The casino law is under assault in federal court. The thorny issue of tribal gambling is expected to produce more litigation before it ever produces a casino. The state gambling commission had a public relations disaster over its first high-profile hire.
And although the gambling law was written to create competition among wealthy developers seeking to outdo each other in pursuit of coveted licenses, that bidding war has yet to fully develop, in part because of local opposition and also to a measure of apathy toward Massachusetts from some casino companies.
“It’s been a pretty rocky start,’’ said Roger Gros, publisher of Global Gaming Business magazine, which covers the industry.
The leader of the state gambling commission acknowledges that there has been a steep learning curve but rejects the notion that the casino development process has gotten off to a poor start.
“I think it’s gone really well,’’ said Stephen Crosby, chairman of the panel, known formally as the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. “It’s a huge undertaking to stand up a new agency from scratch.’’
With that, Crosby said, has come a recognition by the commission that controversy and criticism are as much a part of the casino business as cards and dice.
“We have to learn to be comfortable with the fact that controversy is inevitable,’’ Crosby said.
Lawmakers grumble privately that the people who appointed the commission – the governor, state treasurer, and attorney general – took too long to pick its members, which delayed the commission’s first meeting until April, nearly five months after the Governor Deval Patrick signed the legislation. Those lost months contributed to the sense that the rollout has been disappointingly slow.
The commissioners work full time, headquartered at 84 State St. – on the lucky seventh floor. With barely any staff hired yet, their working conditions are challenging: under the open meeting law, no more than two commissioners at a time can discuss their work at the office. Even the most mundane decisions must be debated in open public meetings.