BBJ: Mohegan, Suffolk Downs hold on to casino-bid hopes

Despite having their casino-development plans shot down at the polls on Election Day, the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority and Suffolk Downs are still struggling to hold on to their casino bids in Palmer and East Boston, respectively. Above, an artist's rendering of Suffolk Down's proposed $1 billion resort casino at its racetrack on the East Boston-Revere border. / COURTESY SUFFOLK DOWNS
Despite having their casino-development plans shot down at the polls on Election Day, the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority and Suffolk Downs are still struggling to hold on to their casino bids in Palmer and East Boston, respectively. Above, an artist's rendering of Suffolk Down's proposed $1 billion resort casino at its racetrack on the East Boston-Revere border. / COURTESY SUFFOLK DOWNS

BOSTON – Residents of Palmer and East Boston, Mass., voted on Election Day to reject proposed casinos in the two towns, but the developers – the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority and Suffolk Downs – won’t give up without a fight, the Boston Business Journal reported Sunday.

Mohegan has called for a recount of the vote to reject its casino-development project in Palmer, which was quashed by a margin of fewer than 100 votes. Representatives of Mohegan said they are concerned about voting irregularities related to a potentially faulty machine.

Meanwhile, Suffolk Downs must rework its plan to build a casino on the racecourse straddling the East Boston-Revere border, after the project failed to garner support among voters in East Boston.

Both Mohegan and Suffolk Downs face the looming Dec. 31 deadline set by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission to file a formal plan.

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Even if a vote recount in Palmer is resolved in Mohegan’s favor, the developer may still have to compete with MGM – whose plans for a casino in Springfield received voter approval – for the sole casino license allocated for western Massachusetts, the BBJ said.

For Suffolk Downs to stay in the game, the company must draw up a new plan to position the casino only on the Revere side of the property – where a majority of voters approved the project – and find a new operator to replace Caesars Entertainment, which withdrew after meeting with resistance from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission during the background check.

If Suffolk Downs is able to submit a modified proposal before the deadline, it will compete with Wynn Resorts Ltd. and Foxwoods affiliate Crossroads Massachusetts LLC for the sole Boston-area gaming license.

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