Genting courts skeptics; Mohegan Sun wants a refund

Genting Group may be in for some rough sledding in its pursuit of a casino resort in Tuxedo, New York. Genting would demolish Tuxedo Ridge Ski Center and replace it with an extensive, Edwardian-style resort. Skiing would still be part of the mix, along with “snow tubing, toboggan runs, ice skating rinks and other winter activities.” It’s also promised to keep the New York Renaissance Faire going, too. As with all the major players in the Empire State casino derby, Genting is targeting Orange County, much-coveted for its proximity to New York City. However, Tuxedo is an affluent town, not much in need of an economic boost from a casino. Genting is trying to sweeten the pot by offering to build a long-deferred highway interchange, but those kinds of promises didn’t work for would-be casino developers in Massachusetts. Just ask Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods about that.

Mohegan Sun is lashing back at former Bay State partner Northeast Realty over the failure over a casino referendum. The tribal entity says it wants its money back: Some $22 million worth. It’s a mirror reflection of a lawsuit that Northeast unleashed when Mohegan Sun quickly partnered with Suffolk Downs after the defeat of its Palmer casino initiative. Both sides are accusing the other of breaching an exclusivity agreement. The Mohegans assert that Northeast’s Leon Dragone had optioned land in New Bedford and was playing footsie with casino interests there. Dragone is also faulted for running an independent campaign for the Palmer referendum, uncoordinated with Mohegan Sun’s efforts. Northeast Realty’s answer was terse: “Blaming others for their failures is a typical Mohegan Sun . . . response.”

Lawrence Ho‘s reach continues to encircle the globe. His Melco International Development has inked a pact in Spain to manage one or more casinos. The gambling hall(s) will be part of Barcelona-area BCN Dream development. The latter will include 5,000 residential units of some type, twice that number of hotel rooms, plus a convention center … not that Ho has to worry about any of that, just the casino. He’s also ramping up his ownership to a controlling stake in a Vladivostok casino project. His Chinese lottery business, MelcoLot, and ski-resort company, Mountain China Resorts, are coming off sub-optimal years, but Ho has fingers in many other pies, too, including projects in the Philippines and Cambodia. He’s one busy fellow.