In the US, it seems Suffolk Downs will still be without an operator when East Boston residents vote on its proposed casino on Tuesday.
Suffolk Downs officials told the Massachusetts Gaming Commission that they are in talks with several operators to replace former partner Caesars, but might not have one in place by Tuesday.
Voters in East Boston and in Revere will decide in separate referendums whether to okay Suffolk Downs’ $1bn project. Caesars dropped out of the project after gaming regulators said it may not be found suitable for licensing, an action that has brought reaction ranging from disbelief to Caesars publicly rebuking the commission.
The confusion over not having a partner could affect the public’s opinions in the final days prior to the referendum. Anti-gamers in East Boston say their polling shows opinions are now split about 40 to 40 per cent and that the number of undecided voters has jumped from 10 to 20 per cent and over 30 per cent in some precincts.
Among the companies rumored to be in talks with Suffolk Downs are Hard Rock and Neil Bluhm’s Rush Street Gaming, both of which lost their respective host community referendums earlier this year in other parts of the state.
Suffolk is competing for the licence against Wynn and a group of investors with Foxwoods as their casino partner.
Source: Fantini’s Gaming Report.
