{"id":12837,"date":"2014-02-25T12:56:36","date_gmt":"2014-02-25T20:56:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/?p=12837"},"modified":"2014-02-25T12:56:36","modified_gmt":"2014-02-25T20:56:36","slug":"penn-cordish-ready-to-rumble-in-massachusetts-new-york","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/penn-cordish-ready-to-rumble-in-massachusetts-new-york\/","title":{"rendered":"Penn, Cordish ready to rumble in Massachusetts, New York"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Mohegan<\/a>It seems just yesterday that applicants for slot parlor licensees were kicking the tires in Massachusetts<\/strong> and that Suffolk Downs<\/strong> threw its hat into the racino ring. And here we are today, with the Massachusetts Gaming Commission<\/strong> beginning deliberations<\/a> on the one slot-parlor license it will issue and with Revere<\/strong> holding a decisive vote on the Downs. The latter election will be decided by the ladies of Revere, pundits tell us. That’s not good news for the Downs or for would-be racino operator Mohegan Sun<\/strong>. In statewide polling, women hold casinos in disfavor. It also has an above-average number of registered Democrats, which is believed to compound the difficulty.<\/p>\n

Pro-casino lobbyist\u00a0Kathi-Anne Reinstein<\/strong> is considered a serious player in the outcome<\/a>. Her “support could help swing Revere PTO mothers interested in better schools to the ‘yes’ side. The promise of casino funds for Revere schools could be too strong for them to resist.\u00a0Likewise, Reinstein also has cachet among elderly women in the city. And many of them are already lobbying fellow elders<\/em>” in favor of Suffolk Downs. It gives a whole new twist to “Lady Luck,” doesn’t it?<\/p>\n

\"mohegan005\"<\/a>Either way, a heavy turnout is expected<\/a>. It’s a pretty “george” deal for Revere: $33 million upfront and as much as $30 million\/year going forward. Opponents offer the standard anti-casino wheeze (“We know there is going to be an increase in crime, addiction, poverty and a general decrease in the quality of life in Revere<\/em>.”) They’ve been so heavily outspent that defeat of Suffolk Downs would come as a major shock at this point. The promise of 15 more years of thoroughbred racing should be good for a few votes here and there.<\/p>\n

As for the slot-parlor discussions, Raynham Park<\/strong> is seen as losing ground<\/a> to Leominster<\/strong> and Plainridge<\/strong> in the early going. In the financial-suitability steeplechase, questions were raised about Greenwood Racing<\/strong>‘s access to capital, with it getting a “sufficient to very good” grade. Cordish Cos<\/strong>.’ got a “very good” rating but Penn National Gaming<\/strong> elbowed it aside with a “very good to outstanding” grade, with additional high marks for its operational record and understanding of the Bay State.<\/p>\n

\"Leominster<\/a>As for the swimsuit competition, Greenwood’s design for Raynham Parx<\/strong> was deemed no better than “sufficient …\u00a0essentially a large box<\/em>.” Penn National’s design for Plainridge was an\u00a0\u201cintegrated … approach marrying the existing harness racing venue and simulcast with the slot parlor in a well-developed concept<\/em>,” while Cordish’s vision for Leominster (pictured) was deemed “a well-documented overall design concept emphasizing an upscale entertainment venue with three features \u2013 gaming, dining, and live entertainment \u2013 each of which is a draw in and of itself<\/em>.”<\/p>\n

After that one-two punch, Greenwood is going to throw a real haymaker to stay in contention. It’s difficult to see how it can contend, let alone prevail, at this point.<\/p>\n

\"NY<\/a>Cordish and Penn are also<\/strong> set to duke it out in Orange County<\/strong>, New York<\/strong>. The latter’s relative proximity to New York City<\/strong> has made suddenly a high-stakes candidate for a casino or two, as the state expands gambling. Despite having met with Harriman<\/strong> and Newburgh<\/strong> city fathers, the two companies seem keenest on Woodbury<\/strong>. “Cordish is proposing a hotel, full casino and conference center, and is considering building the complex on a 130-acre site surrounding the Harriman train station, about three miles from Woodbury Common<\/em>.” Penn’s intentions are more vague at this point, although it covets the same general area. “This is an opportunity that may never come along again,” said Woodbury Mayor Michael Queenan<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

One opponent, Claremont Group<\/strong> CEO Michael Treanor<\/strong>, who’s got his own casino proposal for the Nevele<\/strong> resort, had little more than empty bluster to fling at Penn and Cordish. “Orange is not upstate.\u00a0There are already 10-mile traffic jams in Woodbury on Black Friday. Do you think they want more?<\/em>” Why, yes, we think they might.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It seems just yesterday that applicants for slot parlor licensees were kicking the tires in Massachusetts and that Suffolk Downs threw its hat into the racino ring. And here we are today, with the Massachusetts Gaming Commission beginning deliberations on … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[65,70,112,167,101,69,33,111,25],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12837"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12837"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12837\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12840,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12837\/revisions\/12840"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}