Penn National Gaming wins big with casino vote

BOSTON – Massachusetts voters on Tuesday cleared the way for several casino projects to proceed, rejecting a ballot question that sought to overturn the legalization of casino gambling in the state.

The defeat of Question 3 means the 2011 law that allows for up to three regional resort casinos and one slots parlor in Massachusetts will stand.

It was a big victory for Wyomissing-based Penn National Gaming Inc., which is building a new casino in Plainville, between Boston and Providence, R.I.

“We’re relieved and extremely grateful to the voters of Massachusetts for giving us the opportunity to bring our $225 million Plainridge Park Casino to fruition,” said Eric Schippers, Penn National’s senior vice president/public affairs. “In the end, our positive message of jobs and opportunity won out over a campaign of fear and negativity.”

Penn National Gaming hopes to open Plainridge Park at the Plainville harness racing track by June, which would make it the first gambling facility to open.

The company broke ground on the project in March. The facility is expected to have about 1,250 slot machines as well as restaurant, bar and entertainment offerings.

It will not offer casino table games like blackjack and roulette. The project is expected to create 1,000 temporary construction jobs and 500 permanent jobs, on top of the more than 100 employed at the track.

In Springfield, ground soon will be broken on an $800 million MGM Resorts casino.

“I think it’s time to get the shovels in the ground,” an enthusiastic Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno told a gathering Tuesday night hosted by MGM Resorts, which has been approved by state gambling regulators to build in an area of downtown heavily damaged by a tornado more than three years ago.

Mike Mathis, president of MGM Springfield, said survey work would begin immediately at the site, with an official groundbreaking expected in the spring.

In addition to MGM’s Springfield project and Penn National’s in Plainville, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission has approved Wynn Resorts’ proposal to build a $1.6 billion resort on the Mystic River in Everett.

The commission said it would formally award licenses to MGM and Wynn today, having previously made those awards contingent on rejection of the ballot question.

According to the most recent campaign finance reports, pro-casino forces raised nearly $12 million to defeat the repeal effort, much of it from casino companies. That’s far more than the $675,000 raised by casino opponents.

“We left it all on the field and we’ve awakened consciences around the state,” said John Ribeiro, chairman of the group Repeal the Casino Deal, which fought a court battle to get the repeal question on the ballot.