The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) has put talks on the proposed $700 million casino in Brockton, Massachusetts on hold as the state prepares for the opening of MGM Springfield.
Mass Gaming & Entertainment (MGE) recently asked the MGC to take a second look at the casino proposal that was rejected two years ago, according to MassLive.com.
In 2016, the MGC voted against awarding MGE a resort casino license, citing market saturation concerns.
This time around, MGG Chairman Stephen Crosby deferred the review on the Brockton casino proposal simply because the regulator is too busy to tackle the issue.
The MGC has its hands full overseeing both the opening of MGM Resorts’ Springfield casino and the construction of Wynn Resorts’ Encore Boston Harbor. If MGE can wait, Crosby said the state regulator may hear its request in September.
In its request, MGE pointed out the state’s southeastern region remains without a casino. A rival casino proposal in the Taunton area by the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe has been hounded by litigation and federal legislative issues.
MGE reminded the MGC that the state’s gaming law permits the presence of three casinos in Massachusetts, including in the state’s southeastern region where Brockton is located. The state has already approved two casinos in Boston and Springfield.
The casino operator further contends that allowing the Brockton casino to open will translate to over $100 million dollars in the Commonwealth’s coffers, as well as provide thousands of jobs for Massachusetts residents.
MGE expressed optimism that the regulator will hear its plea and grant its request “without further delay.”
“Reconsideration of MG&E’s application is not just the right thing to do for the Southeast region of the Commonwealth, it also is the legal thing to do,” MGE said in its petition, according to the news outlet.
