concentration of
casinos. If casinos were good economic development like proponents say
they are, then why would The Wall Street Journal and The Boston
Business Journal, two of the most pro-business newspapers in the
country, both editorialize against them?6 In large part because they
lower a region's standard of living by attracting lots of low wage
casino jobs and merely act as a jobs transfer and not a job creator.
- Change the Quality of Life in Our Communities
The national leader of the casino industry lobby, Frank Fahrenkopf,
said he'd oppose a casino where he lived. If he doesn t want one in
his region, why would we?
Beyone the costs which are easy to define(schools, police, fire, etc) there
are intangibles that are every bit as important but hard to quantify. There is the light pollution. There is the traffic and related dangers. There is the increased housing that will come. There is the 40 story building jutting out of our country side.
These are real effects that need to be compensated for.
- Hurt Our State's Families
Gambling addiction to slot machines is all about speed: the faster you
play, the more likely you will play out-of-control and be more
reckless with your money as you lose it in the machine. Today's slots
are meticulously designed computers, generating precise profits,
deliberately creating a false sense of near wins and regular small
payoffs that create an illusion of sporting chance. They are the most
addictive form of gambling ever devised.7
Anyone comforted by the idea that casino gambling is voluntary should
spend a day with the casino staffs that target people based on how
fast they play a slot machine and track prospects' and players'
observed worth, define their predicted value, and systematically
maximize individual "share of wallet" through targeted and customized
promotional messages, limited-time cash offers, and carefully tracked
time-to-response and spending analysis. This predatory marketing
explains why for people who live within 50 miles of a casino, at least
1 out of every 20 people becomes a gambling addict.8
But while these problem gamblers are very lucrative for the industry,
their addiction leads to crime, distressed families, suicide and
bankruptcy.9
Non-gamblers are left paying the tab for these costs through higher
taxes. With 16 percent of adults leaving the state to gamble in the
past year, advocates argue that legalization would "recapture" lost
revenue from these gamblers and generate $350 million in income to the
state from slots alone.10
On the surface, that appears to represent only a $475 annual loss per
player. But industry executives will tell you that 85 percent of their
revenue comes from 20 percent of the players.11 For the state to make its $350 million
on slots after payouts, 147,000 gamblers - about 3 percent of the
entire adult population - have to lose a total of $496 million. That's
an average annual loss of $3,374 apiece.
Adding slots to Massachusetts' revenue mix is equal to raising taxes
on the average player by 62 percent.12 It s a massive tax increase pitched
as entertainment. The bottom line is whether you are a gambler or a
non-gambler, we all will be paying a lot more in taxes if casinos are
legalized.
References
1 Governor Corzine Signs Executive Order for Orderly Shutdown of Government Operations, Office of the Governor press release, July 1, 2006
2 The Tax Foundation, State and Local Tax Burden Compared to Other U.S. States, 2007
Rendell appointee defends sales tax hike
3. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, February 21, 2007
4 Gambling in America: Costs and Benefits , Dr. Earl Grinols. 2005
5 Warren Buffett, CEO, Berkshire Hathaway, in 2004 television interview
6 The Boston Business Journal, January 19, 2007 and The Wall Street Journal, March 1, 2002
7 The Hartford Courant, May 9, 2004
8 National Gambling Impact Study Commission Report, commissioned by the United States Congress, 1999
9 National Gambling Impact Study Commission Report, commissioned by the United States Congress, 1999
10 Opinion Dynamics poll on behalf of the Massachusetts State Lottery and the Massachusetts Council of Compulsive Gambling, Fall 2005
11 Jackpot: Harrah's Winning Secrets for Customer Loyalty, Robert Shook; Pg. 236
12 The Tax Foundation, State and Local Tax Burden Compared to Other U.S. States, 2007
13 Grinols/Mustard - Casinos And Crime
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