A big story that’s getting buried
It’s a big story, a really big one. But you wouldn’t know it from the coverage it’s getting.
After years of intense debate, casinos are more than likely coming to the Bay State.
But after the media frenzy that surrounded Gov. Deval Patrick’s doomed casino proposal last year, relatively little attention is being paid now that expanded gambling appears to be rushing toward reality on Beacon Hill.
Former House Speaker Sal DiMasi’s departure opens up the prospect of slot machines not just in Massachusetts, but across New England as the region’s other states scramble to keep up with the Bay State.
Sal had kept the cork firmly in the gambling bottle for years.
However, Robert DeLeo, the new House Speaker, has made it pretty clear he plans to push for slot machines at the racetracks and maybe even a full-fledged casino.
DeLeo’s comments, though, have so far been tucked away into overall state budget stories.
I am taking a different approach, with a column in this week’s B&T that predicts a region-wide gambling war.
Whether you think this is a good idea or not – I contend we have nothing else to lose given the economy’s sorry state – beyond debate is that this is a big story.