Mass. Governor Sends Back Casino Bill, CT Casinos Relieved

A political impasse between Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and the state legislature has Connecticut's two casinos breathing a sigh of relief. WNPR's Ray Hardman has more.

A bill which would have opened up two new slot parlours and three resort casinos in Massachusetts was passed by both houses on Monday, the final day of the legislative session. But Governor Deval Patrick didn't sign the bill. Instead, he sent the bill back with an amendment eliminating the slot parlours.

It is unlikely that the state legislature will convene a special session to vote on Patrick's amendment, and that's good news for Connecticut's two casinos. Clyde Barrow, director Center for Policy Analysis at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, says both Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun rely on customers from the Bay State:

"I mean our estimates are that about 20% of Mogan's customers come from Massachusetts, 36% of Foxwoods' come from Massachusetts. We've done survey research in the past which indicates that about  two-thirds of those customers would transfer their visits to Massachusetts within the first year."

Barrow says despite the dip Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun may experience from potential Casinos in Massachusetts, there is still a significant untapped market in the Northeast for gaming facilities.

For WNPR, I'm Ray Hardman.