Voters defeated an East Boston casino bid, although the project could still get up in Revere. (Image source: hideseekmedia.com)
Casino opponents in East Boston had been hoping for the victory on Tuesday, and bracing by themselves for what they thought was a likely loss. Instead, they quickly found away that a landslide was being faced by them but one in their favor.
Surprising Beat
Voters in East Boston rejected a proposed casino at the Suffolk Downs race track, ending what had been a remarkably contentious battle over the gambling venue that is potential. In line with the results that are unofficial 56 per cent of East Boston voters arrived on the scene against the casino, with just 44 percent supporting it. That came as a shock if perhaps not a shock that is total many of the casino’s biggest opponents.
‘We’re completely elated and impressed by the resounding that is loud’ the folks of East Boston gave to the casino developers,’ stated Celeste Myers, co-chairwoman for No Eastie Casino. ‘we came into the day bracing myself and talking myself into being content by having a loss… that is modest had no reason to expect that we would understand a win, much less a win of this nature.’
It’s possible that the turning point in the race came when Suffolk Downs dropped Caesars Entertainment as being a partner on the casino project after the Massachusetts Gaming Commission expressed concerns over the company‘s involvement. Soon after that occurred, anti-casino groups claimed that their interior polling revealed a rise that is sharp the number of undecided voters, and that the battle itself was about even.
Suffolk Downs said that their polling showed better numbers, and them of the potential benefits the casino could bring to the community that they would be able to persuade undecideds by reminding. Nevertheless the total results would recommend that those undecideds mainly changed into ‘no’ votes, ultimately dooming the task.
Could Move Project to Revere
In accordance with Suffolk Downs COO Chip Tuttle, the track will now reassess their plans. One possibility could be building a casino in the town that is neighboring of. Suffolk Downs’ proposed casino would straddle the East Boston/Revere line, and both communities were required to vote ‘yes’ on the task for the bid to proceed. While East Boston rejected the master plan, Revere effortlessly approved the casino, with 61 per cent of voters coming out meant for the plan. Nonetheless, it isn’t certain that the state gaming payment would support changing the casino to a site fully in Revere.
Whether or not the vote had gone Suffolk Downs’ way, that had been no guarantee that the casino might have been built. The track had been bidding for one of three casino licenses that were created by gambling legislation passed by the state in 2011. Each proposition must first be approved by the community or communities hosting it, after which must certanly be selected over other successful proposals in the same region for the sole license in that area of the state.
The Suffolk Downs proposal wasn’t the only casino vote in Massachusetts. A vote on whether to approve a Mohegan Sun casino project ended in a narrow defeat in the Western Massachusetts town of Palmer located about halfway between Springfield and Worcester. The proposal was defeated by only 93 votes a margin so narrow that Mohegan Sun is likely to request a recount out of over 5,200 votes.
Although the casino company may request a recount of all votes, they are particularly thinking about one specific precinct where a voting device reportedly jammed in the afternoon, causing some ballots to fall to the floor.
‘Because of technical problems with the voting machine in Precinct 2 which can be very troubling, we will be asking the Town of Palmer for the hand recount for the ballots in today’s election,’ said Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority executive that is chief Etess.
At least Caesars’ Gary Loveman need enjoyed a celebratory cocktail upon hearing the voting results, by having a little bit of a smirk, given his dis by the Massachusetts gaming payment recently huuuge log in.
Las vegas Casino Operators Bid Adieu to Witch Hunters of Massachusetts
Regulatory investigators or witch hunters? Several Las Vegas gaming operators are bailing from the Massachusetts commission’s scrutiny.
Many U.S. states, should they haven’t precisely copied the Nevada model to a ‘t’, have had success that is great and advertising land casinos that truly emulate the United states gambling mecca. But for some reason, Massachusetts can not quite get aided by the gambling paradigm; maybe it is the ghost of the Salem puritans, nevertheless lurking via regulators and commissioners, but in more contemporary garb.
Backing Out for the Game
What the Las Vegas casino industry initially bent over backwards to be a part of from Wynn Resorts to Caesars Entertainment to MGM Resorts International is seeing more and more attrition as industry moguls find the requirements and investigations of the Massachusetts regulatory powers to be bordering on ridiculous if you don’t, in reality, having crossed the border right into absurd.
So now two years following the East Coast state opened its doors to eager proposals from all the big industry players just for three casinos, one each in specific areas of the state the tides are turning, plus some of those players are thumbing their noses at the Mass. regulators, having a possible bird that is quietly flipped the table.
Hey, they’re not playing with kids right here.
The three distinct areas one in the west, one within the southeast, and one in the Boston area are looking less desirable to operators who, while well used to regulatory procedures, are maybe not about to own every crust of bread and cookie crumb they ever consumed examined by this band of commissioners to this level of minutiae. And just what started out as a predictably sluggish licensing process, has emerged as one that seems, to more than one candidate, interminable, and possibly not even worth enough time, money and scrutiny involved.
