Massachusetts Casino Bill Debate in Both Houses

BOSTON, Massachusetts -- As reported by The Boston Globe: "State Senate President Therese Murray said today that a bill allowing casinos in Massachusetts will be debated by both houses of the
  Legislature this fall as lawmakers intensify the push to expand gambling in the face of plunging tax revenues.

"Murray pretended to pull the lever of a slot machine this morning when asked by a reporter about casinos, and even added an exclamatory 'Ka-ching!'

"'We need the revenue,' Murray said at a Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce breakfast at the Park Plaza Hotel. 'To see that over $900 million leaves the state every year to Connecticut and Rhode Island, even if we could pick up $700 million, we would all take that.'

"Allowing a casino bill to reach the floor of either house would be a significant step forward for advocates of expanded gaming. The measure was blocked in the past by former House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi, whose replacement, Robert A. DeLeo, supports the expansion of gambling..."