During a leadership conference with Gov. Deval Patrick and Senate President Therese Murray, the new House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo had a brief discussion about giving gambling a fresh lease of life in the Bay State casinos.

Both DeLeo and Patrick, a pro-gaming twosome, have stimulated state interest in resort casinos and slot machines. DeLeo, expressing his empathy with slots at monetarily-stressed racetracks, said voting on a bill legalizing three casinos was on the cards this year, with the deliberations on gaming set to begin in April.

None of the three top-notches - Patrick, DeLeo and Murray - divulged the details of their meeting; but, according to an aide casinos took up quite a few minutes of the
90-minute discussions, after which a debate on gaming was given a go ahead!

DeLeo also said that he would remain "open-minded" about the discussions on the bill, which would require a detailed study about the pros and cons of the gaming industry.

So far as the opinion of Massachusetts inhabitants is concerned, according to a recently-released State House News poll that surveyed 400 registered voters, fifty-seven percent of the people questioned supported Patrick in his endeavor to renew his thrust for casino gambling.

Meanwhile, casino opponents are already sensing a shift in the political dynamics, and are considering a referendum question to holdup the deliberation of the matter till the 2010 election ballot.