Last Friday, Matthew Beaton, the Secretary for Energy and Environmental Affairs, questioned the environmental consequences the construction of the Everett casino would have.
Back in 2014, Massachusetts gambling officials gave their consent to the establishment of a casino in the vicinity of Boston.
Wynn Resorts, the company that is in charge of the project, has already faced several setbacks and now it seems the casino completion would be further delayed and it is likely to open doors for visitors in the second half of 2018.
Mr. Beaton raised the question about the traffic plans and the purchase of MBTA land, and requested those two to be further reviewed. He also required Wynn officials to submit a new, enhanced environmental impact report.
Representatives of Wynn Resorts took imminent actions towards figuring out the issues and announced that they will provide an effective solution as soon as possible.
Robert DeSalvio, the President of Wynn Everett, was reached for a comment and said that company executives were “committed to expeditiously respond to Secretary Beaton’s comments”.
It is important to note that the predecessor of Mr. Beaton did not find any irregularities back in 2014. However, Wynn was not legally allowed to acquire the MBTA land before getting Mr. Beaton’s approval. The secretary proposed the land to be put in escrow for two months after the issue of a final certificate. After that, Wynn Resorts can purchase it for the amount of $6 million and invest $1.6 billion into the Everett casino.
Another issue raised by Secretary Beaton was the fact that Wynn purchased the MBTA land in February. At that time, the MEPA review had not been finalized so he demanded a reasonable explanation to be given along with the new report submission. In addition, Wynn representatives have to enclose a solution for the traffic issues that would inevitably arise once the casino starts accepting players.
The reason why this issue was brought back on the agenda was the request made by Mayor Daniel Rizzo a couple of days ago. He required the thorough investigation of the purchased land to renewed. Massachusetts Gaming Commission representatives also said that they are kept informed about the issue.
Wynn Everett is expected to be the most profitable casino in Massachusetts. Its opening date was set for the end of 2017 but as reported, the aforementioned investigations may cause further delays.
Meanwhile, the first slot parlor in the state will open in June, the construction of the MGM property in Western Massachusetts is already in progress and officials in the southeastern part of the state insist a license to be issued to one of the applicants as soon as possible.
