Mass Gaming & Entertainment has met an extended deadline and tendered a completed Phase II application for a Southeastern Mass casino license, which the?Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) has accepted. The original deadline was in May, but the process was extended to accommodate?requests from the gaming company who plans to build a casino at the Brockton fairgrounds.
The 235 page Phase II application is divided into sections that include key evaluation criteria, namely: 1. Overview of Project; 2. Finance; 3. Economic Development; 4. Building and Site Design; 5. Mitigation. The content of the application is based on Evaluation Criteria previously outlined by the MGC.
Mass Gaming & Entertainment is the only remaining contender for the third and final commercial casino license in the state, thus the only competitor to pass Phase I and be allowed to submit a more detailed plan after having been found “suitable”. The application also includes a copy of the Host Community agreement the company has with Brockton as well as?a description of the election at which the agreement was approved by the voters, including the date of the election, the polling procedures, and a certified copy of the election results provided by the city or town clerk.
Brockton voters approved a special ballot measure to allow the casino with 7,163 for and 7,020 against for a?margin of 143 votes.
The next step is for the commission to decide if the?application is “administratively complete”. Once the MGC approves that element, some portions of the application will be made available for?the public to view the commission’s website. An announcement of when the publicly available portions of the application will be available?is expected to take about a week.
In late October a 90 minute presentation, in which?Mass Gaming & Entertainment will take part, will be held for the public.
A law passed by voters in 2011 allows for three commercial casinos and a slots parlor in different regions of the state. Two casino licenses have already been issued and the Plainridge Park slots parlor in Plainview opened earlier this summer. Another unrelated casino, Project First Light is planned by the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe in Taunton. On September 18th the?U.S. Department of the Interior approved a land into trust application for the tribe, clearing the way for them to build a $500 million casino resort under a gambling compact negotiated with former governor Deval Patrick.