Only two weeks after Boston Mayor Martin Walsh filed a lawsuit asking to rescind the license granted to Wynn Resorts by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (see story), the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority has joined a previously filed suit by the city of Revere and a labor union representing workers at Suffolk Downs.
Mohegan Sun lost the bid for the third of four casino licenses to be issued in Massachusetts. Their plan was for a more than $1 billion casino at Suffolk Downs in Revere. Wynn Resorts won on a proposal to build their $1.6 billion casino on the Everett waterfront just across from Boston. The city of Boston had an agreement with the Mohegan Authority for about $18 million a year in fees to help mitigate environmental and traffic impacts – they got no such promises?from Wynn.
By joining the Revere suit against the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, Mohegan Sun is asserting that, among other things, Wynn Resorts was given preferential treatment in the selection process. They contend that Wynn had the opportunity to resubmit portions of its application and update information in regards to the project’s design as well as traffic impacts. The Mohegan Tribal Authority didn’t have the opportunity to change their proposal according to the suit.
The Revere suit also claims that several other?conditions, mandated by law, were not met by Wynn or the Gaming Commission – among those were investor suitability, obligations to neighboring communities, environmental mitigation, pedestrian safety, labor harmony, audit requirements, and a lottery agreement.
The gaming commission is still accepting applications for the fourth and final casino project to be built in the southeast part of the state.? In addition to Wynn Resorts, the other currently awarded licenses have gone to Penn National for their Plainridge Park project in Plainville, which incorporates a slot casino into the existing harness racing venue at an investment of over $200 million, and the MGM Resorts International Springfield casino resort with a price tag of about $800 million.