Foxborough Casino's Possible Impact on Mansfield [Poll]

The proposed Foxborough casino resort is stirring up a lot of . Many are saying that it's . But how would it affect Mansfield?

The short answer, in the short term at least, is not much. Mansfield Police Chief Arthur O'Neil said that traffic would increase on the interstate routes 95 and 495, but not to the extent where it would be a huge deal. Commuters could still take the train without incident, or take alternate routes such as Route 24 to get to Boston, bypassing the Patriot Place area entirely.

"The bulk of the traffic would be over on highway 1," town manager William Ross said. "The majority of the traffic would be on the interstates with roads that lead right to Foxborough. That would be my guess, anyway."

Ross also said that, because of the distance of Mansfield to the actual location, real estate and property values would be minimally affected in his opinion.

O'Neil said that, over the long term however, crime rates in the surrounding areas are likely to go up.

"Crime rates will definitely increase," O'Neil said. "We've seen increases in crime rates since they opened the Connecticut casinos."

Lincoln has had the Twin River casino for over a decade, and has seen an increase in crime rates, however the increase was not particularly great. Since 1999, the town's crime rate index has risen from 137.6 to 158.7, but is still well below the national average.

The towns' indexes around Lincoln are also varied, and do not seem to be affected significantly. Cumberland has stayed steady since 1999, while neighboring Smithfield and Central Falls have actually seen a decrease in their crime index. Central Falls has a much higher crime rate than other surrounding areas, but that seems to be because of its proximity to Providence.

Pawtucket, which also has a high crime rate to begin with and like Central Falls is adjoining Providence, actually saw a decrease in the crime rate in the last ten years.

Ross said that local businesses might also be affected in the long term, simply because of the design structure of the casino business.

"Everything you could, supposedly, want is there," Ross said. "It could be yes, local businesses outside the municipal boundaries could be affected simply because of the design of the business. They're designed to get you in there and keep you in there until your money is gone."

The prospect of an establishment that offers free drinks could be seem as worrisome to local bar and restaurant owners, but both Stephen Cerullo, owner of the and Rob Burns, owner of , said they aren't that worried about it.

"I'm more worried about the guys over in Foxborough," Burns said. "The bars already on Route 1 might be in trouble."

Cerullo said that his business is separate from anything in Patriot Place as it is, and doesn't think he'll see a drop in business or loss of customers.

"Foxborough wouldn't really affect me," he said. "But to be fair, they need to put another road to [route] 95 in there, because I know kids who work there during a football game, is a nightmare. They have to leave here four hours early to get in and out of their jobs."

Burns' brother Ken, who also works at the bar, said he also thinks that casino goers will not take customers away from Casey O'Connors.

"I mean you've got people who take the time to drive to Connecticut and do all those things," he said. "I assume that's their agenda. I mean if you're a gambler you're a gambler, it doesn't matter where you are, you're going to find a place to gamble. The ones that really hit those places for real, that can't live without it, that take the ride every weekend, they don't go to places like this anyways, because to them it's a waste of time. Are they drinking? The real ones? They're sipping. I don't see them taking any business from here."

Ken Burns also added that, because of the "traffic nightmare" that inevitably precedes a home football and would most likely be exacerbated by the casino, many people may seek their food and drink elsewhere, and might even increase business in other areas such as Mansfield.