The first of at least a week’s worth of Massachusetts Gaming Commission meetings was held Monday, kicking off discussions that will lead to a decision about where a Boston-area casino should be built.
The board will meet every day this week, and could rule by Friday on whether to award a casino license to Mohegan Sun or Wynn Resorts, which are respectively bidding to build in Revere and Everett. Meetings are also scheduled, if necessary, into early next week.
Individual board members have been tasked with giving a comprehensive look at the aspects of each proposal and presenting them to the larger board, complete with ratings—ranging from insufficient to outstanding—of each element.
On Monday, commissioners James McHugh gave a presentation of the proposals’ building and site plans, and Enrique Zuniga took a look at their financial pictures.
Building and site design
The Mohegan Sun proposal received greater accolades for the building and site design elements of the plan. McHugh, who is serving as acting chair since Stephen Crosby recused himself from discussions about the Eastern Massachusetts license a few months ago, spoke highly of Mohegan Sun’s proposed design. He was critical of the Wynn design, which he more or less called boring. McHugh also noted concern about the ability to mitigate traffic that could be caused by a casino at nearby Sullivan Square.
McHugh did commend Wynn’s plans to clean up the proposed casino site, which includes using oysters to help clean the adjacent Mystic River.
Overall, McHugh rated the Mohegan Sun site and building plans as “sufficient/very good” and the Wynn proposal as just “sufficient.”
Finance
Wynn, however, looked to be in more favorable shape when it came to the financial side of things (which, by the way, tends to matter). Though he said he found Mohegan’s financial footing sufficient, he noted the proposal, which depends on outside investors, could result in less flexibility due to the demands of those investors. Wynn, meanwhile, appears ready to spend more, Zuniga said.
Zuniga also took issue with Mohegan’s view of the market for the casino, with a focus limited to Eastern Massachusetts and New Hampshire. That thought is aligned with concerns that Mohegan could attempt to sway Massachusetts gamblers to its flagship resort in Connecticut, where gambling taxes are lower. Wynn, meanwhile, might be better suited to serve as a destination casino for gamblers across New England and beyond, Zuniga said.
On the financial front, he gave Wynn a “very good/outstanding” rating, and Mohegan a “sufficient.”
What’s next?
Tuesday’s meeting will be similar to Monday’s, with the economic development and mitigation elements of the two proposals being examined. The entire commission will also look at developers’ answers to questions about their projects, and rate their answers.
Conditions to receive the license will likely be added to the proposals Wednesday, and that would be followed by further discussions. A vote could come Friday.
Then, for whoever gets the license, focus figures to shirt to November, when voters will decide whether to do away with the law that allowed casinos to be built here in the first place. Right now, judging by polls, a repeal of the law doesn’t look all that likely.
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