The Right to Gamble
More than 100 track workers protested in front of the Statehouse in Boston in an attempt to convince the House Speaker, Salvatore DiMasi, to allow a vote to legalize slot machines at the racetracks.
On March 31, the tracks will be illegal because of the expiration of the Massachusetts law that legalizes them.
The slots are expected to raise 450 million dollars in state revenue the first year and 350 million dollars in the following years.
Last fall the Senate voted 26-9 to allow up to 2,000 slot machines at each of the four tracks Racecourse in Plainville.
A study made by AFL-CIO showed that over 6,000 people work in the state's racing industry, and making the racing officially legal will allow these people to keep their jobs.
