Revere Voters to Have Another Say on Suffolk Downs Plan
With time ticking ahead of a December 31 application deadline to gain a casino license in Massachusetts, it appears that a partnership between East Boston’s historic Suffolk Downs racetrack and Connecticut-based Mohegan Sun isn’t out of the chase yet.
News site boston.com reported today that the Massachusetts Gaming Commission is in favor of another vote in Revere, a referendum that would likely take place in February.
The duo has put forth a plan to construct a new resort-style casino on property owned by the track, though the road the project has traveled has been a rocky one.
East Boston voters said no
Though Suffolk Downs, a fixture in the East Boston neighborhood dating all the way back to 1935, may bill itself as “the hometown favorite”, but it would appear that locals don’t quite agree.
Last month, voters in East Boston roundly turned down Suffolk Downs’ casino development proposal in the wake of the loss of its casino partner, Caesars Entertainment.
Caesars abandoned its hopes in Boston after regulators tipped off the company to the fact that routine background checks had unearthed alleged organized crime connections to an investor in a Nevada redevelopment project.
Caesars’ exit was so last minute that the company’s name still appeared on the ballots, a fact that likely contributed to the plan’s rejection in East Boston, with some voters voicing confusion as to what they were voting on, and ultimately, what sort of property would be developed in their backyards.
Revere voters went the other way and approved the plan
But, because the plan also affected the nearby community of Revere, Massachusetts, voters there also held a public referendum on the matter on November 5.
The results were the opposite of those in East Boston, with locals in Revere approving the plan, prompting Suffolk Downs officials to scramble not only to find a new casino partner, but also to rejigger their plans so as to move the casino about 1,000 feet so that it could be wholly contained within Revere limits.
It should be noted however, that the November 5 vote took place before Suffolk Downs had managed to secure a new casino partner, with the racetrack only securing an agreement with Mohegan Sun after the vote had already taken place.
Mohegan Sun also came up short at the polls last month; it lost a vote in Palmer, Massachusetts.
Plan to receive extension
Massachusetts gaming officials remarked this week that due to the fact that the proposal has been materially altered since the first vote, another vote is in order.
Commissioner James McHugh recommended that the board “treat the proposal for what it is — a different and new proposal.”
Last week, the Commission appeared divided over the issue, with some noting that should the Suffolk Downs plan be eliminated from contention, few contenders would be left to grab up one of the casino licenses approved back in 2011 when Massachusetts passed a law to expand land-based casino gambling.
In Springfield, only MGM is in the running to receive the lone permit that will be issued for the western part of the state. Meanwhile, in Boston, absent the Suffolk Downs plan, only Wynn Resorts remains standing.
Next week there will be a suitability hearing held on December 16 with regard to the Wynn plan, which involves building a new casino resort in the city of Everett, Massachusetts.
