Steven Grossman picks Enrique Zuniga for gambling panel
Treasurer Steven Grossman today picked Enrique Zuniga, who is currently the executive director of the Massachusetts Water Pollution Abatement Trust, to be his representative on the state Gaming Commission.
Grossman last year appointed Zuniga to the job as executive director of the trust fund, which made him the first Hispanic to hold that job.
“Enrique has the integrity, vision, wisdom, and experience to effectively execute the duties of this critical position,” Grossman said in a statement. “I’m confident that Enrique will bring his keen ethical and managerial skills to this process, always ensuring that taxpayers’ interests are best represented.”
Grossman announced Zuniga as his choice for the Gaming Commission at a State House press conference.
Zuniga is a native of Mexico who has an MBA from Yale University and an undergraduate degree in civil engineering from the Instituto Technologico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Grossman’s office said. Zuniga has worked as an adjunct professor of construction management at Wentworth Institute of Technology.
“Public service is all about generating the best and most innovative outcomes for the taxpayers, and I look forward to serving on the Gaming Commission in that spirit,” Zuniga said in a statement. “I thank Treasurer Grossman for this opportunity, and I’m ready to meet the challenges ahead.”
Zuniga, 45, lives in Jamaica Plain with his wife, Ellen Greenberg Zuniga, and their two children, the release said.
According to Grossman’s office, Zuniga has also held management jobs at accounting firm Ernst & Young LLP, the Boston Housing Authority, and design and engineering companies in Mexico.
Attorney General Martha Coakley last month chose former New Jersey State Police Lieutenant Colonel Gayle Cameron to represent law enforcement on the commission, which is led by Governor Deval Patrick’s pick for chairman, Stephen Crosby.
Grossman’s choice is required under the law to have experience in corporate finance and securities.
The commission created by the casino legislation approved last November must have its full complement of five members by March 21.
Now with Grossman’s choice joining the panel, Patrick, Coakley, and Grossman will jointly fill the final two slots of the commission. The members do not have to be approved by the Legislature or the Governor’s Council.
Commission members are paid $112,500 a year.
Posted in: Editorials
FORMER NEW JERSEY POLICE OFFICIAL NAMED TO MASS. GAMING COMMISSION
By STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE STATE HOUSE, BOSTON
FEB. 28, 2012……Gayle Cameron, a former detective assigned to the Casino Gaming Bureau in New Jersey, was named Tuesday by Attorney General Martha Coakley as her designee to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. According to Coakley’s office, Cameron held leadership roles during her 28 years with the New Jersey State Police, including lieutenant colonel and deputy superintendent of investigations, a post from which she oversaw numerous state police units including all casino gaming investigations. Born in Cambridge and raised in Weymouth, Cameron has homes in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida and in Plymouth, where she plans to establish permanent residency. Since retiring in 2008, she has worked on public safety consulting in the United States and abroad. Cameron joined the New Jersey State Police in 1980, worked as a road trooper for four years, and then was assigned to the gaming bureau during the first years of legalized gambling in that state. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Bridgewater State College and a master’s degree from Seton Hall University. She will join gaming commission chairman Stephen Crosby, who was appointed by Gov. Deval Patrick. Last November, Patrick signed a law authorizing three resort casinos and one slot machine facility in Massachusetts. Three more commission members remain to be named, including an appointee from Treasurer Steven Grossman and two appointees jointly named by Patrick, Coakley and Grossman. In a statement, Coakley said Cameron has “the right experience, integrity and vision to be an outstanding member of this important commission.” In her own statement, Cameron said, “I am very grateful to Attorney General Coakley for providing me this opportunity to return to public service and to my home state. I embrace the challenge of starting with a clean slate to foster a gaming environment which is secure and robust. I look forward to bringing my experience and expertise to the commission.”
Posted in: Editorials
Mohegan Sun Palmer and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Reach Deal to Bring Retail Store to Palmer Destination Casino Resort
Mohegan Sun Palmer and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Reach Deal to Bring Retail Store to Palmer Destination Casino Resort
Agreement with leading Western Mass tourist destination will bring Hall of Fame presence to Mohegan Sun at Palmer
(February 13, 2012) – Premier New England gaming operator Mohegan Sun announced today that it has signed an agreement with the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to establish a retail store and exhibition presence at its proposed Palmer destination casino resort site.
The Basketball Hall of Fame, which is based in Springfield, is one of Western Massachusetts’ largest and most popular tourist destinations and attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.
