Stephen Crosby | Get Government out of Gambling

Lawmakers talk a lot about the need for integrity and transparency in dealing with the gambling industry. But it is better to watch what they do rather than what they say.

In Pennsylvania, the passage of the gambling law and doling out of casino licenses was mostly an insider’s game played behind closed doors. A similar game is getting played in Massachusetts.

A Boston law firm that just received a lucrative contract to negotiate a casino deal is hosting a reception to honor the state’s new gambling czar. The party came just one day after the Gov. Deval Patrick announced that Holland & Knight had received a $500,000 contract to advise the state on a possible casino deal with a Native American tribe, the Boston Herald reported.

Gambling czar, Stephen Crosby, said he saw nothing wrong with allowing the firm to pay for the reception at its law office “honoring” his new appointment as head of the state’s Gaming Commission. These guys never do. Crosby was heralded as a man of integrity and independence when he was appointed. Maybe he is. But if Crosby sees nothing wrong with having this firm throw a party in his honor than his moral compass needs adjusting.

Such schmoozing sends a bad message to taxpayers, especially when dealing with an industry like gambling which has long history of having a corrupting influence on lawmakers. This is just the beginning in Massachusetts. Just watch how the cards get dealt.

The questions about casinos raised by the head of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission only underscore how gambling is a bad public policy that is fraught with trouble.

“What is the public good here? We know we want to avoid the bad,” said Stephen Crosby in an interview with the Boston Herald. “We know we don’t want criminals in the system. We know we don’t want undue political influence. We know we don’t want crony hiring. We don’t want skimming at the casinos, and all that kind of stuff. We know we’d like to have as much economic impact as possible. “But do we want to promote the gaming industry? Is that part of our job? Is that a public good? And if so, how do you do it?”

What does it say about the partnership between government and gambling when the head regulator is raising questions about the “public good,” “criminals in the system,” “undue political influence,” “crony hiring,” and “skimming?”

Crosby’s concern is understandable because of the track record of casinos in other states. He just said what others know and history shows. That should make Massachusetts taxpayers feel good about the new industry lawmakers have introduced in their state.

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You gotta pay to play

Casinos: ‘Where is the public good?’