Massachusetts gaming commission urges adoption of online gaming

State Senator Stanley C. Rosenberg, the architect of the state’s casino law, said he would take his cues from the commission on how best to legislate online gaming. “It’s a new frontier,” Rosenberg said. “I personally don’t see how you avoid it.

“You can’t control the Internet. When people turn on their computer they go where they want to go,” Rosenberg added. “We’re just at the early stages of trying to understand how this actually works, and given that you can organize businesses inside the commonwealth, within the country, and internationally and set them up online, so we need to figure out how that all works.”

Treasurer and gubernatorial candidate Steven Grossman is still in favor of exploring online gaming, his campaign said last night. In a 2012 report, a task force Grossman convened concluded, “If the Lottery does not enter this online market, other entrants — including commercial casinos, tribal casinos, commercial gaming companies and other states — will.”

The report added keeping Lottery sales agents working and helping problem gamblers would also need to be addressed. It was all part of yesterday’s forum at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, where online betting dominated a day-long fact-finding forum. So far, several models exist, including restricting online gambling to inside casinos, as in Nevada; only allowing licensed casinos to set up gambling sites, as in Nevada and New Jersey; and having the state Lottery run the sites and collect the revenue, as in Delaware. Under federal law, all betting must take place within the Bay State’s borders — and sports betting is forbidden.

Crosby added awarding three casino licenses in the state — two by this summer and possibly a third later on — must come first before online gaming is tackled. The lone state slots license has just been awarded to Penn National Gaming at the Plainridge harness race track in Plainville. Yesterday’s
forum included representatives from the states that have legalized online gambling, as well as reps from companies that provide equipment and guidance.

On the other hand, John Ribeiro, chairman of the campaign to repeal the state’s casino law on the November ballot, called online gambling a scourge. “There’s no shovel in the ground yet to build the casinos or slots parlors, but already we’re talking about expansions of casino gambling,” Ribeiro said. “This is what happens everywhere in the country, (casinos) get a foothold and expand at all costs. “Instead of having an honest debate about tax revenue and economic development,” he added, “we’re just going to allow these charlatans to open up casinos not just in our communities, but in every living- room, every office, every door room in the state. We need to stop the bleeding.”