UMass jumps into casino fray?

That'd be UMass Amherst. Maybe. (The Dartmouth campus is already involved, through one professor unabashedly touting the economic benefits of casinos.)

According to Amherst's student paper, the university's Hospitality and Tourism Management department is looking into launching a "casino management program," setting up the university as the only one on the east cost to offer that kind of program.

The creation of the program coincides with Governor Deval Patrick's move to authorize three resort casinos in the state of Massachusetts. Patrick's proposal has caused a lot of debate, with opposition pointing out problems like the costs of gambling addiction and possible harm to the state's economy. But while different factions wage war over this issue, UMass's Isenberg School of Management is quietly preparing to make an entrance in the furor - by training students as industry executives and managers.

The problem? It appears it already exists, as a bunch of online courses.

So I'm not sure what to make of the story. Are they considering having physical face-to-face classes? Several Lexis-Nexis searches come up dry.

If it is an entirely new program, then it has to go through the university's Board of Trustees, which has some of the state's top movers and shakers on it. Could make for an interesting debate.

Separately, the state's district attorneys want some answers from the governor before they come out for or against his plan:

Along with the tax revenue, resort casinos like the three that Patrick wants to license in Massachusetts will bring increases in property crimes, child neglect, and possibly prostitution and organized crime, said Jonathan Blodgett, Essex district attorney and president of the Massachusetts District Attorneys Association.

"We have great concerns about the public safety implications," Blodgett told The Associated Press on Monday. "We're looking for the governor to meet us so we can express our concerns.