BOSTON -- A proponent of casino gambling in Massachusetts says he will seek a public referendum on the proposal this fall if House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi kills it this week.
Lowell Democratic Sen. Steven Panagiotakos says the issue is too important to be quashed amid a series of increasingly personal recriminations between DiMasi and Gov. Deval Patrick.
Patrick has proposed licensing three casinos in the state, but DiMasi thinks they will hurt existing businesses and increase crime.
The governor's plan is the subject of a hearing Tuesday but it appears increasingly likely it will go down to defeat in the House as early as Thursday.
Panagiotakos says even if the ballot question was nonbinding, it would give a direct sense of public opinion.
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