The Massachusetts Gaming Commission voted Thursday to approve an agreement signed by the City of Boston and Wynn Resorts to build a casino in Charlestown, according to Elaine Driscoll, spokesperson for the MGC.
Driscoll explained in an email the process that the MGC had to go through in order to approve the agreement.
“Wynn MA LLC was awarded the Region A resort-casino license after a comprehensive evaluation process,” Driscoll wrote. “Four commissioners participated in the final vote to award the license to Wynn and ultimately determined that the Wynn proposal met or exceeded all of the established evaluation criteria put forth by the statute and the Commission.”
Boston Mayor Martin Walsh and Stephen Wynn, the CEO of Wynn Resorts, signed a Surrounding Community Agreement last month that bestowed Boston $68 million in mitigation funds, according to a Jan. 27 press release.
The agreement will provide local businesses in Charlestown with an annual stipend of $20 million over a 15-year period, which will be used to boost community impact and to reimburse Wynn for professional expenses, according to the release.
Driscoll wrote that the agreement will hopefully benefit the economy of the commonwealth as a whole.
“The Massachusetts Gaming Commission awarded Wynn MA LLC in an effort to provide all of Region A (Eastern Mass) with maximum job creation and increased economic opportunity for local small businesses,” Driscoll wrote. “It is the intention of the Commission that all of Eastern [Massachusetts], including Boston, will benefit from the employment and economic opportunities associated with the development of a world-class, destination resort.”
According to Wynn Resorts’s statement, the company is eager to cooperate with Boston and “unlock economic development and jobs for the entire region.”
“We are eager to turn the page in our relationship with the City of Boston and begin a new chapter that will culminate with a beautiful, five-star resort overlooking Boston Harbor,” Wynn Resorts said in the statement. “Both Wynn Everett and Mayor Walsh wanted the same outcomes: to bring new jobs, economic growth and a globally respected resort company to the region, while doing what’s best for the people of Massachusetts.”
Wynn spokesperson Greg John said as of now, the casino’s construction will continue “as planned.”
“The mediation is going as planned,” John said. “It started in fall 2015. We expect to complete mediation in the next several months. And we expect [groundbreaking] May of this year.”
Fred Bayles, a journalism professor in Boston University’s College of Communication, said the agreement is “standard,” as the company needs to win the community’s support.
“[A] casino’s a large project,” Bayles said. “It’s usually money that goes out to win favor. There’s no surprise there … In terms of public policy, I think they’ve reached an agreement, which is fine.”
Several Boston residents expressed mixed views regarding the signed agreement, though they all voiced support toward the casino’s construction.
Maria Oliveira, 57, of Dorchester, said that although the casino’s construction will deteriorate the traffic conditions, it will boost the economy.
“If they [are] going to spend the $68 million to fix the problem, it’s fine,” she said. “Go for it. It will bring jobs and money into the city. If it’s something that’s going to be done the safe way, it’s fine.”
Meaghan Bolduc, 28, of South Boston, said the casino’s construction will help to develop Charlestown’s infrastructure.
“Boston’s trying to flourish,” she said. “That’s money that’s needed. If we want to grow, this is how we can grow. It’s going to bring better schools. It’ll bring better roads because they’ll have to have a better flow of traffic.”
Pat Scribner, 28, of Brighton, said although he supports the casino’s construction, he remains skeptical of the benefits of the agreement.
“In theory it probably sounds like a great idea, but it probably won’t work out as well as they think it will,” he said. “We already have terrible traffic. We already have terrible transportation system as it is. Honestly, it’s going to affect most of the Boston community more than they perceive it will.”
