Was in LV on Tue-Thurs, and read the Journal-Review. Loved Gary Lovemans take on the whole thang:
http://www.reviewjournal.com/busines...casino-project
Yep, they should have put William Bulger on the committee. Just as an Emeritus member. That would show them how to get paid off.

Hey there, Wondering how Rockingham Park is lately. I went there a few months ago and played O8 and found it to be alright. Was gonna play some limit holdem there soon. How is the action there?

I'd rather poke my eyes out with an ice pick than play limit at Rockingham, but if you like the O8 i'm guessing you'll like the hold'em.

really? eyes out with an ice pick? 80% of the table calling down to the river huh.

Place is a ****hole

The place IS a ****hole, and I've said that many time, many places, and even e-mailed Mr. Callahan, director of ops, about the dumpy conditions. To his credit, he e-mailed me back, explaining he knew of the problems, explained that he was a tenant and not in control of janitorial stuff, and said he would try and see to better cleanliness there.

His attempts have apparently failed. I was at Rock just once end of September, played an MTT, and then 4-4 limit before and after. I busted out of the MTT, but more than made my entry at 4-4. Stay agro pre and then post if you hit. We five-bet pre with six callers, I was UTG with 7-7, limp/called and then 3-bet, and then 5-bet, since I was getting set-mining odds. Gin on the flop, as then 7 came with two spades and the chase was on. Easily a $200.00 pot. The point is, the players will chase down a lot of stuff pre-flop, and then up pot-comitted. I was able to buy in for $100 2x and c-o for 350.00, then 300.00.
The food is awful. the place is filthy. Dealers are average at best, and some are pretty terrible. The better they think they are, the more terrible they are. Age seems to indicate inability as they get older. Eat and sleep somewhere else if you must. It was a stop between Maine and Turning Stone for me.

yeah that place is disgusting. honestly, what i thought was the worst thing about it was the seats. they are so uncomfortable. the guy that owns the place should at least get some decent seats. i was thinking that if i end up going there from time to time, i will bring a padded jacket and put it on the back of the seat so i have some comfort.

What do they think in LV about the MA Gaming Commission? The LVRJ headline says it all:

Bay State blunders: Massachusetts now an embarrassment on gaming scene

Great quotes in there, especially from Wynn.

It's an editorial opinion piece. The readers in the comments actually are blasting the writer and praising the MGC.
Unfortunately I do think it is turning into an embarrassment, especially if we end up with Mohegan and Foxwoods.

Mohegan Sun has lost in Palmer. 51-49 NO. Barring a recount (~100 vote difference) Mohegan Sun is done. This leaves the door wide-open for MGM if they can pass the background.
If MGM fails, it will likely open the door for a complete restart of the campaign for a Western Mass casino.

If East Boston permits the Suffolk Downs, perhaps Mohegan, which has already been approved by the MGC, will partner with Suffolk Downs.

@JOSreports: Word from the pro-casino forces is very pessimistic. They think they'll lose in Eastie
by Jim O'Sullivan via twitter on 11/5/2013 at 8:17:46 PM

Early results indicating a big loss by Suffolk Downs. Very disappointing to see that proposal get so crushed over the last couple weeks, it seemed like a shoe-in.

Now that I'm no longer depending upon this process, I can't stop laughing at it. Who would have thunk that they'd finally pass a casino bill, but then never get a casino because they couldn't find a suitable licensee or a town willing to host a project?

