An in-depth, state-commissioned study released yesterday said Governor Deval Patrick's proposal to license three resort casinos would improve the state's economy and provide thousands of jobs, but not to the degree the governor asserted in the heat of the divisive debate earlier this year.The $189,000 study, by New Jersey-based Spectrum Gaming, concludes that several of the governor's estimates were inflated, but also estimates that his plan would allow the state to recapture up to $700 million of the $1.1 billion that Massachusetts residents spend at casinos in Connecticut and Rhode Island.
The study comes too late for the original proposal, which is dead, but will add fodder to a debate that is likely to resume in January at the start of a new legislative session. Patrick has not said whether he will file new casino legislation, but many observers expect the casino debate to return in some form as the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe pursues a casino using its rights under federal law.
"This thing never goes away," said Representative Daniel E. Bosley, a North Adams Democrat and leading casino critic. "I've been doing this since 1996, and every spring, the casino lobbyists return and hope springs eternal that this will be the year. We'll see what happens."
The administration hired Spectrum Gaming in February, with hopes that the firm's study would help gain passage of Patrick's proposal to license three resort-style casinos. With a lack of independent statistics, Patrick's numbers came under attack as being excessively optimistic.
UPDATE: More from the Globe and Herald.
SECOND UPDATE: More from the Globe and Herald.
THIRD UPDATE: From the Herald and Globe.
FOURTH UPDATE: More from the Herald and Bob Parks.