Just to catch you up, here’s where in actuality the initial players stay now: Caesars Entertainment Corp., after being maligned for an relationship with a project that is non-Massachusetts (Gansevoort Hotel Group) for that business’s third-party alleged connection with a few Russian mob numbers said ‘see ya’ to their prior $1 billion partnership with Suffolk Downs racetrack in Boston.
Steve Wynn all but destroyed it using the regulators a week before that when they made disparaging remarks about their Macau operations and insinuated Chinese crime boss ties in that arena. Wynn just about told the commissioners to take their casino and shove it, and many think he may soon cut his losses in the vast sums he’s already poured into a proposed $1.3 billion project in Everett outside of Boston, and say ‘kiss my assets goodbye.’
After Which There Is One
Sheldon Adelson’s Las Vegas Sands Corporation must have anticipated the Macau scrutiny, since they never even troubled to apply for the permit in Massachusetts. Therefore all that leaves is lone applicant MGM Resorts International, who are still vying to put their $800 million casino resort in Springfield, in the western element of hawaii; but town fathers seeing how a winds are blowing out of Las Vegas now are already nervously questioning who will require MGM’s spot if the state’s commissioners deem the casino operator to be not up to their rather-holy-for-the-gambling-industry standards.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission which was only thrown together a year ago is even getting criticism from a seemingly unlikely source: the Nevada Gaming Control Board. Nevada’s Board Chairman A.G. Burnett noted recently that their colleagues back East were utilizing investigators that are private conjure up ‘gotcha gaming regulation.’
‘We understand transactions and licensing agreements,’ Burnett said. ‘We know how the (Caesars-Gansevoort) relationship worked. Regulators need to be both reasonable and intelligent.’
So far, at the least, MGM Resorts Chairman Jim Murren is still being polite in regards to the Mass. Commission, claiming he is sure his outfit shall be found suitable for the Springfield project. But offered the commission’s current history, it’s anyone guess if Murren’s enthusiasm will hold up.
‘ We now have complied with every thing they have asked of us,’ Murren stated. ‘Our reaction to the RFP will be about a thousand pages. At the end of day, whenever you examine all the facts, we see no reason why we won’t be found suitable.’
Of course, Caesars’ Gary Loveman and Wynn’s Wynn additionally saw no good reason they wouldn’t be located suitable, until recently. And also Murren admits, there have been some curve balls thrown in this move East.
WSOP 2013 Main Event Final Table Commences Tonight
Opting for the gold: the November Nine of this World number of Poker will be ready to do battle for the bracelet. (Image source: ESPN)
Every member of this World Series of Poker’s (WSOP) November Nine has already won a life-changing sum of money; now, certainly one of them will carry on to become a poker legend. The nine players still alive in the WSOP Main Event comes right back tonight to play for a prize that is top of8.3 million, as well as the right to call themselves poker’s World Champion for 2013.
Bringing It to the Table
Needless to say, even getting to this point is a shot that is extremely long some huge rewards. Every one of the nine staying players has used a mix of great skill and luck that is timely outlast the first field of 6,352 players, each of who pay a $10,000 entry fee (or won a satellite tournament to earn a seat). And just for making the final table, they’ve all earned at least $733,224 before a chip moves tonight.
While all the nine players left in the hunt is dreaming about winning the gem-encrusted gold bracelet, they’re perhaps not all to arrive with an equal possibility to achieve that goal. You can find always chip leaders, but this year views a number of the largest stacks also belonging to some of the biggest names at the table, making overtaking them appear to be an even more task that is daunting.
the leaderboard is poker legend J.C. Tran, who holds 38 million in chips. Tran already has two WSOP bracelets on his resume, and also a global World Poker Tour (WPT) championship and wins in PokerStar’s World Championship of on-line Poker. With all the many chips, the most experience, and the absolute most success in his career, Tran comes into the final dining table as the overwhelming favorite.
But he’s not the only player to watch. In second place is Amir Lehavot, a WSOP bracelet winner who is fairly new to poker. The Israeli-born player that is professional only been in the overall game since 2007, but has recently established himself as a fierce competitor with over $2.3 million in tournament cashes in his brief job.
Many Success Tales Fulfilling for Battle
There are other famous faces at the final dining table as well. Mark Newhouse hasn’t been in the limelight much during the last years that are few but he does have a WPT championship on their application and includes a history of high-stakes success. David Benefield is best known for being one of the online that is first legends, playing under the name ‘Raptor’ in the beginning of Internet poker. Newhouse and Benefield would be the two shortest piles at the last table, but either one could get back into the game having a timely double-up.
The middle positions at the final table have plenty of stories to share as well in between those two extremes. Marc-Etienne McLaughlin has finished into the top 100 associated with the WSOP Main Event three times in the last five years. Jay Farber is a famous face in the nevada nightlife industry. Ryan Riess is available in as the player that is youngest at just 23 yrs . old, while Sylvain Loosli and Michiel Brummelhuis are well-known in Europe, but could be worldwide stars having a WSOP victory.
One thing’s for yes: at the end of final dining table play, one of these simple nine players will add their name towards the immortal list of players whom hold the most prestigious name in poker. Live coverage will be available on ESPN systems in a lot of countries across the world, in addition to on WSOP.com, and we will be bringing you updates that are regular as well.
