Gov. Deval Patrick, leading off a casino gambling hearing that lured
Las Vegas chief executives to Beacon Hill, testified Tuesday that
lawmakers shouldn’t moralize against casino gambling.

The
Democratic governor pushed his three-casino legislation as a way to
create new revenues and jobs at a time when Massachusetts needs both.
He said Massachusetts residents currently spend $1 billion annually at
Connecticut’s two casinos.

Patrick said his late mother
gambled at casinos, and senior citizens and other adults “have been
making their own decisions about what’s best for them for a very long
while.”

“They do not need the state to tell them how they should or shouldn’t spend their entertainment dollars,” he said.

Patrick
said his plan would dedicate some revenue to addressing negative
effects of the casinos, including gambling addictions and crime.
Patrick said three casinos would generate $400 million dollars in
annual tax revenue and 20,000 new jobs.

The hearing had a
pro-casino flavor, as it was called by Rep. David Flynn, a Bridgewater
Democrat who supports expanding gambling.

Union activists
packed the Gardner Auditorium with supporters wearing red T-shirts with
pro-casino messages — so much so that they left no seat for
billionaire Sheldon Adelson, CEO of Las Vegas Sands, who wants to build
a casino in the Marlborough area.

Eventually, a metal chair was placed along the front row for the 74-year-old Adelson, who uses a cane to walk.

Adelson was scheduled to testify later Tuesday, as was Gary Loveman, chief executive of Harrah’s Entertainment.

House
Speaker Salvatore DiMasi opposes an expansion of gambling. He says the
full House won’t consider the governor’s measure until next year.

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