Gaming Commissioner Stresses Collaboration
Massachusetts Gaming Commissioner Bruce Stebbins spoke at the 45th annual meeting of the Central Massachusetts/Worcester County Convention & Visitors Bureau this morning and said the agency making sure it's transparent in how gaming is brought to the state.
Massachusetts Gaming Commissioner Bruce Stebbins said the state is working to make sure it's transparent in its efforts to bring gaming to the commonwealth and wants potential developers to work closely with communities.
Speaking at the 45th annual meeting of the Central Massachusetts/Worcester County Convention & Visitors Bureau at the Worcester Senior Center today, Stebbins echoed sentiments that Gaming Commission Chairman Stephen Crosby expressed in the fall when he spoke to Worcester-area business leaders.
Stebbins explained the state's year-old gaming expansion legislation and addressed criticism that the process to get up to three casinos and one slot parlor is going too slowly. He said some states, like Ohio, included specific communities for gaming in its legislation, whereas Massachusetts only narrowed it down to three regions, making the process more time consuming. Stebbins said a conservative estimate of when the first licenses would be issued is early 2014.
He said the commission is conducting its due diligence to make sure developments maximize long-term benefits to the state and that host and surrounding communities are not negatively impacted.
Applications for casino and the slot parlor licenses are due to the state by Jan. 15. Each application carries a $400,000 filing fee.
"By January, we'll have a clear idea of who's in the game," Stebbins said.
Earlier this week, the Telegram & Gazette reported that well-known Cambridge-based developer Carpenter & Co. Inc. is interested in applying for development of a slot parlor and hotel outside Worcester's Kelley Square at the 14-acre Wyman-Gordon site of Madison Street, although City Manager Michael V. O'Brien said he hasn't heard any serious proposals yet.
Stebbins called the news exciting and said more competition generates better proposals.
"We're encouraged by the news because it speaks to the fact that folks in the industry realize there's a market there," he said.
The commissioner also stressed local contributions and said the state wants to see communities and groups like chambers of commerce working with potential developers for "creative partnerships." The commission will also ask applicants what local resources they'll use and work with local businesses if they need to ramp up production to meet a developer's needs.
"We don't want them to say, 'Well, I couldn't find that resource, so we had to go out of state,' " he said.
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