Wynn Resorts gets Boston casino

Tuesday 16th of September 2014

Wynn Resorts has won a battle to build a $1.6 billion casino and entertainment resort in the state of Massachusetts, the third casino license to be awarded under a 2011 law which allows three casinos and a slot machine parlor.

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission voted 3:1 to award Wynn the license to build the casino in Everett, a town north of Boston, ahead of a proposal from Indian tribal group Mohegan Sun to build a casino in Revere, another north eastern city.

The decision has been criticized by the Mayor of Boston Martin J. Walsh, who had an agreement with Mohegan Sun to make mitigation payments to the city but had no such agreement with Wynn Resorts. He is quoted in local reports as saying Wynn’s offer is unacceptable. “We are evaluating the gambling commission’s decision, and all of the conditions imposed on the issuance of this license.”

The deal has also been criticized for its impact on the racing industry. The Mohegan Sun plan was to build a casino on the site of the Suffolk Downs racetrack at Revere. The racetrack is now expected to wind down operations causing a loss of jobs in the industry.

However Wynn Resorts and the town of Everett have welcomed the decision with Mayor Carlo DeMaria saying the casino would help transform a “desolate’’ section of the city.
According to Robert DeSalvio, a senior vice president for development at Wynn Resorts, the project is the largest private development in the state’s history.