With a deadline looming for the granting of a Greater Boston casino license, members of our NECN’s Boston Business Editors roundtable talked about Boston Mayor Marty Walsh’s concerns.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission has new requirements for the Boston area casino.
The Wynn bid would need to redesign the exterior and pay $20 million to improved traffic in the Sullivan Square area. Meanwhile, Mohegan Sun would have to pay $100 million in equity.
“There have been clues that the Gaming Commission seems to be leaning towards a Wynn project in Everett,” Shirley Leung of the Boston Globe said. “I think Mayor Walsh wants to try and get in. If this happens, he wants to get a better deal for the city, because the Mohegan Deal is better for the city of Boston in terms of annual payments and also in terms of traffic. I think the Wynn deal will prove more harmful to Boston. He just hadn’t had time to negotiate, so this is an opportunity for him to try to get a little bit more before a decision is made next week.”
The editors continued by discussing the timing of the deal and the casino repeal question on the November ballot, in addition to the Massachusetts primary results.