Casino Stalker | Connecticut

Non-Indian firm that beat out Mohegan Tribe puts casino on hold

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Artist's rendering of the Wynn Everett casino in Everett, Massachusetts. Image from Facebook

Wynn Resorts, a company owned by billionaire Steve Wynn, has put its commercial casino project in Massachusetts on hold due to pending litigation.

The company planned to break ground on the $1.7 billion project in Everett this spring. But construction work, job fairs and other activities have been canceled amid a legal challenge from a neighboring city.

"We can't put a shovel in the ground to build until a final conclusion is reached," Wynn Everett President Robert DeSalvio said at a press conference on Wednesday, the Associated Press reported.

Wynn Everett won the sole casino license for the eastern region of Massachusetts. The company beat out the Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut, whose leaders planned a $1 billion casino in Revere.

The Mohegans also tried for a license in the western part of the state but voters rejected the idea so the project did not advance. MGM Resorts International, a non-Indian company, won the license and is building a $950 million commercial casino in Springfield, just across the state line.

In response to the competition from Massachusetts, the Mohegans have teamed up with the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation to build a third, jointly-operated casino in Connecticut. The tribes are considering four sites in three communities and will have to seek approval from the Legislature once they select a host.