"Up to now, the eastern Massachusetts town of Middleboro was best known for cranberries. But if the town has its way, it could be in line to become home to the first Massachusetts casino. Last month, citizens of the community agreed at a highly publicized town meeting to a deal with the Wampanoag Indians to support the tribe's efforts to open a casino in turn for upwards of $11 million a year in cash benefits.

At the moment, casino gambling is against the law in Massachusetts, as it once was in Connecticut. But with the Wampanoags' newly acquired status as a federally recognized Indian tribe, the Bay State has become the latest enterprise zone for casino gambling. This has raised concerns in Rhode Island, where voters had the better sense to turn down a casino attempt in a statewide referendum.

The flurry of new activity in Massachusetts has some in Rhode Island wondering whether the referendum actually drove a stake through the heart of casino aspirations there. While Rhode Island doesn't have full-blown casinos, it allows slot machines at its two state-sanctioned wagering operations in Lincoln and Newport.

Rhode Islanders worry about what will become of those significant revenue producers if a casino opens in Massachusetts. Will the state have to expand legal gambling to protect its investments in the gambling market, limited though they have been up to now?

Driving these events has been the human quality of avarice. Middleboro voters agreed to surrender their town's reputation as the picturesque home of the wholesome cranberry industry to become a big-time gambling town in turn for a handsome offer of funds and infrastructure improvements. The same kinds of enticements have created gambling fever in Springfield, East Boston and New Bedford, not to mention in the statehouse in Boston."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Gambling's Domino Effect (The New London Day 8/18)
pwday