Boston expands lawsuit against Massachusetts gaming commission

Boston expands lawsuit against Massachusetts gaming commission

BOSTON —An amended lawsuit filed by the city of Boston is asking a judge to bar the current Massachusetts gaming regulators from any future action on the $1.7 billion casino proposed for neighboring Everett.

Mayor Marty Walsh announced Thursday the city amended its complaint that challenges the Massachusetts Gaming Commission's decision to award Wynn Resorts a casino license for the proposed casino.

"The commission's award of the license was the product of a corrupt process to favor Wynn," the lawsuit stated. "Their conduct has irreparably tainted the gaming licensing process, and has demonstrated that they are unwilling and unable to fulfill their legal obligations to serve as independent regulators."

Elaine Driscoll, a spokeswoman for the gambling commission, called the revised lawsuit a "personal assault" on the five-member panel and "wholly unproductive" to resolving complex policy issues.

"The commission made each license award based solely on a thoughtful, objective and exhaustive evaluation of each gaming proposal," she said.

Originally filed in January, the lawsuit seeks a court order to void the Wynn license and levels numerous allegations of wrongdoing by the commission and Wynn Resorts during the licensing competition that ended late last year.

Among them are allegations that commission members changed application rules and regulations to benefit Wynn, and that Wynn representatives knew criminally suspect figures had an ownership stake in the development property before signing a land deal, despite what the company has said.

Three of the property's former owners face federal wire fraud charges for allegedly trying to cover up criminal ties.

A Wynn Resorts spokesman dismissed the allegations as "retread stories" without merit. Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria agreed.

"This is nothing but a rehashing of issues that have been brought up, solved or addressed by the state and the Gaming Commission," he said in a statement.

Walsh said Boston had no choice but to go to court because Wynn has not reached a financial compensation deal with the city and has not applied for the necessary city permits even though the casino's main entry goes through Boston.

"(It) is clear that this is the only way to move forward to protect the rights of Boston's public and restore integrity to the gaming process," he said in a statement.

The cities of Revere and Somerville have also filed separate lawsuits challenging Wynn's license, which is one of three the commission has issued. MGM holds a casino license for a Springfield resort and Penn National Gaming has a license to build a slot parlor in Plainville.

Casino company Mohegan Sun, which lost its bid for the Boston-area license to Wynn, is a party in Revere's lawsuit, as is the labor union representing workers at the Suffolk Downs horse racing track in Revere.



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