A state senator who owns a bar has added a provision to a proposed casino law that would let every bar in the state offer happy hours as a way to compete with casinos that would be allowed to offer free boozes to loosen up their customer's wallets.
Wicked Local reports the Senate passed Sen. Bob Hedlund's happy-hour amendment, which now goes to a House/Senate conference committee. The Senate rejected a proposed ban on free drinks at casinos. Happy hours have been banned in Massachusetts since the Dukakis era.
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Comments
They'd have to change the law somehow..
By Sarcastic Sam
Wed, 10/12/2011 - 9:21am
if they don't pass this or something similar, casinos would be found to be in violation of the current law the same way Groupon was.
I don't think so
By Kaz
Wed, 10/12/2011 - 10:05am
The law actually says that you can't offer alcohol for a price inconsistent with your average weekly/monthly (some standard duration of time larger than hourly or daily) price. If the casino floor offers drinks for free any time of day, all week (like most casinos do), then they are not in violation of the law as I recall it. The problem with Happy Hours at bars is that the bar is discounting the alcohol at certain periods of time inconsistent with their normal pricing.
The problem with Groupon is that the special price is not "available to the public" which I recall also being in the laws...so you can't have a bar membership program where "members" get beer for half-off and the public pays full price. In fact, Remy's has a "season pass" reservation system for all of the different sports that also includes deals on food at the table. It initially included drink deals as well (free pitcher of beer per game...or something like that), but was struck down as I recall.
Free drinks...
By R Hookup
Wed, 10/12/2011 - 12:44pm
On the rare occasion I was in a casino, it was free drinks if you were gambling, but you couldn't just get free drinks by hanging around. Not sure of the wording of the law, but that also seems problematic. Otherwise, a trip to Suffolk Downs would allow you to get your buzz on all day for free...no gambling required.
Interesting..
By Sarcastic Sam
Wed, 10/12/2011 - 12:57pm
..obviously the intent of the Dukakis-era oppressive prohibition, oh sorry, I mean, responsible restriction on alcohol sales would be for people to drink less. Yet giving away free booze is okay as long as you do it all the time. That's one helluva loophole, but I do get your point.
See that loophole in action
By SwirlyGrrl
Wed, 10/12/2011 - 1:20pm
Many of the watering holes between the financial district and the waterfront now have $1 or $2 swill beers at all hours.
THAT I have heard of.
By Sarcastic Sam
Wed, 10/12/2011 - 1:24pm
but free is....free. Plenty more cheap bast...I mean, thrifty folks who wouldn't pay $1 for a beer would go nuts for free booze of all types.
Yeah! It's about time we get
By Harvard Sq.
Wed, 10/12/2011 - 10:28am
Yeah! It's about time we get rid of this draconian puritan bullshit law.
Get the government out of my
By anon
Wed, 10/12/2011 - 10:30am
Get the government out of my beer pitcher.
Happy Hours in MA are Cheap Food Times
By SwirlyGrrl
Wed, 10/12/2011 - 12:46pm
Cheap food means the bill is reduced, but only if you were going to eat anyway. Then again, eating with drinking is a good way to stay sober.
What I would like to see are laws that made sense rather than laws made by reactionaries with A Grand Theory. There is mounting evidence that an 18 drinking age would make more sense, for instance. Also, what's up with the limits on the total number of licenses? Letting them be issued at the town/city level? Those would be good areas for investigation and possible reform.
As for happy hour, an evidence-based approach should guide policy. For instance, MA abolished happy hours, but some neighboring states have them. So ... did drunk driving diminish when this anti-happy law was put in place or not? Do we have less drunk driving in MA as a result or not?
Lets see some statistics on that.
ALSO, we have a state where murdering somebody with your car while drunk and driving without a license means you spend at most overnight in jail, and get released on your own recognizance ... like that worked the first time. Wouldn't it make more sense to hold repeat drunks with suspended licenses for trial in jail, and to have a minimum prison sentence that raised with each offense (including "reckless driving" offenses, to prevent plea bargaining)?What about putting prevent repeat offenders and those who drive without a license due to drunk driving or reckless driving in for a long sentence in Walpole?
I'd rather have responsible adults enjoy happy hour than irresponsible adults enjoy freedom.
You are being far too sensible
By chicken
Wed, 10/12/2011 - 7:22pm
How did you end up here?
:)
Becket, Lackey, and Lester
By East Cambridge
Wed, 10/12/2011 - 1:03pm
Endorse this bill heartily! And want to add a rider requiring $.25 wings.
Mea culpa
By Kaz
Wed, 10/12/2011 - 4:15pm
Since at the time I first looked the regulations up I was only concerned with "why not Happy Hour?", I totally forgot part (a) of the "Prohibition of Certain Practices" in the ABCC regulations:
Sooooo, I don't know how a casino is going to be allowed to serve free drinks based on 4.03(a) "no free drinks"...let alone how bars would cope with this by not having Happy Hour for the reasons I mentioned before (4.03(c) and (e)).
The new legislation....
By Michael Kerpan
Wed, 10/12/2011 - 4:26pm
...will supersede these regulations. New regs will need to be written that are consistent with the new law (assuming it is passed).
Kaz-- From the casino
By Lars
Wed, 10/12/2011 - 4:27pm
Kaz--
From the casino enabling legislation:
"(c)Notwithstanding any regulation to the contrary, a licensee under this section shall be permitted to distribute alcohol free of charge and for on-premise consumption to patrons in the gaming area or as a complimentary service or item in the gaming establishment provided, however, that the commission, in consultation with the alcoholic beverages control commission, shall promulgate regulations on such distribution as well as the forms of identification that may be presented to the gaming licensee to demonstrate proof that a person has attained the age of 21; provided further, that such regulations shall include requirements relative to alcohol training certification for any employee who serves alcohol at the gaming establishment.
Nice job doing your homework!
By Sarcastic Sam
Wed, 10/12/2011 - 4:34pm
So, maybe while they're rewriting the law as Michael K has mentioned, they can allow Hours to be just a little bit Happier.
happy
By Larz
Wed, 10/12/2011 - 11:36pm
All other times should be posted as unhappy hours.
Hedlunds bar is more of a
By anon
Wed, 10/12/2011 - 8:08pm
Hedlunds bar is more of a restaurant. He and his partner took a hell hole and cleaned it up. I go in occasionaly but they dont have hard liquors
Did the "Happy Hour
By Kelly
Thu, 10/13/2011 - 5:53pm
Did the "Happy Hour Amendment" make it into the final Senate bill? Is there anywhere to view the text of it?