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Poll shows tight race for repeal of gaming law in Massachusetts

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Artist's rendering of proposed $1.3 billion Mohegan Sun casino in Massachusetts. Image from Mohegan Sun Massachusetts

Most voters want to keep the Massachusetts gaming law in place although the results of a new poll are too close to call.

The November election is still a few months away. But the poll from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Center for Policy Analysis indicates it will be a tough race for both sides of the debate.

"It shows that the referendum is going to be close and hotly contested," Clyde Barrow, the director of the center, told The Cape Cod Times.

On the other hand, another poll from the center shows strong support for Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut and its bid for a commercial casino in the eastern part of the state. Some 48 percent want the license to go to the $1 billion Mohegan Sun Massachusetts, compared to just 21 percent for rival Wynn Resorts, according to the results.

The tribe's plan, however, could be derailed if voters repeal H.3702, the Massachusetts Expanded Gaming Act. The law authorized three casinos in three regions of the state.

So far, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission has issued one license for the western part of the state. But MGM Resorts International won't start work until the results of the November election.

Repeal also would affect the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe. The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act allows tribes to engage in the same types of Class III games that are already legal in a state.

Up until H.3702 casino-style games were not legal in Massachusetts. The tribe's Class III gaming compact was allowed to go into effect by the Bureau of Indian Affairs so it's not clear what will happen if the law is repealed.

Get the Story:
Poll: Casino vote will be close (The Cape Cod Times 7/1)
Mass. poll shows support for Mohegan casino plan (The New London Day 7/1)

An Opinion:
Our View: Wait until casino referendum before proceeding with permits (The Taunton Daily Gazette 6/3)