Suffolk Downs: We Still Want That Casino
Suffolk Downs is asking the Massachusetts Gaming Commission to reconsider its decision to award the Boston-area casino license to Wynn Resorts.
The race track, which had hoped to be the site of a Mohegan Sun casino in Revere before the commission chose Wynn’s site last month, sent a letter to the board Wednesday asking that the decision be revisited.
That request came in light of last week’s news out of Everett that three owners of the Wynn site property had been indicted for allegedly hiding the ownership stake of convicted felon Charles Lightbody. Federal and state grand juries alleged the trio to have defrauded both Wynn Resorts and the gaming board in concealing Lightbody’s alleged involvement. The state’s gaming law prohibits a convicted felon from profiting off casino developments.
In its letter, Suffolk Downs suggests “it is now apparent that the Wynn project is up against obstacles that it cannot resolve in a manner consistent with the Commission’s directives, its governing statute, and other Massachusetts law.’’
At Thursday’s gaming board meeting, the commission’s Investigation and Enforcement Bureau spoke about the indictments, saying they stood as proof that its vetting process “worked, and that it will continue to work.’’
The commission acknowledged receiving the letter but did not discuss it. However, according to the Globe, commissioner James McHugh seems pretty steadfast about the Everett plan.
“You’ve got a good proposal for the Commonwealth, a good proposal for the region, you’ve got a good proposal by people who weren’t involved in any wrongdoing,’’ McHugh told reporters, speaking about the Wynn development. “Why should the Commonwealth and the region and that operator be penalized for something they had no knowledge of and over which they had no control?’’
In addition to the written request from Suffolk Downs that the Greater Boston casino decision be revisited, Connecticut-based Mohegan Sun had previously said that it would keep its eyes on the proceedings to the north.
Mohegan Sun greatly values the Massachusetts market, and continues to be interested in the establishment of the Commonwealth’s gaming industry. We will be monitoring future developments relative to these criminal indictments of people associated with the Wynn Resorts project site in Everett, and any impact they may have on the licensing and regulatory process.
Suffolk Downs, which just hosted what will likely be its final races last weekend, probably saw the indictments as an opportunity to get back in the scrum, and at this point it has nothing to lose by doing so. But though the letter puts a lot of focus on last week’s events, it also addresses what it sees as other issues with the Everett parcel. As The Boston Business Journal’s Jon Chesto points out, the language of the letter at least invites you to wonder whether objections to the Gaming Commission’s decision could be headed for a lawsuit down the road.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com