Why Casino gaming is good for Massachusetts
• Massachusetts Residents Want It! Polls indicate that Massachusetts residents strongly support casino gaming through a resort-style casino. Bay Staters spend $900 million on casino gaming in Connecticut and $4.5 billion on the Lottery annually.
• Economic Stimulation. Job growth from resort-style casinos decreases unemployment rates, welfare rates, and crime on a per capita basis. Resort-style Casinos also have been shown to increase home values in their surrounding areas.
• State Budget Crisis. $1.3 billion structural deficit. Crumbling roads and bridges. Cash-strapped cities and towns with local revenues barely keeping up with inflation. High property taxes. And growing health care, pensions, education and capital improvement needs. All point to the need for more public revenues.
• Stagnant Job Growth. Our economy continues to feel the pain of the 2001 national recession. Since the recession, Massachusetts has seen a sharper decline in employment than any other state in the nation.
• A Mature Lottery. The Lottery has reached a state of maturity. Growth is at just 1.8%, compared to the national average of 6.9%. Massachusetts relies heavily on two revenue streams – property taxes and the lottery to fund its 351 cities and towns. We need additional sources of revenue.
Fact Sheets
The facts speak for themselves on the debate around casino gaming in Massachusetts. Please use the resources below to learn more about Massachusetts fiscal crisis and how three resort-style casinos can be part of the solution to that crisis.
The Problem
Financially starved cities and towns with increasing needs, unfunded state projects, crumbling infrastructure, and rising unemployment rates: each of these factors is confronting the Massachusetts economy in the face of a structural budget deficit of $1.3 billion. Our Commonwealth needs another revenue stream to rejuvenate and expand our economy.
Why Resort-style Casinos are Part of the Solution
Resort-style casinos provide their patrons with a sense of destination through a wide array of high-end retail, restaurant, accommodation, entertainment and recreation options, including full gaming facilities.
Casino Gaming in Massachusetts and the Impact on Tourism
Casinos are a major part of American tourism. In 2006, more than 1/4 of the U.S. adult population visited a casino. This figure does not include the millions of international travelers who visit American casinos each year.
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