I did.
seriously, having been born there, run three business, and then completely divested/sold/escaped. Thank gawd I established a tax haven in South Carolina before I completed my exit. My yahoo name is "escapee from Massachusetts". Complete liberal loons and incompetents on the commission, whose first chair was outed and ousted in an underage homosexual allegation scandal. Just another DeVal/BarryO buddy. Why would they ever hire someone that knew the gaming industry, or had worked extensively in it? Thats not what libs do, they hire their own, make up their own rules, take their own bribes, control the news cycle with a compliant media, set and fail their own deadlines, change the rules to remain in control...wait, just like ObamaCare?...anyways.
To their credit, they did uncover the scam-artist Gary P. at Plainridge with his personal money-room rip off of millions. Sadly, that should be the death-knell for that place, even with Penn National moving in at a bargain price. But the over-the-top manuver with CET/Gansevoort branding deal and Russian mob allegations is an amateurish attempt at painting something that isn't there, with little to do with day to day casino ops in MA. Their debt is what matters, and that wasn't an issue.
I give NH a better chance at approving/opening a decent casino/poker room expansion before Massachusetts ever puts a shovel in the ground. I DO give the Leominster slots only parlour a great chance now that those voters passed it by 60/40. But that doesn't help us poker players.
People get the government they deserve.

I'm laughing about it. Uproariously laughing about it. But then again... everything in America makes me laugh uproariously these days.

This state (MA) which doesn't even allow an income tax deduction for gambling losses, passed a bill allowing casinos in?

It's just priceless, the comedy of it all.

I'm certainly not holding my breath waiting for these ******s we call politicians and capitalists to shake hands and do that stupid golden shovel photo-op thing... by the time it happens I am quite sure I'll have moved on yet again to warmer and sunnier climes...

CT residents can't deduct losses from state taxes paid on FW and MS wins, so that wouldn't be a unique situation.

Well, so much for moving to CT then. I really need to go back out west. sigh Or better yet, Canada or Mexico so I can play online again.

"...Other states that currently do not permit a deduction for gambling losses include Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Some states, such as Louisiana, Minnesota, and New York, apply other limitations, but may not completely disallow the deduction......"
http://pokerfuse.com/features/in-dep...te-tax-issues/

The last three posts are correct. However, if you are a legally accepted (IRS purposes) "professional gambler" or Professional Poker Player, it appears you may deduct losses as a normal business expense. No, I am not an accountant or lawyer, so do not run with this as that type of advice.

Its spelled out nicely in the Mass. Dept of Revenue website. I am sure many professional poker players/gamblers are familiar with these regulations, but for the folks who want to be more aware:
http://www.mass.gov/dor/individuals/...ry.html#Losses
Check out Gambling and Lottery losses, then Activities that constitute a trade or business.
Lastly, check out your own states tax return. Where is it exactly do they ask you to carry over your income amount from the Federal Form? If its adjusted gross income, then you have not deducted any gambling losses against winnings. If its the taxable Federal Income amount, then you have a number that is post-deduction for gambling.

from the Globe:

Krysten Hunt, 24, summed up the anti-casino position, saying she did not want more potential traffic, pollution, crime, or gambling addiction in her neighborhood. “All that stuff? No, thanks,” she said. “It’s fine the way it is.”

Fine the way it is?? really? Umm Eastie already has ALL THOSE THINGS. Maybe the Revere side thing will pan out but i'm not holding my breath.

all in all though, I'm still glad i'm not in South Carolina.

"Yes, we want casinos in MA for the revenue, but NOT IN MY BACKYARD!!!" - almost every casino proponent.

Now that Palmer isn't on the table, what does this mean for MGM in Springfield? Are they a lock to get the western MA bid from the state?

http://http://www.boston.com/yourtow...to_revere.html

Imagine if Revere and MGC still tried to push this thing through, confining the actual casino building on the Revere side of the racetrack, keeping the racing grandstand/betting windows, and screwing over the City of Boston(even though some financial concessions would probably be offered).

I could see something like this happening.

Wynn's Everett never looked so good. (especially since it is four miles from me)

Also, compared to any other gaming company, Wynn's operation probably wouldn't be internally allowed to devolve into some scummy urban casino.

To be fair to the residents of Palmer, they have probably been listening to the residents of the local communities around FW and MS. They have been bitching for 20 years about this. They haven't seen one bit of tax relief from them. The only ones that have really benefitted are the crooked politicians in Hartford.

Should be. They are the only license still in the running. They still have to pass the state background check, which you would never think would be an issue for a company like MGM, but one would have thought that about Caesars, too.

Was it not a few years back like a decade now that MGM could not get licensed in New Jersey do to some of there Macau dealings ?