Mass Gaming Announces Site For Worcester Slots
Less than two weeks after announcing that it would seek the states' single slots parlor license for a Worcester location, Mass Gaming & Entertainment LLC confirmed that its development would be on vacant Wyman-Gordon property near Kelley Square.
In a statement Sunday, MGE, a subsidiary of Chicago-based Rush Street Gaming, said the plan also includes a world-class, full-service hotel in the downtown area. It said further details would be announced in the coming weeks.
MGE Chairman Neil Bluhm said the company spent more than a year seeking the right location and believes the Worcester site, which includes part of the Canal District and extends into the Green Island neighborhood is "by far the best location" for the facility.
"We have a proven track record of entering emerging casino markets and identifying the right metropolitan area, which coupled with the right neighborhood, creates a successful entertainment destination," he said. "We are confident that our plan will create significant economic development for Worcester and we look forward to working closely with the city in bringing this project to reality."
Rush Street was formed in 2009 by Bluhm and CEO Greg Carlin; their casino developments include those in Niagara Falls and Philadelphia, according to the company's website.
MGE is one of four entities seeking the one slots license in the state permitted via the 2011 gaming law. It's competing with Plainridge Racecourse in Plainville, Raynham Park in Raynham and PPC Casino Resorts, which has yet to announce a location.
In the statement, City Manager Michael O'Brien said, "We look forward to the weeks ahead and learning more on the intricate details of their proposal. The MGE team recognizes the value of our community and our goals and objectives for economic development. That is a great place to start these discussions."
MGE will have to win approval from O'Brien and the city council before development plans go to a citywide referendum.
The 14-acre Madison Street property has been the source of speculation of a slots parlor since the beginning of the year when Cambridge-based developer Richard L. Friedman expressed interest in the site and Carpenter Worcester Associates, a subsidiary of Friedman's Carpenter & Co., signed a long-term agreement with Wyman-Gordon to have the option to build on the property. Earlier this year, Friedman, whose firm builds hotels, said he would seek a partnership with a casino developer.
The property hasn't been occupied by metal manufacturer Wyman-Gordon, a company now owned by Precision Castparts of Portand, Ore., for about a decade.
Ronnie Brooks, property and service manager for Wyman-Gordon's eastern division, said, "Wyman-Gordon is thrilled that this proposal will return Wyman-Gordon's now vacant site to productive reuse, benefiting Wyman-Gordon's neighbors and generating much needed revenue and jobs for Worcester."
He went on to say that it has long been the company's intention to ensure that the parcel would be "redeveloped as a central element contributing to the revitalization of the city."
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