Wondering what the future holds for Suffolk Downs and Wonderland
Public discourse about casino gambling on Beacon Hill has been unusually quiet as the old year runs out and the New Year is facing us. How Suffolk Downs and Wonderland will fare in 2011 is something hanging in the balance.
Presently, Suffolk Downs and Wonderland face separate but equal futures.
Without a casino gambling bill in 2011, and without a casino license granted to the owner of Suffolk Downs, the future is grim to uncertain – more grim than uncertain.
Horse racing cannot support Suffolk Downs. Wonderland is out of business.
The patience of the owners of Suffolk Downs is not a bottomless pit.
It is finite.
These are businesspeople trying to make business and development decisions.
It is impossible to do this without a hint about what is to come. There must be unanimity of thought and cohesion of actions taken to move the issue forward on the political agenda.
There is a hint that Governor Deval Patrick and Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo will both advocate for an expanded gaming bill in the coming session of the Legislature.
DeLeo will likely take the first step by placing the measure on the agenda for the upcoming session.
This time around, the governor holds the high ground and DeLeo will not have much to bargain with regarding slot machines – which served as an impediment to getting a bill passed earlier this year.
We urge Speaker DeLeo to forget about slot machines and to return to the table with a bill the governor will sign.
In the end, it will be a victory for the men and women of this district, of his district, who will benefit from new jobs, millions in new development, millions upon millions in new tax income and on and on.
In the end, it will be a bigger victory for DeLeo than for the governor.
In the end, it will be a bigger victory for Revere and surrounding communities.