“The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame contributes greatly to the economic vitality of this region and we’re thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with such an iconic institution in Western Massachusetts,” said Mitchell Grossinger Etess, chief executive of the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority. “Mohegan Sun has had the benefit of working with the Hall of Fame over the past several years and we look forward to growing this relationship to bring increased tourism and economic development to Western Massachusetts.”
Under the agreement, the Basketball Hall of Fame would operate a retail store at Mohegan Sun at Palmer, offering Hall of Fame branded products and providing visitors with a preview of attractions at its flagship Springfield tourist destination.
“Mohegan Sun has made an early investment in our region and has worked closely and transparently with community and business interests throughout Western Massachusetts,” said John Doleva, president of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. “We are looking forward to expanding our presence in Western Massachusetts and see a great opportunity to do that with Mohegan Sun Palmer.”
Mohegan Sun, which hopes to build a world class destination casino resort in Palmer that will create thousands of jobs and bring new economic growth to Western Massachusetts, has a long-standing commitment to working with local businesses, community leaders and cultural and tourist organizations in the regions where it operates. Currently, Mohegan Sun spends nearly $500 million annually in goods and services from local vendors near its Connecticut and Pennsylvania facilities.
About Mohegan Sun at Palmer
Mohegan Sun hopes to develop a world-class destination casino resort on a parcel of land adjacent to the Massachusetts Turnpike in Palmer. The project would feature a hotel and spa, casino gaming and internationally-known and branded retail stores and restaurants. A destination casino resort in Palmer is expected to create thousands of jobs – with the majority of the required workforce expected to come from Western Massachusetts. For more information on the Palmer project, please visit www.MoheganSun.com/Palmer .
About the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the birthplace of basketball, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame promotes and preserves the game of basketball at every level – professional, collegiate, men and women from around the world. For more information please visit our website at www.hoophall.com or call 1-877-4-HOOPLA.
Posted in: Editorials
Paul F. Evans, Boston’s former top cop, to run security operation at Suffolk Downs as racetrack bids for resort casino license
By John R. Ellement – The Boston Globe
The owners of the Suffolk Downs track have hired former Boston police commissioner Paul F. Evans to run their security operations as they race to land a state license to operate a resort-style casino on their East Boston property.
Evans was the city’s top cop from 1994 to 2003 during which Boston experienced a dramatic drop in gang-related violence, especially homicides, a period of peace that came to be known as the “Boston Miracle.’’
After Evans retired from the department, the South Boston native was hired by the British government to inject some of the lessons of Boston into the English law enforcement community. He left his job with the British Home Office in 2007.
Evans has since worked as a security consultant and was hired in 2009 by the track’s owners to conduct an “integrity, security, and compliance” examination of Ceasars’ Entertainment, the company the track has partnered with to run the potential casino operation, the track said in a statement today.
Evans will now become a full-time employee with the title of executive vice president, security and compliance.
“Paul brings impeccable credentials, a substantial law enforcement background, and a history of forging strong community involvement as we work to ensure that our proposal for a world-class gaming and entertainment facility meets the highest standards for public safety, security, compliance and integrity,” Richard Fields, principal owner of Suffolk Downs, said in a statement.
The state law legalizing casino gambling, which Governor Deval Patrick signed in November, authorizes up to three resort casinos, one each in Western Massachusetts, Greater Boston/Worcester, and the southeast.
Posted in: Editorials
Study: Granite State gambling on revenue loss with casino delay
By Doug Ireland – Eagle Tribune
It’s a sure bet casinos are coming to Massachusetts, but the question remains how much of a gamble it is to allow them in New Hampshire.
A newly released study says it won’t be much of a gamble at all.
New Hampshire would still benefit economically, especially if a proposed $450 million casino is built at Rockingham Park racetrack in Salem, the study said.
The study, released last week by the New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies, concludes the Granite State would receive $53 million in revenues if a casino is built at Suffolk Downs in East Boston.
But if New Hampshire doesn’t act now to allow them, much of that revenue would be gambled away across the border, according to proponents. Opponents say casinos would be detrimental to the state’s quality of life.
Stephen Norton, the center’s executive director, said New Hampshire will benefit — no matter what happens in Massachusetts.
“When you look at it from a revenue and economic perspective, it still brings value to the state,” he said.
New Hampshire would receive $119 million in annual revenue if not for the $65 million estimated “social costs” of dealing with pathological gamblers, the study said.
If the Suffolk Downs casino were not built, New Hampshire could see $189 million in revenue, the study said.
