Millenium

From our friends in the Granite State --

Is Millennium Concealing Intentions To Sell A Rock Casino License?

Adam Krause in today's Fosters quotes Millennium co-owner Bill Wortman as saying he has no intention to "flip" a New Hampshire casino license.

Mr. Wortman's claims are belied by the facts. Millennium entered into a deal in 2007 to sell its casino operations to Crown, an Australian gambling conglomerate, a deal that fell apart in March, 2009.

Corruption

Of even greater concern than Mr. Wortman's shady intentions regarding a flip is that - if the Crown sale had consummated - Rockingham could have fallen into the hands of a casino operator with a history of concealed relationships with Australian elected officials.

Because of its "very high risk of default" rating by Moody's, Millennium may not be able to get promised construction financing for a Rockingham casino and may be intending to sell a potential casino license there to an as-yet unidentified gambling company. It makes me queasy knowing that the state might be forced into bed with another Crown.

Job Claims

Millennium is also singing sweet but misleading songs about jobs. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the 2008 median wage for gambling industry jobs at $10.92 per hour, meaning the about half of these jobs pay less than $10.92. This means lots of near-minimum-wage employees imported from out of state, putting even more pressure on local school budgets, affordable housing inventories, public transportation, and social welfare budgets.

Question for Bill Wortman Tonight

Question for Bill Wortman tonight (Thursday) at 6:00 pm as he wines and dines legislators at the Puritan Back Room in Manchester:

You said last night in Exeter that you will not sell a Rockingham casino license. How are we to believe that, given that you agreed to sell all your existing casinos to the Australian gambling conglomerate, Crown, a deal that fell apart in March of this year only because Crown hit the financial rocks?