Question 3 on the Massachusetts ballot asks voters if they support or oppose the Bay State casino law.
John Ribeiro of Repeal the Casino Deal and Jay Ash, the Chelsea, Massachusetts, city manager, joined Jim Braude to discuss.
"There hasn't been a single state or community that has benefited from casinos. This was a backroom deal by the legislature on Beacon Hill, the governor, the casino developers, and union leadership that has brought this to Massachusetts," Ribeiro began. "When they tried to do it in open session, they couldn't do it."
"We're gambling like crazy in Massachusetts, except all the tax money that we're paying for it is going to Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Maine," Ash rebutted. "We should keep that money here, keep the jobs here, and keep the tax revenue here."
Both Massachusetts gubernatorial candidates, Democrat Martha Coakley and Republican Charlie Baker, have said they are likely to file a bill to have bring a casino to the state in Springfield.
Meanwhile, casinos in Connecticut and New Jersey are experiencing low revenue.
"The tourists aren't going to be coming to Boston or Massachusetts for casinos. The casinos are coming here for the tourism dollars that are already here," Ribiero said. "The money is already being spent on the economy and tourism and hospitals and other places."
Politics
It's a common notion that crime rises in the region around a casino. Ash responded to this.
"I've never said that crime was going to double and I've always said that it's not inevitable that bad things happen," Ash said. "The good thing about the Massachusetts gaming law is that there is sufficient funds out there for communities like Chelsea and the surrounding communities to be in the game, get money, and deal with the problems that exist."
The vote will take place on Nov. 4.
