“When Massachusetts grappled with the legalization of casinos more than a decade ago, promised tax revenue and union jobs were top of mind, and Beacon Hill leaders eagerly embraced the idea.
The Senate president at the time, Therese Murray, memorably pulled an imaginary slot machine lever and told a crowd of business leaders, “Cha-ching,” and Deval Patrick earned the moniker “Governor Slots” in his push for casinos, cementing them as a key part of his legacy.
But fate, as humorist S.J. Perelman once put it, deals from the bottom of the deck. Casinos now face headwinds through more competition and shifting consumer habits. Legislators are considering further legalization, through online gambling….”
MassBudget Reference:
“All together, the 54-year-old state Lottery, casinos and sports betting, which was legalized in 2023, bring in $1.5 billion in annual taxes, the fourth largest source of revenue behind income, sales and corporate taxes. “When adjusted for inflation, the value of casino taxes peaked in FY 2022 and has declined almost 3 percent over the last three years,” the top researcher at the left-leaning policy shop MassBudget wrote in a report released earlier this month. “This period coincided with the introduction of sports betting.”
