Is 3rd Time The Charm for Penn NationaL?

Casino-Free Milford

So is the third time a charm for Penn National Gaming? They lost out to another gaming company in Springfield, they were kicked out of Tewksbury the other night in a Town Meeting vote and NOW they are looking at the Plainridge Racecourse in Plainville. Maybe they should just pack it in and head home....

 

 

 

Penn National turns to Plainridge racetrack

By Mark Arsenault

| Globe Staff

August 22, 2013

 

Aram Boghosian for The Boston Globe

Jimmy Hardy and horse Native Speed rode at Plainridge Racecourse, which has won attention from a gaming firm.

 

Spurned by Tewksbury voters, a Pennsylvania-based gambling company may reemerge in the state’s slots parlor sweepstakes at Plainridge Racecourse, a one-time favorite to win a slot machine license whose ownership team was recently ruled unsuitable to run a casino.

 

Representatives of Penn National Gaming have expressed interest in acquiring the struggling Plainville track and in reviving plans to expand it into a slot machine parlor, said Joseph Fernandes, Plainville town administrator.

 

“The planets are beginning to align,” said Fernandes, who has not spoken to Penn officials, but confirmed that conversations have quietly taken place between the company and the track. “I’m measured in my optimism. It has been a pretty intense roller coaster.”

 

The owners of the state’s only active harness racetrack confirmed their interest in selling to Penn, which track officials see as the last and best hope of reviving the facility’s slots parlor plans and preserving harness racing in Massachusetts, said a person briefed on the talks. Without slots, it is unlikely the horse track will stay in business.

 

Penn officials were tightlipped Wednesday about the company’s plans, a day after voters at a Tewksbury town meeting rejected proposed zoning changes and crushed Penn’s proposal to build a slot parlor at the junction of Route 133 and Interstate 495.

 

“Penn National is going to step back and take some time to determine what, if any, options they want to consider in Massachusetts,” a Penn spokesman said Wednesday in a statement.

 

The Tewksbury project was Penn’s second try at winning a gambling license in Massachusetts. The company originally proposed an $800 million casino resort in downtown Springfield. That project died in April after Mayor Domenic Sarno chose a competing plan from MGM, concluding a citywide competition between the two gambling giants.

 

At the moment, there are just three competitors for the state’s sole slots parlor license: The Cordish Cos., which are planning a slots parlor in Leominster; an affiliate of Rush Street Gaming, which wants to build in Millbury; and Raynham Park, the simulcast betting parlor and former dog racing track in Raynham. All three applicants have passed their state background checks. Raynham voters endorsed the Raynham Park proposal in a referendum last week. Residents of Leominster and Millbury will vote Sept. 24.

 

Earlier this month, the gambling commission disqualified Plainridge’s ownership group from the slots competition, largely because of disclosure that former track president Gary T. Piontkowski took roughly $1.4 million, a little at a time over several years, from the struggling track’s money room.

Penn would seem well suited to take over Plainridge’s slots venture. Penn has experience running racetracks and racinos in other states, such as the Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races in West Virginia and the Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course in Pennsylvania.

 

More importantly, Penn has already been cooperating with state investigators vetting applicants for casino licenses. These mandatory background checks can take many months, and there may not be enough time for some new company to swoop in, acquire the track, and complete the check in time to meet deadlines this fall set by the state gambling commission.

 

The background check on Penn is nearly done: the gambling commission is expected to vote in September on Penn’s fitness to hold a license. Despite the setback in Tewksbury, Penn has not asked the state to stop its background investigation, according to the gambling commission.

 

From Penn’s perspective, taking over Plainridge may be the only viable way to stay in the competition for the sole Massachusetts slot parlor license, again because of deadlines.

 

By Oct. 4, all slots parlor applicants must submit election results proving that their projects have won the endorsement of local voters in a referendum. State law requires at least a 60-day campaign before any casino referendum, so there is not enough time to start from scratch in a new community. The gambling commission has shown no enthusiasm for changing its deadlines.

