Milford In The Running For Casino; Worcester Slot Prospects Murky
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This rendering from Crossroads Massachusetts and Warner Gaming shows what a potential resort casino could like like in Milford. Developer David Nunes submitted a $400,000 application fee to the state on Tuesday.
Developer David Nunes was one of several aspiring casino developers to pay a $400,000 application fee to the state just before Tuesday's 5 p.m. deadline, according to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.
Nunes, who has been public about his pursuit of a Milford site since 2009, heads Crossroads Massachusetts LLC, which is partnering with Las Vegas-based Warner Gaming LLC, according to the commission. The group will pursue one of three resort-casino licenses authorized by the Expanded Gaming Act in 2011.
Crossroads is one of three entities that made the cut to pursue the eastern region license, which includes Worcester. The others are Suffolk Downs in East Boston and casino magnate Steve Wynn, who is pursuing a site in Everett.
Less than 24 hours after the application deadline, Worcester's prospects for a slot parlor remain murky, but there is interest, Boston-based hotel developer Richard Friedman reiterated to City Manager Michael O'Brien yesterday.
In a Jan. 15 memo O'Brien shared with city councilors, Friedman wrote that he has had "a serious long term interest in developing a luxury hotel in Worcester."
"We are not a gaming facility developer or operator and do not intend to become one," Friedman wrote. "We are, however, interested in exploring how a gaming facility in Worcester would help the development and operations of a new hotel."
Friedman said he has obtained a long-term option on a 14-acre Wyman Gordon parcel near Kelley Square, a property that he said is "under consideration for gaming use by one or more highly qualified gaming companies who have submitted their qualifications and their application fees" to the gaming commission.
Though he did not say, it is possible Friedman is working with two applicants who have not specified what type of license they are seeking or for what locations.
They include Mass Gaming & Entertainment LLC, which is partnering with Rush Street Gaming, developer of casinos in Niagara Falls, Philadelphia, Missouri and other locations; and PPE Casino Resorts, which is affiliated with the Cordish Companies, which developed two Hard Rock-themed hotels and casinos in Florida.
A slot parlor license would require the approval of O'Brien and the city council, which is exploring eminent domain options for the Wyman Gordon property. City residents would also have to approve the proposed use and location by way of a ballot vote.
If either PPE or Mass Gaming decided to pursue the sole slot parlor license, they would be competing with Plainridge Racecourse in Plainville and Raynham Park in Raynham.
The western region of the state has four competitors who have applied for casino licenses.
The gaming commission said it plans to issue the slot parlor license by the end of this year and the first casino license by Feb. 26, 2014.
Stephen Crosby, chairman of the state's gaming commission, said in an announcement that garnering a competitive field of applicants has been a priority for the commission.
"The gaming commission has vigorously carried that charge forward resulting in the achievement of a gaming competition that is robust and primed to obtain (the) absolute maximum benefits in job creation and economic growth to the residents of the commonwealth," Crosby said.
The commission will start background investigations of the applicants immediately, it said. Suitable applicants must meet "high standards for character, honesty, integrity and financial suitability."
The commission will release a set of regulations this summer focusing on specific site plans.
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