Massachusetts anti-casino group says it has gathered twice required signatures

BOSTON — Casino opponents said Tuesday they’ve collected more than double the number of signatures they need to ask voters in November to repeal the state’s 2011 casino law.

Repeal the Casino Deal said in a statement it will file signature papers representing more than 26,000 registered Massachusetts voters to local city and town halls by today’s deadline. The group already has submitted about 90,000 signatures for an earlier deadline.

The announcement comes as the state Supreme Judicial Court continues to weigh whether a repeal question should be placed on the ballot, a question that will affect Las Vegas-based MGM Resorts International.

State Attorney General Martha Coakley has ruled the repeal question would violate the state constitution because it represents a taking of gambling operators’ property rights without compensation.

Repeal the Casino Deal then appealed the ruling to the state’s highest court.

State law requires 68,911 signatures submitted in the first phase of the process and 11,485 in the second.

MGM Springfield on Friday was named the state’s first official casino operator.