While many states are trying to get in on the online poker and casino action in the United States, others are just trying to offer casino gaming period. There are states in the US that do not offer any type of gambling games and must start from the ground up. The state of Massachusetts has been trying since 2011 to get into the industry and now the plans have hit a major snag.
According to a report by CardPlayer, the Supreme Judicial Court of the state has ruled that on the November referendum voters will be able to decide if casinos should be allowed in the state, despite a 2011 law that authorized the option. Voters will be able to decide the fate of the gaming industry in Massachusetts by voting for a repeal of the 2011 law.
The news hits home for major operators of the gambling industry including MGM Resorts International, Penn National Gaming and Wynn Resorts. All of the companies were trying to open a gaming property in Massachusetts. Penn National already had gained a license for a slots parlor in the state and MGM had been approved for a license as well.
After the court ruling, the American Gaming Association made comments on the decision. The AGA is a lobbying group located in Washington that follows the gaming industry in the US. The AGA CEO Geoff Freeman stated that it is up to the state whether they ‘welcome the thousands of jobs and millions in revenues’ that gaming can provide, and that the AGA will work to make sure that voters have the facts about the industry instead of the ‘tired stereotypes’.
Freeman continued by stating that gaming affects communities positively by creating thousands of jobs that pay well above minimum wage as well as help small businesses grow and contribute millions of dollars in revenues to the community which can then be used for public services including education and safety programs. However, opponents of casino gaming do not agree and believe that casinos can harm communities in several ways including gambling addiction, crime increase and economic issues.
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