Business

Big Campaign War Chest Edge for Casino Industry in Mass.

Supporters hold signs in favor of the new casino during a community hearing hosted by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission in June. Zack Wittman for the Boston Globe

By Adam Vaccaro

September 8, 2014

1 minute to read

So, here’s the tale of the tape on the casino referendum front.

As expected, some of the more vested interests in Massachusetts have already put a lot of cash into keeping the state’s casino plans on track. The Coalition to Protect Mass Jobs, which is against the referendum calling for the repeal of the state’s 2011 expanded gambling laws, has brought in more than $1.78 million, according to campaign finance filings released Friday.

Of that figure, $1.75 million comes from the two gaming companies that have already gotten the go-ahead on building a casino (MGM Resorts) and a slots parlor (Penn National Gaming) in Springfield and Plainville respectively.

Meanwhile, the group fighting for repeal—the Repeal the Casino Deal Committee—has raised far less from far more contributors, bringing in $247,222 on more than 250 donations since January.

After expenses, the repeal group has a tad more than $25,000 on hand, compared to more than $1.2 million for the anti-repeal group.

Before the financial figures came in, it already looked like the repeal group had an uphill battle to fight, with multiple polls showing voters in favor of moving forward with plans to open casinos in the Bay State. And with the recipient of the Boston-area casino license expected to be decided by the middle of next week at the latest, and as soon as late this week, the group against repeal figures to get another deep-pocketed ally on its side soon. (The meetings to decide whether Mohegan Sun or Wynn Resorts will become that ally begin today and are are underway.)

You can probably expect to be inundated with ads on the issue soon—with more of them in support of the state’s young casino industry, given the financial edge. The anti-repeal group has already put more than $40,000 toward advertising spots, and another $27,000 toward signs and brochures.