Yet Another Massachusetts Casino Proposal Rejected

Foxwoods has become the latest casino company to see their Massachusetts proposal rejected by the local populace, following in the footsteps of competitors Suffolk Downs and Mohegan Sun. The latest gambling news to come out of the US state puts almost double the amount of votes against the proposal as for.

It’s a slap in the face for the operator as they were looking to expand their reach, as Milford residents firmly closed the door on any new casino projects in their town. With American gambling laws placing power in the hands of residents when it comes to casino projects, the anti-casino group Casino-Free-Milford gained a lot of popular support for its stance against this latest proposal.

Co-chair of Casino-Free-Milford, John Seaver, said: ‘‘They wanted to come in and call the shots, and they almost did. But the people rose up, pushed back and overwhelmingly said this town is not for sale.’’

Despite this latest setback, it seems there will be a new casino in Massachusetts, just not in either Milford or Revere. Wynn Resorts saw their proposal approved by voters in Everett, but they have also fallen afoul of the state regulators. MGM Resorts also stand a chance of pocketing one of the sought after licenses.

Meanwhile, online casinos in America are likely to change the approach of gamblers, as New Jersey prepares to become the 3rd state to allow online gambling. However, the US government has made sure that any online casinos will not impact land based casino revenues in neighboring states, by limiting online gambling to within state borders.

Next door, however, is New York state, and their plans for up to 7 new casinos could impact on Massachusetts gambling revenues. Although New Jersey are more worried about the move, the casinos will all be in upstate New York, closer to Massachusetts. The US gambling world awaits with baited breath.