The late-morning sun was already high and hot over the brownstones in Boston’s Chinatown neighborhood when a sleek bus pulled to a stop at a mostly deserted street corner.
Five dozen people emerged from under store awnings and from shaded alleyways to clamor for one of 60 seats on the air-conditioned bus, set for a day of money-risking and, for most, money-losing at the Bally’s Twin River Lincoln Casino Resort near Providence. The goal was a bit of excitement and out-of-town fun, and the passengers on board seemed ready for both. As the bus snaked its way through Chinatown, a female tour guide handed out vouchers for free gambling and food.
A little over an hour later, the passengers bounded off the bus into the smoky entrance of…