Published July 7, 2010

This is what a casino resort at Suffolk Downs might look like.

No one seems to be talking about what I think is most interesting about a casino at Suffolk Downs, which was formally proposed yesterday.

The Globe reports it appears to be a done deal. Eastie is in House Speaker Robert DeLeo’s district, and DeLeo is a rabid proponent of casinos in Mass. But is anyone thinking about the implications of building a casino resort in the city? I’m not talking about environmental issues or crime. I’m talking about ease of access.

Right now, a trip to Foxwoods requires a car or a bus ticket and a free weekend. Even Milford, Palmer or New Bedford — the other proposed casino towns — are at least an hour out of town. They’re destination casinos. But you can take the T to Suffolk Downs. Maybe hit the slots during a lunch break.

When we had DeLeo on Radio Boston last week, commenter Alex G. tried to make the point this way:

Right now, folks who can’t even afford a car and want to play the slots must plan a trip ahead to take a Peter Pan bus to Foxwoods or a Greyhound to Mohegan Sun. If racinos pass, they can hop on the T, get off at the Suffolk Downs stop, and gamble away all their week’s paycheck. … Now that is scary.

Proximity would seem to amplify the worries about addiction and abuse, no?