 

The deadline is not a problem in Plainville, which already has a casino referendum scheduled for Sept. 10, a vote planned before the track’s current ownership failed the state background check. Plainville selectmen decided last week to maintain the vote, to give Plainridge a chance to quickly sell the track to new owners, said Fernandes.

 

The state gambling commission has not yet said if it would allow a new owner to take over the Plainridge venture, though the commission has a long record of supporting maximum competition for each of the licenses it controls.

 

If Penn passes on Plainridge, the company could still open a Massachusetts casino. In addition to the slots parlor license, the 2011 state casino law authorized three licenses for much larger resort casinos, no more than one in each of three regions of the state. The gambling commission will accept no new applications in the Greater Boston or Western Massachusetts regions, but as an existing applicant Penn could conceivably line up a site in one of those regions in time to make the Dec. 31 deadline to win a referendum.

 

Bidding for the Southeastern Massachusetts license remains open to any developer through September.

 

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/08/21/penn-national-gaming-shows-interest-taking-over-plainridge-slot-bid/K4SHN7swXsnDAhaxXsfD5O/story.html?utm_source&utm_medium&utm_campaign

 

 

Penn National still talking to Chicopee

Penn National still talking to Chicopee

Updated: Tuesday, 28 May 2013, 6:34 PM EDT
Published : Tuesday, 28 May 2013, 6:05 PM EDT

• Ryan Walsh, 22News Investigative Reporter

CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) - Penn National Gaming is still considering its casino options in Western Massachusetts.

The 22News I-Team discovered that Penn National Gaming and Chicopee officials spoke as recently as last week and more talks are expected in the future.

In a statement sent to the 22News I-Team, Penn National Gaming said "it is continuing to consider their options in Massachusetts and have made no decisions at this time."

Springfield selected MGM over Penn National, but Penn National paid its $400,000 application fee to the state, so it is free to apply for a license anywhere else in the state.

http://www.wwlp.com/dpp/news/i_team/penn-national-still-talking-to-chicopee

 

Chicopee and Paper City Request Extension

Paper City Development and Chicopee mayor petition state gaming commission for more time to file casino application

By Robert Rizzuto, The Republican

The Republican
on January 15, 2013 Citing the several changes of heart Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse has had on the issue of casino gambling, Paper City Development and Chicopee Mayor Michael Bissonnette are asking the Massachusetts Gaming Commission for more time to file an application and the $400,000 non-refundable fee to be considered for the region's sole gaming license.

The Republican/MassLive.com learned late Tuesday that Paper City Development retained the Nicolai Law Firm in Springfield to draft the petition, which was delivered to the gaming commission's Boston office at 3 p.m. today – just two hours before the official "Phase 1" deadline.

Paul Nicolai, the limited liability company's lawyer, said the petition was a result of Morse's back-and-forth on the issue and how it impacted Paper City Development's potential to develop a resort casino in the Pioneer Valley.

"Frankly, it's tough to pay $400,000 and fill out an application for a gaming license when you don't know that if you get the gaming license, you've got ground to build the casino on, and that's the problem," Nicolai said. "The mayor of Holyoke has changed his mind a couple of times and tonight the city council is considering whether the people should decide whether a casino should come to Holyoke. So we've filed a petition to give us 30 days after the (potential U.S. Senate special) election to file an application assuming that Holyoke decides they want to go forward."

Tuesday evening, the Holyoke City Council is expected to vote on a non-binding referendum about casino gambling which would go before the voters as they hit the polls later this year to decide a replacement for U.S. Sen. John Kerry, who is expected to be confirmed as the next secretary of state for President Barack Obama.

The council is also looking at adding another non-binding referendum on the issue of a needle exchange in Holyoke, which Morse pushed through without their approval.

