Massachusetts: Bluhm, Penn pounce; Galaxy gets bounced

From the You Read It Here First file, yes, it’s indeed true that Neil Bluhm‘s Rush Street Gaming is descending upon the town of Millbury as its next prospective site for a slot parlor. Bluhm surrogate Greg Carlin says the company is “bullish” on Millbury … just as it was bullish on Worcester a few weeks ago. The operative question is whether Millbury is bullish on Bluhm. The project will be budgeted at an ROI-friendly $200 million. Both Rush Street and Cordish Gaming have received clean bills of health from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. What would have been surprising is if Penn National Gaming had simply walked away from the Bay State. Not to worry: Penn’s getting into the slot-parlor derby, in Tewksbury, right on New Hampshire‘s threshold, between Lowell and Lawrence. It’s also budgeting $200 million for its slot house. Time is of the essence for all three companies, which have less than a month to hammer out host-community agreements and get them before the voters by the Oct. 4 deadline, and already rivals such as Parx Raynham are well out in front.

That long-in-gestation deal between Richard Fields, sidekick Gary Loveman and the city fathers of East Boston may be reaching consummation soon. Among Suffolk Downs‘ selling points is “payments to Boston dwarfing the $25 million annually that a rival developer, Wynn Resorts, has agreed to pay to Everett.” I can’t speak to Fields, but Loveman must be desperate if he’s giving away the store just to get into the Boston market.

He’s outta there: It’s a good thing that Galaxy Gaming picked up a contract to supply its products Harrah’s Cherokee because it can wave California goodbye. The California Gambling Control Commission voted unanimously that both Galaxy and its CEO, Robert Saucier, were “unsuitable” to do business in the Golden State. Since Galaxy is headquartered in Las Vegas, action from the Nevada Gaming Control Board might be expected, but I rather doubt that anything will be done.

Years of neglect appear to catching up with at least one Caesars Entertainment property. The Flamingo Las Vegas has had to close its food court and a number of hotel rooms due to unspecified plumbing problems. Some friends of ours recently stayed at Paris-Las Vegas and their room looked outdated, almost antiquated. Particularly inane was the decision to hang the flat-screen TV in a spot where it couldn’t be seen from the bed. Nice work, guys.