Casino contest takes another step

Monday was deadline day for two casino applicants in southeastern Massachusetts—one in New Bedford, one in Somerset—to file their financial plans with the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. Both had previously missed a deadline back in March, but were granted an extension by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.

The New Bedford applicant submitted letters indicating it had secured the financing for its project; Somerset’s has asked for another extension (which, if granted, would be the third this year).

A third proposal in the region, in Brockton, got its full application in to the gaming board back in January.

The Somerset extension request will be reviewed by the gaming board at a future meeting. It may be a tough sell. In March, when the gaming board granted the latest extension to the Somerset and New Bedford projects, some of its members said they would have been less likely to grant the Somerset extension if they weren’t also giving one to the New Bedford project, which had shown more progress in getting its plans together.

The gaming board will also consider the financing paperwork submitted Monday for the New Bedford project at a future meeting. Should he board give the OK, the project will join Brockton in facing the next hurdle for the license: a local referendum, as required by the state’s casino law. Brockton voters will decide whether to host its planned casino on May 12. New Bedford voters will head to the polls on June 23. (Somerset has not scheduled a referendum.)

Here are the basics on the three proposals:

Brockton: The casino is being pushed by Mass Gaming & Entertainment, a subsidiary of Rush Street Gaming. It would be built on the Brockton Fair Grounds property owned by George Carney, who previously tried to get a slots parlor license at Raynham Park, which he also owned. The city of Brockton would be paid $10 million per year as part of the deal.

New Bedford: Development company KG Urban has partnered withFoxwoods, which would operate a waterfront casino in the city. The casino would pay the city $12.5 million per year. KG Urban announced Monday that it has brought on former Foxwoods CEO Scott Butera, who now runs the Arena Football League, as a partner. (Another sports exec—former NBA commissioner David Stern—is also involved, acting as one of the project’s legal reps.)

Somerset: Developer Crossroads Massachusetts, which had previously tried to partner with Foxwoods to build a casino in Milford before being shot down by voters in 2013, hopes to put a casino on town-owned land in the Fall River suburb.

Whoever winds up with the license will compete with the gambling market in Rhode Island, which includes a casino with table games in Lincoln, and a slots parlor in Newport. The Newport establishment wants to move to Tiverton, where it would expand to include full table games, like blackjack. If it did, it would be even closer to the Massachusetts border—and within a half hour of either New Bedford or Somerset.