Having already advanced House and Senate versions of sports betting legislation, the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies dedicated much of its Tuesday hearing to two other longstanding proposals to further expand casino-style gambling in Massachusetts.
The two ideas — allowing table games at the state’s lone slots parlor and allowing slots at veterans’ halls — have been proposed without gaining traction in previous sessions and the latest pushes come as Massachusetts is about to hit the 10-year anniversary of the vote to legalize casino gambling in the Bay State.
The competition between Plainridge Park Casino in Plainville and two nearby Rhode Island gaming facilities for southeastern Massachusetts’ gambling dollars is nothing new.