Considering Morse settled on opposing casino gambling but is a strong supporter of the city's needle exchange program, it may come as no surprise that the council tackles these issues as he is out of the country on vacation. But Morse said Tuesday evening that the council wasn't aware of his vacation plans when planning the meeting agenda.

When reached by reporter Michael Plaisance, Morse said he thinks the overture from Paper City Development is too little, too late.

"It's a dead issue, and Paper City Development is playing politics. I don't see any operator coming to Holyoke given my position," Morse said. "I urge the Massachusetts Gaming Commission to abide by their own timetable and resist playing politics with Paper City Development. I'm very pleased that

Paper City Development failed to submit their application by the deadline. More proof they are just making noise, as just last week they pledged to submit."

Morse later added that even if the council approves he non-binding referendums on casinos and the needle exchange, he wouldn't approve their appearance on the ballot- effectively killing the measures.

After Morse's initial opposition to a Holyoke casino, Paper City Development apparently was also negotiating a land acquisition deal in Chicopee to put a resort casino in that city's downtown. But when Morse announced he would consider such a facility in his city in a surprise twist of events, negotiations with Chicopee became less a priority.

Bissonnette also wrote a letter to the gaming commission on Tuesday supporting Paper City Development's plea for more time.

Additionally, Newton resident Charles J. Petitti, who proposed building the Good Samaritan Casino Hotel -- with mini-museums dedicated to Elvis Presley, Norman Rockwell and the Miss America Pageant in Holyoke, also asked for an extension.

The commission will ultimately decide what happens next; no timetable has been set for acting on the extension requests.

The four major casino companies expressing an interest in developing a Western Massachusetts resort casino have all made today's 5 p.m. deadline.
 
A full report on today's casino application deadline will be in Wednesday's issue of The Republican and on the 11 p.m. CBS-3 Springfield Evening News.

Paper City Development's Request for Extension of Casino Deadline by masslive

http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2013/01/paper_city_development_and_chi.html

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley files civil suit to shut down Internet cafe in Chicopee

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley files civil suit to shut down Internet cafe in Chicopee
Published: Friday, May 04, 2012
By Dan Ring, The Republican

BOSTON -- Attorney General Martha M. Coakley has filed a civil suit against an Internet slots cafe in Chicopee operated by a former mayoral chief of staff in Springfield who was previously convicted of federal tax fraud, alleging the cafe is an illegal gambling operation in violation of state consumer protection laws.

The civil lawsuit was filed in Boston against Express Internet Center at 205 Exchange St. in Chicopee, which offers casino-style computer games such as "Wheel Deal," "Snake Eyes," and "Lucky Loot," the suit said. Also named in the suit is the business's operator and corporate member, Anthony M. Ardolino, 42, of 128 Dayton St. in Springfield, who was chief of staff for former Mayor Michael J. Albano from 1996 to 2001.

According to the civil suit, Express Internet and Ardolino promoted illegal gambling through electronic slot machine games in direct violation of the state’s Consumer Protection Act and related regulations by the attorney general that were approved in June of last year.

APMartha Coakley

In 2007, Ardolino was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Springfield to a year in a minimum-security federal prison in a criminal fraud case involving his part ownerships in a couple of downtown Springfield bars.

Ardolino had pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of conspiracy to defraud the federal government and four counts of filing false personal income tax returns.

Anthony Ardolino's lawyer, Benjamin M. Coyle of Bacon Wilson, P.C. in Springfield, said the Express Internet Center opened in October of 2010, after it was fully licensed and aired at public hearings by authorities in the city of Chicopee including the License Commission. Coyle said the company's position is that it is a validly-licensed business operating in the state.

"Mr. Ardolino always considers himself to be an upstanding business owner," Coyle said. "From the time he started the business, he did everything in accord with the rules and regulations established at the time the business started."

File photo | The Republican
07.17.2007 | SPRINGFIELD — Anthony M. Ardolino enters the federal courthouse.

Ardolino declined comment.

The Express center, located in a strip mall with a Family Dollar store and other businesses, was closed voluntarily on Thursday, according to Coyle.

