By Brian Hallenbeck Publication: theday.com Mohegan Sun executives told gaming regulators Wednesday that they could build a Greater Boston casino faster than their competition could erect one, immediately tap a database of millions of New England gamers and save the Suffolk Downs racetrack and the 1,400 jobs it sustains. In a 90-minute presentation timed to the second, the Mohegan Sun Massachusetts team touted its $1.4 billion proposal for the city of Revere, where the plan is subject to a Feb. 25 referendum vote. Mohegan Sun speakers referred only in passing to “the other applicant” for the one Greater Boston license the Massachusetts Gaming Commission is expected to award this spring. Later, gaming magnate Steve Wynn, the other applicant, scoffed at what he repeatedly referred to as “Suffolk Downs,” telling the commission his properties in Las Vegas and Macau, China, are recognized as the gaming industry’s best and vowing to duplicate their quality in the city of Everett, where he’s proposed a $1.6 billion casino. He derided the low-slung design of Mohegan Sun’s project and stressed his company’s financial strength and experience. “Our credentials are what’s important,” Wynn said near the end of a presentation that lasted slightly less than an hour. Commission members asked no questions of the applicants. Mitchell Etess, the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority’s chief executive officer, led Mohegan Sun’s presentation, which featured several video segments. Afterward, he said he thought the pitch went well.
Be sure to see Video clips of Presentation at: www.facebook.com/reverebeach
