Gov. Maura Healey is proposing to spend a bit more of the money generated at Massachusetts’ two major casinos to promote local tourism, a move her economic development chief said would help support a “wildly underfunded” industry.
A policy rider in the $63 billion state budget Healey filed in January would tweak how the state distributes the money it collects from taxing gaming revenues at MGM Springfield and Encore Boston Harbor. Among other changes, Healey’s plan would double the share deposited into a tourism trust fund, to 2%.
Her budget team projects that move would create an extra $2.5 million in money for regional tourism councils and for marketing, for a 20% increase.
