Caesars Out at Suffolk Downs and Now Things Are a Mess

State investigators charged with keeping questionable characters from Massachusetts’ gaming industry (and you thought your job was hard) raised enough concerns about would-be Suffolk Downs casino-resort operator Caesars Entertainment to get it voluntarily booted from the proposed mega-project. Caesars’ sudden exit comes less than three weeks before voters in East Boston and Revere are supposed to vote on the damn thing.

So! That vote, at least in Eastie, may be postponed past Nov. 5, according to outgoing Boston Mayor Tom Menino, who has long championed a Suffolk Downs casino. That’s supposed to give Suffolk Downs more time to find another operating partner—and to shore up the legality of the community-benefit agreements inked when Caesars was the involved. Finding a new operator should not be a problem, at least according to Revere Mayor Dan Rizzo, who says gaming leviathans are coming out of the woodwork to take Caesars’ place.

Meanwhile, Wynn’s proposal for a casino-resort in Everett chugs merrily on. Place your bets.
· Caesars Dumped From Suffolk Downs Casino Plan [Globe]
· Menino May Seek to Postpone Nov. 5 Vote on Suffolk Downs Casino [Herald]
· Suffolk Downs Says Suitors Line Up to Fill Caesars’ Shoes [Herald]
· Our complete Casinos coverage [Curbed Boston]

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