A hearing conducted by the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies on Beacon Hill on Thursday drew a packed house, including speakers who addressed both the pros and cons of expanded gambling.

Bob Lieberman photo

The historic Gardiner Auditorium was packed with those testifying about the good and bad aspects of gambling legislation.

Those presentations covered old territory, addressing jobs creation or the ills of gambling addiction, but according to local press reports what was new at this hearing was the realization that all three leaders in state government, Governor Deval Patrick and the Senate President and Speaker of the House, have come out in favor of gambling expansion.

The Boston Globe reported that it’s likely that enabling legislation will be drafted and considered as early as this coming January. A total of 17 gambling proposals have recently been floated by legislators in Massachusetts.

Gary Piontkowski, president of Plainridge Racecourse, was among the many speakers who were allowed to comment -- for not longer than three minutes.

“If slot machines and or any type of gaming, poker tables, whatever the legislature deems suitable, is introduced, we can be up in a matter of months, as opposed to a matter of years just to cite a new gaming facility,” Piontkowski was quoted as saying by wbur.org.

Piontkowski also told the committee that gambling legislation favorable to the track would create 1,000 new permanent jobs and 800 construction jobs.