This study comes on the heels of Massachusetts legalizing casinos in November. Gov. Deval Patrick signed legislation authorizing up to three resort-style casinos and a slot machine parlor.
That’s prompted some to say New Hampshire lawmakers better act now or miss out on a big opportunity.
Rep. Kenneth Weyler, R-Kingston, is one of those.
“If we can get it going, we can get this done,” he said.
Weyler, chairman of the House Finance Committee, said he’s been told the state has an 18- to 20-month window to allow legalized gambling before it loses its competitive edge.
“They are going to gamble, whether it’s here in New Hampshire or if they go somewhere else,” he said.
A sharp decline in lottery ticket sales is another reason New Hampshire should legalize expanded gambling, Weyler said.
Lottery revenues have dropped about 30 percent, from about $85 million in 2007 to approximately $60 million in 2011, the study said.
Weyler is among several sponsors of legislation that allows construction of two video slot facilities in the state.
One of those could be built at Rockingham Park, which Millennium Gaming of Las Vegas has an option to buy to convert the century-old racetrack into a casino.
Lawmakers were scheduled to debate the legislation, House Bill 593, last week. But concerns with its constitutionality delayed the discussion until next month. Republican legislators also want to make sure they have enough votes to override a veto promised by Gov. John Lynch, Weyler said.
Backers say Salem would benefit
Rich Killion, a Millennium spokesman, said the study just confirms his group’s belief a casino in Salem would be a big economic asset to the town and the state.
“This would be a sizable investment that would add over 2,800 (permanent) jobs and thousands of construction jobs,” he said. “There is a competitive advantage. New Hampshire, by doing nothing, would simply secede that advantage.”
The study says construction of a casino at Suffolk Downs would have the most impact on New Hampshire. Casinos also have been proposed in Brimfield, Foxboro, Milford, Palmer and Charlton, Mass.
If casinos are built in Massachusetts and not the Granite State, New Hampshire residents will head south to play slot machines or blackjack, Weyler said.
Busloads of New Hampshire residents already travel to casinos in southern New England each day to spend their money, he said.
That’s one reason why Rep. Susan Almy, D-Lebanon, opposes the expanded gambling legislation.
She said she is not convinced casinos would be an economic or social benefit to the state. Any casino built in New Hampshire couldn’t compete with Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods, both $1.5 billion-dollar operations in Connecticut, Almy said.
A New Hampshire casino would drain profits from existing restaurants, hotels and businesses, she said. Studies also show crime increases wherever casinos are built, Almy said.
But Elizabeth Roth, chairwoman of Salem’s Board of Selectmen, said a casino could prosper at Rockingham Park. “I’m a strong proponent of developing Rockingham Park racetrack,” Roth said.
She was among a group of local officials who toured the Meadows Racetrack & Casino in Washington, Pa., last summer. After that trip, Roth said she learned a casino in Salem could create jobs without increasing crime.
Salem Town Manager Keith Hickey and Salem selectmen agree locating a casino in town would be an economic benefit. So does House Majority Leader D.J. Bettencourt, R-Salem.
“What’s clear coming out of this report is a definite economic benefit to the state of New Hampshire moving forward,” Bettencourt said. “What’s even more clear from this is if New Hampshire doesn’t move forward immediately, we could lose not only the sizable economic impact, but we will lose thousands of jobs.”
Both sides debate losses, gains
Not allowing expanded gambling in New Hampshire would mean a $73 million net loss to the state if casinos were built at Suffolk Downs and in Palmer, the study said.
That loss to New Hampshire would drop to $48 million if casinos were only built in Palmer and Foxborough, the study said.
But New Hampshire has even more to lose if it adopts expanded gambling, according to former state Sen. Jim Rubens.
Rubens, a spokesman for the Granite State Coalition Against Expanded Gambling, disputes the study’s findings.
“It’s not scientifically accurate,” he said.
Rubens said the study is comprehensive, but does not account for what he calls “abused dollars.”
That’s gambling money stolen or taken under false pretenses from family members and others, but not reported as a crime, he said. That adds up to about $30 million a year, he said.
“It’s practically no benefit to the state,” Rubens said.
The center neglected to include that research in its study, he said, although it’s research commonly found in other studies on gambling.
The study also fails to consider gambling’s impact on New Hampshire’s reputation, according to Rubens. The state’s tourist economy would suffer if casinos are built here, he said.
“When you bring gambling casinos into New Hampshire, they will become the biggest political force,” he said. “When you look at the states that have gone down that road, there is always political corruption.”
Posted in: Editorials