[This story has been updated to reflect the commission’s final vote Wednesday morning]
The Mohegan Tribe of Uncasville lost out on its bid for a Greater Boston casino license, as the Massachusetts Gaming Commission voted unanimously Wednesday morning to award the sole license to the rival proposal made by Wynn Resorts.
Commissioners voted 3-1 in a preliminary tally Tuesday, but took a final vote of 4-0 this morning, according to the commission.
The Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority had proposed a $1.3 billion casino at Suffolk Downs in Revere while Wynn offered a $1.6 billion casino in nearby Everett. The Mohegan casino was expected to create 4,000 permanent jobs and 2,500 construction jobs, and Wynn is expected to generate 3,287 permanent full-time equivalent jobs, according to recent filings by each.
The Mohegans were one of the first casino operators to advocate for casino gambling in Massachusetts, which was approved in 2011. The tribe had planned on putting a casino in the western region of the state in Palmer, but voters in that city rejected the proposal. The tribe then shifted its focus to Revere in hopes of landing the sole license for Greater Boston.
“We are extremely disappointed in today’s decision,” said Mitchell Etess, MTGA CEO, in a released statement Tuesday. “Mohegan Sun has worked incredibly hard to develop a comprehensive proposal that will deliver the most economic development and revenue for the Commonwealth. We have worked cooperatively with our thirteen host and surrounding communities, met or exceeded all of the Commission’s conditions and believe we are the best choice for the Commonwealth’s flagship casino.”
There are five members of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, but the chairman did not vote in the matter as he had ties a landowner involved in the Everett proposal.
The loss of the Boston casino license will put a further strain on the Mohegan’s Connecticut casino in Uncasville. Where it once held a duopoly in the Northeast with Foxwoods Resort Casino, it must now compete with three resort casinos in Massachusetts, along with one slots parlor. MGM Grand has been awarded a license to operate a casino in Springfield, which is less than 30 minutes from Hartford. New York and Rhode Island also are developing casinos.
The matter may not be entirely over for the Mohegans, though. Massachusetts voters will decide on Nov. 4 whether or not to repeal the resort casino law, meaning none of the approved casinos can proceed.
Regardless, the horse track Suffolk Downs will not get a casino. Its COO Chip Tuttle said after the gaming commission cast its vote Tuesday that the 79-year-old facility would likely close down.
