Pro-Casino Group Raises $1.8 Million To Oppose Repeal

Political campaigns on both sides of the casino debate have filed their first finance reports with the state.

The Committee to Protect Massachusetts Jobs, which wants to defeat a November ballot question to repeal the state's casino law, reported Friday nearly $1.8 million in donations from gambling giants MGM Resorts International and Penn National Gaming as well as organized labor. After spending $577,000 in the reporting period, the group has $1.2 million on hand.

Repeal the Casino Deal, the anti-casino group, raised $247,222. After expenses, that leaves the group with $25,333 heading into the crucial final months of the campaign. Spokesman David Guarino said the anti-casino campaign is focused on continuing to build a grassroots campaign, not writing ``write million dollar checks like the casino bosses and their hired guns.''