05.01.07OUR VIEW: Casino belongs in city, if at all
In planning terms, putting a casino in Middleboro is like putting a resort in the middle of a farm field: It fills SouthCoast's remaining semi-rural landscape with sprawl.
Redeveloping a parcel in New Bedford would be wiser, because it would bring people to the city instead of encouraging — yet again — people and prosperity to flee our urban centers.
Still, it's easy to see why the Mashpee Wampanoag and their financial backers [Detroit-based Herb Strather, a founder of MotorCity Casino who was forced to sell his interests in the Casino because the Michigan Gaming Control Board "kicked" him out of the casino business] want the 125 acres in Middleboro they bought for a song. It's near Interstate 495, offering quick access from population centers to the north.
What is most troubling about the news of movement on a SouthCoast casino is the widespread attitude that a Connecticut-style casino is inevitable. True, the tribe already has the right to open a slot-like electronic bingo hall with only minimal federal paperwork. But the governor and Legislature hold the reins when it comes to a full-size casino.
Whatever your view, now is the time to speak up.
As in the past, we continue to have grave concerns about the value of casino gambling in Massachusetts. Opponents say gamers treat a casino as an all-inclusive destination and don't spend much money at surrounding businesses, which means its power as an economic engine, beyond bringing service-industry jobs, might be disappointing.
The Mashpee tribe and its business partners will be the ones making the largest profits, while the rest of the region is likely to face exacerbated social ills. SouthCoast residents, some of them poor and longing for a windfall, spend enough of their income on lottery tickets without the temptation of a casino.
Yet the plan would certainly bring jobs. Further study and reflection on what a casino could mean for New Bedford is warranted.
We support the tribe's right to status as a sovereign nation as a means of reparation for the genocide inflicted on their ancestors. But it's unfortunate that money makes them want to engage in a form of economic development with so many questionable — and perhaps harmful -- effects.
No comments:
Post a Comment