Mass. Senate rejects slots at racetracks

BOSTON - The Massachusetts Senate has rejected proposals to allow the state’s dog and horse tracks to add 2,500 slot machines each and to delay a voter-mandated ban on greyhound racing.

But the Senate backed a plan to join the multi-state lottery game Powerball, which could generate $25 million for the state.

Backers said slots would raise desperately needed tax revenues and preserve jobs. But critics called slot machines addictive and said the state would be preying on the most vulnerable.

Senators also rejected an amendment to delay a greyhound racing ban by two years until January 2012.

The odds of casinos or slot machines eventually being permitted in Massachusetts have grown dramatically. Senate President Therese Murray, House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Gov. Deval Patrick all back some kind of expanded gambling.

Murray has said the Senate will debate gambling in the fall.