(AP) – The state’s 2011 casino gambling law allows for three regional resort casino licenses and one slots parlor. After two years of twists and turns, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, the independent state agency overseeing the law, hopes to grant the slots parlor license in early 2014 and casino licenses in the eastern and western regions later in the year.
Here is a look at the status of each potential gambling license.
EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS (REGION A)
— WYNN RESORTS: Las Vegas casino operator Steve Wynn has proposed a $1.2 billion resort casino along the Mystic River in Everett, just outside of Boston. Wynn won overwhelming approval from the city’s voters in a June referendum. The commission has scheduled a suitability hearing on Dec. 16, when the results of the background check will be released. If the commission issues a positive suitability determination, Wynn would be cleared to submit a final application by Dec. 31.
— MOHEGAN SUN/SUFFOLK DOWNS: The casino law did not — and probably could not — anticipate all the unusual scenarios that could emerge from the casino approval process. One such unanticipated scenario occurred when a project proposed by Suffolk Downs that straddled the border of two communities was rejected by one — East Boston — and approved by the other — Revere. After the Nov. 5 results, Suffolk Downs announced its intention to build the casino entirely in Revere, and later selected Mohegan Sun to develop and operate the proposed facility. Now, the commission is weighing several questions as it decides whether the revised plan is permissible under the law.
Eliminated: Voters in Milford rejected a referendum proposed by Foxwoods-led Crossroads Massachusetts.
WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS (REGION B)
— MGM RESORTS INTERNATIONAL: MGM, owner of prominent Las Vegas properties including Bellagio, MGM Grand and The Mirage, has proposed a $1 billion resort casino for downtown Springfield, the largest city in western Massachusetts. Voters approved the plan by 58-42 percent margin in July. The commission has scheduled a suitability hearing for MGM on Dec. 9, when the results of a background check on the company are scheduled to be released. If MGM receives a positive suitability finding, it will be in a position to file the first — and only — application for the western Massachusetts resort casino license by Dec. 31.
Eliminated: Casino proposals by Hard Rock in West Springfield and Mohegan Sun in Palmer were rejected by voters.
SOUTHEAST MASSACHUSETTS (REGION C)
— MASHPEE WAMPANOAG TRIBE: The casino law reserved southeast Massachusetts for a federally-recognized Native American tribe, though not in perpetuity. The Cape Cod-based tribe has proposed a $1 billion resort casino in Taunton, but a number of obstacles remain. The tribe must win a land-in-trust designation from the federal government that would allow the project to go forward. A U.S. Supreme Court ruling that limits the government’s taking of land into trust for tribes that were not under federal jurisdiction before 1934 (the Mashpee received federal recognition in 2007) could throw a legal cloud over the matter.
— KG URBAN ENTERPRISES: The company, which envisions a resort casino on the New Bedford waterfront, filed a preliminary application with the gaming commission after the panel voted to allow applications from commercial developers while continuing to monitor the progress of the Mashpee in its pursuit of a tribal casino. As a commercial applicant, KG would be required to negotiate a host community agreement with New Bedford officials, receive approval from voters, and clear a background check from the commission.
— WAMPANOAG TRIBE OF AQUINNAH: The Martha’s Vineyard-based tribe has called on Gov. Deval Patrick to enter into casino compact negotiations and sharply disagrees with the state’s long-held contention that the Aquinnah ceded their rights to gaming in a 1980s land settlement. Meanwhile, the tribe now claims it has federal approval to build a small “boutique” casino in a community center under construction on the island.
SLOTS PARLOR
— CORDISH COS.: The Baltimore-based company, doing business in Massachusetts as PPE Casino Resorts Ma., hopes to build a $200 million, 125,000-square foot facility with 1,250 slot machines near the intersection of Interstate 190 and state Route 117 in Leominster. About 63 percent of voters in a September referendum backed the plan.
— PENN NATIONAL GAMING: The company seeks to operate a facility with 1,250 slot machines at the Plainridge harness race track in the town of Plainville, near the Rhode Island border. Penn National took over the bid after the commission disqualified the track’s owner, Ourway Realty, after a background check turned up financial improprieties involving a former executive. More than three quarters of Plainville voters backed the proposed slots parlor in a September referendum.
— RAYNHAM PARK: Longtime Raynham Park operator George Carney has partnered with Greenwood Racing for a $168 million slots parlor at the one-time dog racing track. Carney has said that Raynham would apply for 40 days of harness racing in Brockton if it won the slots license and Plainridge, the only current harness track in Massachusetts, subsequently shut down. Voters in Raynham backed the proposed slots parlor by a better than 6-1 margin in a September referendum.
