Massachusetts Gaming Commission meeting in Springfield sparsely attended
Published: Monday, September 10, 2012
By Jeanette DeForge, The Republican
Massachusetts Gaming Commission Chairman Stephen Crosby, right, and commission member Bruce Stebbins, left, at a hearing Monday at Springfield Technical Community College.
SPRINGFIELD — Public hearings held across Massachusetts to solicit input on the first phase of regulations designed to pre-qualify applicants who want to build casinos attracted sparse audiences and few speakers.
Simultaneous meetings were held at Springfield Technical Community College, the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center and Massasoit Community College in Brockton by Massachusetts Gaming Commission members linked through a 90-minutes video conference.
In Brockton, no one attended the meeting at all. In Springfield an audience of about 20 attended, and speakers included Kevin Conroy, a lawyer representing Mohegan Sun, who requested more privacy for applicants and recommended a few ways to speed up the process. Bruce Bozsum, chairman of the Mohegan Tribal Council, also addressed the commission.
The gaming commission will award a single casino license for Western Massachusetts, one of three licenses it will approve for casino resorts in different geographic regions of the state. Mohegan Sun is planning a casino for Palmer, and at least three others are bidding to build a casino in Springfield.
Last month, MGM Resorts International unveiled plans for an $800 million casino in the South End of Springfield’s downtown. Penn National Gaming has said it is working on a plan for a casino in the North End of the downtown, on land including the properties of The Republican newspaper and Peter Pan Bus Lines. Ameristar Casinos of Las Vegas is planning to build a casino on 40 acres it owns off Interstate 291 and Page Boulevard in Springfield.
Seminole Hard Rock Entertainment has said it is also eyeing Springfield, after the company ran into opposition from Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse with an earlier plan for a casino in Holyoke.
In the first phase of the process, casino companies have to pay a nonrefundable $400,000 application fee and submit materials to pass financial and integrity background checks to qualify to submit a final application.
“We are here primarily for fact finding,” said Stephen P. Crosby, chairman of the commission, who conducted the meeting in Springfield with member Bruce Stebbins, a former Springfield City Councilor.
With the issues being highly technical, it was not a big surprise for the commission to get few speakers. People also had an opportunity to submit comments in writing, Stebbins said.
A second hearing will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday with gaming regulators scheduled to square off with Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno to air criticism over a possible conflict for the city’s casino consultant. The meeting, also at Springfield Technical Community College, is expected to bring more people.
Despite the sparsely attended meetings Monday, the Gaming Commission stayed in the hall from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in case someone came late and wanted to address the board.
“I guess it is a credit to us. Our regulations are pretty good,” Crosby said.
http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2012/09/massachusetts_gaming_commissio_11.html
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