The casino bill in Massachusetts has been on the back burner since it was rejected 2 to 1 by the state house. But it may be making it's way back to the front since it was originally largely defeated by Speaker Sal DiMasi and now DiMasi is in a power struggle for his position.

There was a poll conducted by the University of Massachusetts at Dormouth that showed that the state's residents found the approval of two or more destination casinos was favored by a 58 percent to 30 percent margin that is almost 2 to 1 for gambling.

Clyde Barrow, a UMass Dartmouth professor and director of the Center for Policy Analysis, stated, “It shows the vote by the House as really out of step with public opinion.”

There is a major difference between public opinion and the House vote that could be attributed to DiMasi'a political skills and power. But there is now a determined group of legislators that have mounted a challenge to DiMasi'a leadership. If a new Speaker were to take over the gambling debate would likely come back to the forefront.






- 2008-05-05