State Rep. Brian Dempsey of Haverhill said a casino gambling bill will be before lawmakers tomorrow — the last day they can vote on it this year.
His prediction came as legislative leaders went past what he believed was the deadline for them to agree on what the bill should contain, such as how many casinos would be built in Massachusetts.
"Because of the progress we've made, I am optimistic we will have something for the members to consider by Saturday,'' Dempsey said late last night. He is in charge of bringing forward a gambling proposal agreed upon by the House and Senate.
Earlier this week, Dempsey said he believed Thursday was the last day that House and Senate leaders had to come to an agreement on what the bill would contain. He said Thursday had to be the last day of talks because staff members would need time after that to get the bill completely written and reviewed before a vote on Saturday, the final day of this year's legislative session.
But last night, Dempsey said legislative leaders bought themselves extra negotiating time by having their staffs pre-write whatever parts of the bill they could, as talks about unresolved issues continued. For example, he said staff members have already written into the bill the law enforcement measures around casinos that are agreed upon by the House and Senate.
Meanwhile, leaders of both branches continued last night to negotiate larger issues, such as the number of casinos in the state. Those talks could go into today and still leave enough time for the bill to be finalized before a Saturday vote, Dempsey said.
If lawmakers do vote Saturday and the bill passes, it would go to Gov. Deval Patrick. Because the legislative session ends Saturday, lawmakers would have no chance to overturn a veto by the governor. If the bill fails among lawmakers or does not come to a vote, the soonest the state can consider casinos again is in January, the start of the next legislative session.
The process would have to start all over again, however, meaning lawmakers would have to redo a series of hearings and other reviews of the proposal they went through this year.
At stake is an estimated 15,000 jobs to be created by the plan and hundreds of millions of dollars in added revenue for the state each year.
As lawmakers continued to talk last night and today, the sticking points were the number of casinos to be built and the question of slot machines at racetracks.
The House version of the proposal calls for two casinos and slots at four racetracks. The Senate version calls for three casinos. House Speaker Robert DeLeo favors allowing slot machines at the state's four racetracks, an idea opposed by Senate President Therese Murray and the governor.
As lawmakers continued negotiating yesterday, the governor began to bend his position against slot machines. He emerged from his office to say he would be open to approving a single slot facility in an expanded gambling package, but only if lawmakers act on several other bills he has deemed priorities. Those bills include a crime package, a health care cost proposal, a wind energy siting bill, and an economic development bill.
"All of that has to move," Patrick said. "I've had a conversation with the speaker and the Senate president about how we break that logjam, and that it is absolutely critical that we break this logjam in order for me to compromise at all in my position on slots.
"Unless this logjam is broken and I get action on those, then I cannot see myself compromising on the question of slots,'' he said.
Supporters of casinos have said expanded gambling in Massachusetts will bring in hundreds of millions of dollars in added revenue each year. Critics say casinos will end up costing the state socially by feeding compulsive gambling and increasing crime and divorce.
The state already allows lottery games, horse racing and simulcasting of out-of-state horse and dog races.
• • •
Join the discussion. To comment on stories and see what others are saying, log on to eagletribune.com.
