Gambling Regulators to Select Casino for Lucrative Boston Area License

BOSTON — (Associated Press) - State gambling regulators are set to begin deliberations on awarding the lucrative Boston-area casino license on Monday, even as voters will decide in November whether to repeal the state's casino law, halting the process altogether.

The choices are down to Mohegan Sun's $1.3 billion resort plan for the Suffolk Downs horse racing track in Revere and Wynn Resort's $1.6 billion waterfront casino on the site of a former chemical plant in Everett.

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission will hold the first of the meetings at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center on Monday.

The meetings, which will be streamed online at www.massgaming.com, are expected to run at least through Friday, when the commission may award the license.

The gambling commission hopes to complete its work on the Boston-area license by Sept. 17.

Each project vying for the license has not been without controversy.

Mohegan Sun faces allegations in a civil lawsuit that it may have violated state regulations by developing its Suffolk Downs proposal, even as it unsuccessfully pursued voter-approval for another casino plan in western Massachusetts.

Wynn, meanwhile, has faced questions about whether a convicted felon would benefit from the purchase of the land it hopes to develop, also in violation of state regulations.

Monday's deliberations were expected to include an update from the commission's investigation and enforcement division, which has been looking into those and other controversial aspects surrounding the projects.

The commission is charged with licensing up to three Las Vegas-style casinos and one slots parlor.

It has already given the slots parlor license to Penn National Gaming for its $225 million expansion of the harness racing track in Plainville, a project that is already well underway.

The commission has also granted a resort casino license to MGM Resorts International for its $800 million project in downtown Springfield, pending the outcome of the November election.

Massachusetts voters will decide on a ballot question to repeal the state's 2011 casino law. If approved, the question would effectively halt the state's casino licensing process before the first resort can open its doors.

Each of the four commission members taking part in the evaluation will deliver presentations covering a different aspect of the projects, from their finances, economic development potential, site design, compensation agreements with area communities, traffic impacts and more.

No testimony from the public is expected during the proceedings.