Image by Scott Murry
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh signed an agreement last week with Mohegan Sun, the company hoping to build a casino in Revere, which would require the developer to invest $300 million over 15 years in various civic projects.
It’s still far from certain, however, whether a casino will be built. Walsh has yet to negotiate a similar neighborly agreement with Wynn Resorts, which is pitching a rival project in nearby Everett. The developers are both angling for the sole Greater Boston-area license which will be awarded in the next few months.
In related news, thanks to a recent higher court ruling, Massachusetts voters will get to decide in November whether to repeal the current casino law. But while considerable effort went into placing said referendum on the ballot, we wondered if young people give a shit. Frankly, we can’t remember ever hearing somebody with more hair on their head than in their ears caring a damn about slot machines.
Surveys reveal part of the answer. According to a poll of 500 likely voters statewide, conducted by WBUR and MassINC in March, 18-29-year-olds are more or less in line with the average – slightly more approve of casinos than disapprove – while 30-44-year-olds approve at a significantly lower rate. A subsequent MassINC poll found both those groups less interested in news about gaming than in any other leading statewide issue besides healthcare.
Those numbers considered, we spent a day in Everett and Revere trying to gauge the attitude of young folks, whether they vote or not. So-called “man on the street” interviews are typically an awful way to evaluate anything, but in this case we felt they were the only window onto how our demographic – particularly those closest to the action – felt about the high stakes charade afoot.
“Most people want the casino to be here,” Revere resident Ayoub Mastouri told the Dig. Mastouri, a 20-year-old Bunker Hill Community College student, has mixed feelings, but isn’t against the idea. He continued: “I might go work there, might get a job. The bad thing is it will bring too much tourism. We already have enough of that due to Revere Beach.”
So I visited Revere Beach to interview locals, where they were seemingly outnumbered by outsiders. Four Boston-area friends I spoke with all said they favored a casino – not only for economic reasons, but because they gamble. They also hope it will attract other benefits like strip clubs. “Get some poles and everything,” suggested Amy Valenti of Lynn. “We’re about that life,” added Christian Donaruma of East Cambridge, “that casino life.”
Donaruma and his friends may be in luck. Casinos and skin joints apparently go hand in hand, as demonstrated by alleged backroom deals. Charles Lightbody, a felonious friend of Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria and former owner of the proposed site on the Mystic River, was reportedly caught on tape in prison saying he could profit from the casino through secret control of King Arthur’s, a nearby Chelsea strip club. The Boston Globe, which reported on Lightbody’s possible connection, also identified developer Gary DeCicco as another former investor in the Everett site who might still hold a stake. DeCicco’s name disappeared from official documents in 2012, right before billionaire casino tycoon Steve Wynn became involved in the deal.
Win, lose, or draw, questions of who stands to profit from a hypothetical casino may matter less to residents than what they see as broader economic benefits. Two lifelong Everett residents, Denise Sullivan and Kerri Stoddard, told the Dig they are in favor of a local casino despite alleged crooked fixings.
More than anything, we found that when it comes to the casino debate, a lot of young folks have at least one thing in common with older residents – they tend to argue passionately about their differences. Asked about their stances, Tanya Stephens of Revere and Victor Oliveira of Everett launched into a hot debate.
“Route 99 is already packed with traffic,” said Stephens. She appeared to win the argument, but ultimately agreed with Oliveira more than she disagreed. They both gamble and hope to potentially work at the casino. Wherever it ends up. If it eventually materializes.
“I think it needs to go somewhere,” said Oliveira. “I don’t really care where.”