Darwin deals the cards
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Now that the dust is settling, you have to wonder when it comes to casino permits: What the heck do we need a Gaming Commission for?
...
There's a sort of Darwinian process of natural selection going on in the decision to site casinos in Massachusetts, and it appears voters are the ones taking the bull by the horns. Out west - both in Massachusetts and in Nevada - MGM officials and stockholders must be thanking their lucky stars. By default, they are the sole survivor after Palmer voters said thanks but no thanks to Mohegan Sun, which was angling to build a resort casino in that the small town between Worcester and Springfield. Mohegan officials said they would ask for a recount and, quel suprise, they say something was amiss with voting machines.
In September, West Springfield voters rebuked Hard Rock in its effort to bring roulette tables to their city. Springfield voters had no such qualms back in May when they gave a resounding okay to MGM, and now their foresight has paid off. The application deadline in that region is closed and it would take a miracle - or some federal investigation - for MGM to lose out.
The so-called Region A herd is also winnowing. Milford voters will go the polls on November 19, but given what happened in East Boston and Palmer, a thumbs up is no longer a foregone conclusion. Steve Wynn and his Everett plan looks like they are in the catbird seat for now. Though Revere and Suffolk Downs officials are exploring developing a casino that would sit only on the Revere side of the racetrack property after the East Boston slapdown, Gaming Commission jefe Steve Crosby says that's a reach.
Clyde Barrow, the UMass Dartmouth professor and go-to guy for casino backers, says the process in Massachusetts is "on the verge of being a mess." He also points out the one monkey wrench in the works is applicants for the three standing proposals have yet to be found suitable by the Gaming Commission and if they aren't, it's quite possible there will be no casino in Massachusetts for a few years.
But, keep in mind, the Gaming Commission found Caesars to be unsuitable for the Suffolk Downs proposal and a few days later, word came that the company is under investigation by the feds and they dropped out. So, maybe in the end, the process is working the way it's supposed to.
--JACK SULLIVAN
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Now that the dust is settling, you have to wonder when it comes to casino permits: What the heck do we need a Gaming Commission for?
...
There's a sort of Darwinian process of natural selection going on in the decision to site casinos in Massachusetts, and it appears voters are the ones taking the bull by the horns. Out west - both in Massachusetts and in Nevada - MGM officials and stockholders must be thanking their lucky stars. By default, they are the sole survivor after Palmer voters said thanks but no thanks to Mohegan Sun, which was angling to build a resort casino in that the small town between Worcester and Springfield. Mohegan officials said they would ask for a recount and, quel suprise, they say something was amiss with voting machines.
In September, West Springfield voters rebuked Hard Rock in its effort to bring roulette tables to their city. Springfield voters had no such qualms back in May when they gave a resounding okay to MGM, and now their foresight has paid off. The application deadline in that region is closed and it would take a miracle - or some federal investigation - for MGM to lose out.
The so-called Region A herd is also winnowing. Milford voters will go the polls on November 19, but given what happened in East Boston and Palmer, a thumbs up is no longer a foregone conclusion. Steve Wynn and his Everett plan looks like they are in the catbird seat for now. Though Revere and Suffolk Downs officials are exploring developing a casino that would sit only on the Revere side of the racetrack property after the East Boston slapdown, Gaming Commission jefe Steve Crosby says that's a reach.
Clyde Barrow, the UMass Dartmouth professor and go-to guy for casino backers, says the process in Massachusetts is "on the verge of being a mess." He also points out the one monkey wrench in the works is applicants for the three standing proposals have yet to be found suitable by the Gaming Commission and if they aren't, it's quite possible there will be no casino in Massachusetts for a few years.
But, keep in mind, the Gaming Commission found Caesars to be unsuitable for the Suffolk Downs proposal and a few days later, word came that the company is under investigation by the feds and they dropped out. So, maybe in the end, the process is working the way it's supposed to.
--JACK SULLIVAN
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