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Keller @ Large: New Poll Shows Support For Casinos

BOSTON (CBS) – A new Boston Globe poll shows voters rejecting Question Three, the ballot question aiming to repeal the casino law.

John Ribeiro was a key architect of last November's surprise defeat in East Boston of the original Suffolk Downs casino plan. He argued that while the communities where gambling has been licensed did vote for it, their neighbors did not.

"All the people in these communities need to be heard, and it does impact the entire state and the state's economy," Ribeiro said.

But casino proponent Jay Ash, City Manager of Chelsea, noted neighbors rarely get that kind of veto power.

"We have a process here where people in neighboring communities don't have impact on all kinds of development that take place in communities," Ash said.

The multitude of television ads has propelled the pro-casino side into a double-digit lead in the polls. However, Ribeiro insisted voters will see through the commercials.

"There isn't a single state or community in the country that has benefited from casino gambling. What we're seeing is that the corrupt casino culture has erupted here in Massachusetts. The people of Massachusetts have a chance to take a stand and stop this mess from spreading here in the state," Ribeiro told WBZ.

"There are ten best states to live in according to CNBC, and of those ten, eight of them have some form of gambling going on, and seven of them have casinos. It's not what the opponents say it is," argued Ash.

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