Considering what's happening in in the casino arena in Maryland, this doesn't make me feel very confident ...
John M. McManus, executive vice president and general counsel for MGM Resorts International, said MGM has been found suitable everywhere it has applied to do business.
In early October, MGM, which is seeking a license for a casino in Prince George’s County in Maryland, was found suitable for a license in that state....
"We're very comfortable with our operations in Macau, with our relationship with Pansy Ho there ... ," McManus told The Republican in October after a meeting with the gaming commission about how it should view the overseas activities of a casino applicant in Massachusetts. "The Maryland Gaming Commission ... found no objection to our relationship with her. She wasn't an applicant in Maryland. She is not an applicant in Massachusetts."
McManus said MGM has had "a good cooperative process" with the commission and its investigators.
"We're not concerned about our suitability," McManus said.
John M. McManus, executive vice president and general counsel for MGM Resorts International, said MGM has been found suitable everywhere it has applied to do business.
In early October, MGM, which is seeking a license for a casino in Prince George’s County in Maryland, was found suitable for a license in that state....
"We're very comfortable with our operations in Macau, with our relationship with Pansy Ho there ... ," McManus told The Republican in October after a meeting with the gaming commission about how it should view the overseas activities of a casino applicant in Massachusetts. "The Maryland Gaming Commission ... found no objection to our relationship with her. She wasn't an applicant in Maryland. She is not an applicant in Massachusetts."
McManus said MGM has had "a good cooperative process" with the commission and its investigators.
"We're not concerned about our suitability," McManus said.
http://www.bizjournals.com/
Dec 2, 2013, 6:04am EST
Results from MGM ethics probe due this week, Springfield casino hangs in balance
Dan Ring, Springfield Republican
A plan for an MGM casino in Springfield will face a critical test next week when state gaming regulators are scheduled to unveil the results of a background investigation into the casino giant's finances and ethics.
MGM Resorts International is the only casino applicant remaining in Western Massachusetts after results of a recount last week of a Nov. 5 ballot question in Palmer confirmed the defeat of a resort planned by the Mohegan Sun.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission has scheduled public hearings for MGM on Dec. 9 and Wynn Resorts on Dec. 16 respectively in Boston to release and discuss reports by the agency's investigators on the suitability of each of the two companies to apply for licenses to operate casinos in the state.
The commission will hold hearings on the reports on those dates and then will likely vote later on whether the companies have passed background checks and are suitable to apply for final licenses to operate casinos, said Elaine Driscoll, communications director for the commission. In the reports, investigators might make recommendations on the suitability of the two companies. If found suitable, the companies could submit final applications for casinos.
MGM officials this year have said they are confident the company will be found suitable.
As part of its background checks on casino developers, investigators will likely examine MGM Resorts International's Macau business partner, billionaire Pansy Ho, whose father was linked to organized crime in a 2009 special law enforcement report.
While Pansy Ho is not an applicant in Massachusetts, gaming regulators in Massachusetts have said they will complete a wide-ranging investigation of an applicant's business connections before deciding whether to award licenses to operators.
John M. McManus, executive vice president and general counsel for MGM Resorts International, said MGM has been found suitable everywhere it has applied to do business.
In early October, MGM, which is seeking a license for a casino in Prince George’s County in Maryland, was found suitable for a license in that state.
"We're very comfortable with our operations in Macau, with our relationship with Pansy Ho there ... ," McManus told The Republican in October after a meeting with the gaming commission about how it should view the overseas activities of a casino applicant in Massachusetts. "The Maryland Gaming Commission ... found no objection to our relationship with her. She wasn't an applicant in Maryland. She is not an applicant in Massachusetts."
McManus said MGM has had "a good cooperative process" with the commission and its investigators.
"We're not concerned about our suitability," McManus said.
Stephen P. Crosby, chairman of the gaming commission, has said the commission would probably start the licensing process anew in Western Massachusetts if MGM Springfield is found unsuitable.
Crosby added that he was hesitant to discuss the possibility of starting over in Western Massachusetts, saying he is assuming at least one applicant will pass the background check.
West Springfield voters, by 55 to 45 percent in September, defeated a ballot question for a Hard Rock casino on the grounds of the Eastern States Exposition.
The mayor of Springfield turned down a casino plan by Penn National Gaming that included properties owned by The Republican. The mayor would not sign an agreement with Penn National that could have also gone to the ballot. Penn National, now one of three finalists for the state's lone slots-only license, is planning $225 million slots facility at the Plainridge Racecourse off Interstate 495 and Route 1 near Gillette Stadium.
About year ago, Ameristar Casinos dropped its plan for a casino at the former Westinghouse site in East Springfield. Ameristar has since been purchased by Pinnacle Entertainment.
"In Western Massachusetts, we've lost four applicants," Crosby said in a recent interview. "We still have one."
Fifty-eight percent of Springfield voters approved an MGM casino planned for the city. Forty-two percent opposed the July 16 referendum.
MGM is seeking a license for a $851 million casino on 14.5 acres in the South End of Springfield's downtown.
Investigators for the gaming commission in October were at the center of a controversy when Caesars Entertainment Corp. withdrew from its more than 2-year-old partnership with Suffolk Downs. Investigators had recommended against a license for Caesars for several reasons, including its $23.7 billion debt and connections to a hotel group that had an investor with alleged ties to organized crime in Russia.
Las Vegas-based MGM, by comparison, has $13 billion in debt.
After losing the ballot question in Palmer by 94 votes, the Mohegan Sun, which quickly passed its background check in early October, announced it would be a partner with Suffolk Downs on a proposed Revere casino.
Suffolk Downs, which is located in both Revere and East Boston, is seeking the commission's approval for the Revere casino after its Nov. 5 ballot question was defeated in East Boston and approved in Revere.
Wynn Resorts and the Suffolk-Mohegan plan would compete for the casino license in Greater Boston.
http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/blog/mass_roundup/2013/12/results-from-mgm-ethics-probe-due-this.html?page=all
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