Mass. Gaming Commission Hosts Public Forum

Update at 5 p.m.: WBUR's Bianca Vazquez Toness attended the forum, where gaming regulators from New Jersey and Pennsylvania advised the Massachusetts Gaming Commission against moving too quickly to license casino developers.

As Bianca reported for our Newscast unit, Steven Perskie, the former chairman of New Jersey’s casino commission, said large resort-style casino complexes will carry consequences.

"The delicatessen down the street is going to go out of business," he said. "The nightclub around the corner is going to go out of business. Don’t have any illusion about that. That’s the law of commerce."

According to Bianca, Perskie said the commission might consider whether a community already has a thriving business sector when it awards casino licenses.

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The newly formed Massachusetts Gaming Commission hosts a public educational forum today that, according to the panel, will cover "best practices and lessons learned in gaming administration, regulation, and enforcement."

The free forum begins at 9 a.m. at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. It will also be streamed live on the commission's website.

The forum will begin with a half-hour overview of the gaming industry from Frank Fahrenkopf Jr., president of the American Gaming Association.

Some gambling foes have been critical of the commission's choice of Fahrenkopf as speaker, calling him "America's top lobbyist for the casino industry," according to the Springfield Republican. But the commission defended the choice to the Republican, saying "Fahrenkopf has an important perspective that the commission needs to hear."

Experienced gaming regulators from New Jersey and Pennsylvania are among the others who will discuss the industry and enforcing its laws, according to the day's agenda (PDF).