“At this point, most people [in the industry] believe that Suffolk Downs has it locked up,’’ said Roger Gros, publisher of Global Gaming Business, a trade magazine that covers casino gambling. “That’s pretty much the opinion right now, that they’ve got it.’’
The head of the state’s gambling commission is adamant that the process will be open and fair, and that any assumptions about Suffolk Downs are completely unfounded.
But the sense of inevitability has been enough to give pause to casino mogul Sheldon Adelson. The Boston-born chief executive of Las Vegas Sands and the 16th-richest person in the world, according to Forbes Magazine, is hesitant to bid for a casino in his native state because he believes that the fix is in for Suffolk Downs, the billionaire told Global Gaming Business for a December article.
The perception that the competition is over before it even formally begins runs contrary to the intention of the state’s new casino gambling law, which was designed to promote competition among developers in three geographic regions of the state, in order to attract the most lucrative and innovative projects.
In the western region, the law has had its intended effect.
At least five casino companies are competing, or expected to compete, for development rights to a casino in Western Massachusetts. Mohegan Sun, MGM Resorts, and Ameristar have each chosen locations in that region, while Hard Rock International and Penn National Gaming are tentatively linked to Western Massachusetts sites.
But in the region covering Greater Boston and Worcester, Suffolk Downs and its partner, Caesars Entertainment, currently face just the Wynn proposal, pitched for land in Foxborough owned by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
“Wynn always goes against [conventional wisdom], so I wasn’t surprised to see him jump in with Kraft,’’ said Gros. “He dances to his own tune, that’s for sure.’’
Although several landowners in the eastern region are publicly marketing their sites for casinos, no other gambling company has joined Wynn in public competition against Suffolk Downs.