The center, which offers free food and drinks and 48 partitioned computers, used to operate from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week, according to the civil suit.

Ardolino wants to comply with all rules and regulations, Coyle said. The business will work with the attorney general to determine the impetus behind the regulations and later determine whether or not the business will continue at that location, Coyle said.

A separate lawyer at Bacon Wilson is representing different businesses in a pending lawsuit in Hampden Superior Court that challenges the validity of the attorney general's regulations, Coyle said.

After the suit was filed on Tuesday in Suffolk Superior Court, the defendants, including the owner and parent corporation, called 170 Elm St. LLC, agreed on Thursday to a temporary court order requiring them to preserve certain documents and freezing their assets, except if the assets are used in the ordinary course of business, Coakley's office said on Friday. A hearing in Suffolk Superior is set for May 15.

“We allege that this café is an unlawful establishment, profiting from unregulated and illegal gambling games with no posted odds, minimum odds, or guarantee of pay outs for patrons. Today’s action is just the latest step toward holding accountable businesses that mislead customers and operate in violation of the law," Coakley said.

The lawsuit seeks to shut down the café and to recover penalties, fees, and unlawful profits from the defendants, the attorney general said.

A bill to ban Internet cafes is pending on Beacon Hill.

The attorney general is using a combination of civil and criminal enforcement tools to investigate allegedly illegal Internet cafes. A special statewide grand jury issued criminal indictments last year against the closed Cafeno's Internet Cafe in Chicopee and "Leo's Place" in Fall River and Fairhaven. The businesses and their owners currently are fighting charges of organizing or promoting gambling services and operating an illegal lottery.

Coakley's crackdown on the cafes comes as a state agency is moving to license casino resorts and a slot facility that were legalized under the state's expanded gambling law in November.

Coakley's lawsuit contains an affidavit from a civil investigator for her office who went undercover and visited the Express Internet Center last month to use the computer slots.

At the center, people are issued a plastic card and can use it to buy time on the Internet and also get points for the games. People can click on an icon for the games and wager points on any one of about 25 different casino-style slot machines that appear on the screen, the affidavit said.

If players won, they could redeem points for cash, the affidavit said.

After the investigator spent $60 and accumulated $7 of win points, a cashier told her "Better luck next time."

Chicopee Gambling Addict repaying stolen funds

Woman repaying library money
By JEANETTE DeFORGE

CHICOPEE - The former treasurer of the Chicopee Friends of the Public Library, who pleaded guilty to stealing $115,000 from the charity, has paid back about half of the money she took.

Friends President John L. Michon said he received a check for $71,000 from Elizabeth Wilk's lawyers on Thursday.

"We want the people to know we are doing everything we can do to restore those funds," Michon said.

In March, Wilk, 57, pleaded guilty to siphoning the money from the Friends of the Library accounts by using her positions as vice president of mortgage lending for Chicopee Savings Bank and treasurer of the charity. She no longer holds either position.

The money was donated to the Friends of the Public Library to be used to provide children's programming and to purchase equipment which cannot be financed in the regular budget, Michon said.

The thefts took place between Dec. 22, 2007, and Sept. 16, 2010. Her lawyer said Wilk has a gambling addiction and spent the money at casinos and to buy scratch tickets.

Wilk was scheduled to be sentenced today on one count of larceny over $250 by a single scheme, but the appearance was postponed until May 31. Because Judge C. Jeffrey Kinder will be sitting in Hampshire Superior Court, the sentencing will in Northampton.

"I just deposited $71,000 with the full expectation of getting full restitution by May 31," Michon said.

The Friends of the Public Library has asked that Wilk to pay a total of $130,000 to the organization to cover lost interest and the cost of fees for a lawyer and financial officials who assisted in balancing the charity's books after the theft was discovered, he said.

The judge has not ruled on whether it will ask Wilk to pay for the lost interest and professional fees, Michon said