It was announced that Wynn Resorts has cleared yet another administrative hurdle, related to the construction of the luxurious casino resort in Massachusetts. The members of the MassGaming Commission have just approved an agreement proposed by the company-developer and the city of Boston.
The agreement put an end to the conflict between Steve Wynn and Marty Walsh – the Mayor of Boston. Those who keep themselves informed about the matter know that Walsh disapproved of the decision of the MassGaming Commission to award a license to Wynn. He also claimed that the casino is to have a serious impact on Boston and therefore, the city had to receive “host community status”.
The executive director of the Gaming Commission was reached for a comment and defined the agreement that grants Boston a “surrounding community” status, “a treaty”.
The casino resort is to be built along the Mystic River and its official opening is scheduled for the second half of 2018. MGM Springfield is also expected to open doors at the same time, which will inevitably lead to intensified competition.
Eugene O’Flaherty and Robert DeSalvio were among the notable attendees during the Gaming Commission meeting. Mr. O’Flaherty, a Boston corporation counsel, said that every milestone achieved by Wynn should be regarded as a success to the city of Boston and vice versa.
The agreement addresses one of the main concerns of local communities namely the traffic issues in the Charlestown neighborhood. Mr. O’Flaherty assured residents that a solution to the traffic matters for Sullivan Square and Rutherford Avenue has already been found and it is to be applied soon.
Enrique Zuniga, a Gaming Commissioner, was also optimistic about the project and said that according to him, this was a great development.
As soon as the Commission had approved the agreement, DeSalvio gave O’Flaherty a check worth $1 million, intended to serve as an upfront payment to the city. In point of fact, Wynn has repeatedly tried to make that upfront payment but it was held in escrow due to the legal issues that arose.
The aforementioned agreement was actually announced last Wednesday (January 27th) but it needed the final approval of the Gaming Commission. The agreement was reviewed by a total of four commissioners. Three of them approved and one abstained. As for the MassGaming Commission Chairman Stephen Crosby, he was on vacation and did not take part in the approval process.
