Mass. Gambling: Where Things Stand

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Credit wuestenigel / Flickr Creative Commons

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The state passed a law last year that provides for up to three casinos and one slots-only license. Each casino license is designated for one area of the state: Greater Boston, Western Massachusetts and Southern Massachusetts. The license in Southeastern Massachusetts also provides special consideration for a tribal gambling facility. The law also created a gaming commission to control the granting of the licenses and create regulations to oversee the industry. Jan. 15 is the deadline for potential casino developers to submit their proposals, along with a required $400,000 application fee.

Southeastern Massachusetts

• The Mashpee Wampanoag tribe and state officials are negotiating another compact for a proposed casino in Taunton after federal officials rejected a previous one on grounds that it was unfavorable to the tribe.
•  The rejected compact called for the tribe to pay 21.5 percent of its gambling revenue to the state for rights to operate a casino.

Greater Boston

• Las Vegas casino developer Steve Wynn is looking to build at the former Monsanto Chemical site in Everett. He visited the site Wednesday.
• Wynn pursued a $1 billion casino plan in Foxborough earlier this year but failed to win over local voters.
• Suffolk Downs is the only other formal applicant for a casino license in the Greater Boston area. In June, Caesars Entertainment unveiled a $1 billion casino proposal to be located at Suffolk Downs. Boston Mayor Tom Menino has aggressively supported locating a casino at Suffolk Downs.

Western Massachusetts

• At least five developers are vying for the available casino license in Western Massachusetts: three in Springfield, one in Palmer and one in Holyoke.
• Holyoke mayor Adam Morse, who was elected on an anti-casino platform, has flipped on his position and is in talks with developers to place a gambling facility in the city.