Gambling foes roll repeal dice

With less than a month to go before the state Gaming Commission is expected to decide who will get the sole Boston-area casino license, foes of legalized gambling are more focused on Nov. 4, when voters will decide whether to repeal the law and render the commission's decision moot.

With nearly 1,000 volunteers at its disposal, Repeal the Casino Deal, a coalition of anti-gaming groups, has kicked off its grassroots field operation, fanning out in cities and towns across the state to make phone calls and knock on doors, urging people to reject the gaming-brings-prosperity pitch of Wynn Resorts, which wants to build in Everett, and Mohegan Sun, which aims to build on the Revere side of Suffolk Downs.

"We feel the more voters know about casinos, the less likely they'll be to vote for them," said Darek Barcikowski, campaign manager for Repeal the Casino Deal. "If you look at Atlantic City and other communities that bought into the promises of casinos, we believe you'll agree casinos are not economic engines; they're economic vacuum cleaners. They suck up a huge chunk of the disposable income that would otherwise go to local businesses."

A spokesman for Wynn Resorts said the company is not involved in the referendum campaign. A spokesman for Mohegan Sun did not return a phone call. But casino foes are gearing up for a David vs. Goliath fight, expecting Wynn, Mohegan Sun and MGM, which wants to build in Springfield, to spend millions of dollars to try to defeat the repeal movement.

With that in mind, what Repeal the Casino Deal lacks in money, it intends to make up for through word of mouth, social media and boots on the ground.

Last week, for example, former U.S. Rep. Robert H. Steele (R-Conn.), one of several speakers the coalition has recruited, gave a talk at the Pittsfield Rotary Club about his state's experience with casinos. Other speakers who'll be addressing local clubs, chambers of commerce, houses of worship and political committees include former Massachusetts Attorney General Scott Harshbarger, Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone and Repeal the Casino Deal Chairman John Ribeiro.

"We don't have the resources casinos do," Barcikowski said. "But at the end of the day, when people have to choose between believing people from their own community or believing an outside industry, I think our message will resonate more."

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