Friends of the Family,

Casino supporters rejoiced when the Legislature and Governor Patrick finally put their differences aside and approved three resort casinos for the Bay State. Their long battle to bring a Vegas culture to Massachusetts was finally over, and it was only a matter of time before the roulette wheels were spinning and the slot machines ringing.

And while casino gambling may yet come to Massachusetts, the voters of the state are showing that the arguments in favor of casino gambling have not convinced them to embrace one for their town. First came the vote in Foxboro that sent casino mogul Steve Wynn and Patriots owner Robert Kraft packing.

Last week, it was the southeast towns Freetown and Lakeville resoundingly saying they did not want a casino in their backyards. Next in line for a casino vote is the city of Taunton this Saturday where the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe is proposing to build a casino. If you live in Taunton or know people who do, please direct them to www.stoptauntoncasino.com and tell them to vote NO on Saturday.

With Foxboro out of the mix for one of the three licenses, it is becoming more and more likely that the owners of Suffolk Downs in East Boston and Revere will win the sweepstakes for that region’s license, but will the residents say yes?

Suffolk Downs and Caesars Entertainment released its plans today for what it calls a “resort-style” casino, calling it an “urban oasis.” The opposition group No Eastie Casino explains how this casino would drastically and negatively change the face of those two communities: “driving up traffic and crime, detracting from local businesses, lowering home values, and targeting our neighbors with its predatory practices.”

Mayor Thomas Menino of Boston wants this casino badly and if it was up to him there would likely be no vote by residents. But the casino law requires votes by any host community, giving the voters in East Boston and Revere the chance to stop this thing dead in its tracks. Here are some things you can do right now to help stop this casino:

  • Send an email to your friends and family directing them to www.noeastiecasino.com
  • If you live in Boston or Revere, sign this petition: http://www.change.org/petitions/we-don-t-want-a-casino-in-boston#
  • Hold a sign in Maverick Square THIS SATURDAY, June 9, from 10am to Noon
  • Write a Letter to the Editor to your local or regional newspaper opposing the casino

Casino gambling may be legal in Massachusetts, but a casino in your neighborhood is anything but a sure thing. People are organizing and this is great news. The head of the commission created to hand out the licenses even admitted they might not even distribute all three, while one major casino developer has stopped competing because the New England gambling market is already saturated.

Keep up the fight, keep the faith and I’ll see you in the trenches.

For our families,