Inept panel lets Vegas titans call the shots
The Gaming Commission gambled on two Las Vegas giants — Wynn Resorts and MGM — and Massachusetts lost.
Wynn lied to the commonwealth of Massachusetts to get its license when it failed to disclose a raft of sexualharassment claims against former chairman Steve Wynn. It was rewarded for duping the regulators with a slap-on-the-wrist fine of $35 million — a pittance. But probably fearing the legal consequences of staying in this market when its license is being challenged in court by competitors, Wynn disclosed last week it is in talks to sell to MGM. To cut its losses, and probably still walk away with a profit on its investment. It’s a Wynn win.
Meanwhile, the two New England bidders, Suffolk Downs and Mohegan Sun, have been cut out entirely.
As many as 5,000 jobs are in jeopardy in Everett, and the future is now uncertain in Springfield, as the Gaming Commission has abdicated its stewardship of casinos in Massachusetts to a pair of Las Vegas operators.
The Everett casino could face uncertainty for years with the threat of lawsuits — long after a backroom deal has let Wynn walk away.
Springfield, meanwhile, finally got the opportunity to turn around in the last year since the MGM casino opened, with acts like Cher performing there.
The western Massachusetts city’s unemployment rate at 3.8% is not too far off from the state’s 3 percent. Just a few years ago it was closer to 9%, and it is all about casino-related jobs. The fear for Springfield is that some smaller, lesserknown casino group will buy the license. The allure will be gone — that MGM logo on the Green Monster at Fenway won’t be a lure to go to Springfield anymore — and big acts won’t be drawing crowds westward. Because state law allows only one license per casino company, MGM can’t have casinos in Everett and Springfield.
Massachusetts has been gamed. An inept Gaming Commission allowed it. The commissioners need to make things right, shut down this backroom deal, and reopen bidding for the Boston-area license. Let Wynn pay its $35 million fine or appeal it. Put that money toward unemployment benefits and retraining for those casino workers, if they need it. And let Wynn, which deceived the commonwealth of Massachusetts and this bungling board, sell that big, cheesy gold-colored monstrosity to whomever will buy it. Maybe even the bid-winner, at pennies on the dollar.