Sleazy

Check out Globe columnist Kevin Cullen this morning and see the sleazy tactics that the Massachusetts Senate is taking to ensure casino gambling in Massachusetts. Here is a taste:

One of the casino-related amendments passed by the Senate last week redefined what constitutes a “host community’’ in any city with more than 125,000 people. Only Boston, Worcester, and Springfield have that many people, by the way.

If, as expected, one of the casino licenses is for East Boston, you would presume that the host community would be the City of Boston. You could even argue the host community should include Revere, Chelsea, and Winthrop, given the impact a casino would have on those neighboring communities.

But according to language passed on a 24-to-15 vote, “if the gaming establishment will be located in a city of 125,000 or more residents . . . ‘host community’ shall mean only a ward in which the gaming establishment is to be located for the purpose of receiving a certified and binding vote on a ballot question at an election.’’