Supporters of the Brockton casino proposal pointed out that the potential gambling facility would draw more visitors from Boston than the New Bedford project, due to the city’s close proximity to the Massachusetts’ capital.
Currently, the two cities are competing for the sole casino license for Southeastern Massachusetts. The state Gaming Commission is expected to announce its final decision on which one of the two bidders would be backed by the end of this year or early in 2016.
If Brockton is the chosen one, the city would host a $650-million casino resort on its Fairgrounds. Jack Yunits, former Brockton Mayor and lawyer for George Carney, the owner of the site where the property is to be located, commented that the city would most definitely generate higher revenue for the state. Mr. Yunits pointed to the fact that if built, the casino would be only 21 miles away from the capital of Massachusetts.
To be more precise, the Brockton venue’s location is 24 miles away from downtown Boston. However, New Bedford’s Cottage Street, which is to host the other proposed casino, is 59 miles away from Massachusetts’ largest city.
Mass Gaming & Entertainment, known to be an affiliate of Chicago-based gambling operator Rush Street Gaming, is in charge of the $650-million project for a casino on the Brockton Fairgrounds.
As for the New Bedford casino bid, it is backed by New York-based developer KG Urban Enterprises. This project, too, was estimated to cost about $650 million.
The upcoming weeks would be quite important for the two developers. They would need to present certain casino-related studies, economic assessments included, to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission as part of the application process. The two companies have until September 30 to complete their applications to the state gambling regulator.
Commissioners have previously pointed out that they would evaluate the two proposals on five main criteria – general overview of the projects, how those would be financed, their potential contribution to the overall economic development, their design, and last but not least, mitigation efforts.
According to Mr. Yunits, the construction of a Wynn Resorts casino on the Everett waterfront, a city located not far from Boston, should not be seen as a liability to their own project. He noted that they expect to attract visitors from Boston’s southern end as well as from Quincy.
Commenting on the New Bedford proposal, Mr. Yunits said that it is a wonderful project. Yet, he pointed out that Mass Gaming & Entertainment would not focus on its rival. It would rather pay more special attention to its own proposal.
