Did anyone envision a scenario whereby all three of Massachusetts‘ casinos could be tribally owned? It could happen. Leaving aside the chance of expanded gambling in Connecticut, the prospect that MGM Resorts International will be weighed in the balance and found wanting now seems very real. I could make the case for why MGM deserves a second chance (and have done so vis-a-vis New Jersey) but Pansy Ho is still a minority shareholder in MGM Grand Paradise and isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. That alone could sink MGM’s chances, never mind how MGM got into the Macanese market. Neither it nor Wynn Resorts is going to give up Macao for Massachusetts, although the metaphorical dossier against either company is slimmer than that against Caesars Entertainment was.
Bay State regulators’ goal is to have scrutiny “more rigorous at every level than any other jurisdiction in the United States,” according to Massachusetts Gaming Commission Chairman Stephen Crosby, challenging the regulatory cojones of Nevada and New Jersey. Now, while it is sadly unrealistic to expect driven-snow purity in the business world, it’s a vexing question at just how much misbehavior one should wink. (Asked Crosby, “What if the laws in Macao permit things the laws in Massachusetts would not permit?“)
Wynn Resorts would seem to have the least — some squabbles with Kazuo Okada excepted — to fear. Yet Steve Wynn has already publicly bridled at the scrutiny and gotten Crosby’s back up: “The law makes it clear the burden is their burden to prove that they are suitable. That’s the world Steve Wynn lives in. He is going to have to comply with our standards and he is entitled to his own opinions about what we are doing.”
By comparison, Mohegan Sun‘s biggest issues are traffic volume and water usage. Neither Crosby nor his fellows on the MGC are supposed to 
have a dog in the fight. However, if MGM is disallowed, the commission could always choose Cordish Gaming‘s Leominster slot parlor — on the grounds that it will yield the greatest tax benefit, as appears will be the case — opening the door for Penn National to resume its courtship of Springfield, then choose between it and the Mohegans in April. The southeast region, meanwhile, has yet to draw a marquee-name developer. There are certain to be jilted suitors in Massachusetts, but I see no reason that state-approved players like Penn, Mohegan, Cordish and Greenwood Racing should be left on the outside looking in.
Although MGM and Foxwoods are not directly competing in Massachusetts, the MGM moniker is coming off Foxwoods Resorts Casino. CEO Scott “Woody” Butera had to go out and spin this as a positive development. Uh huh.
I don’t know if Caesars’ Britney Spears production show will be a success. But it’s certain to drive off Planet Hollywood‘s vast Somali player base.
