It’s a longstanding tradition in Iowa that voters, once they’ve voted to approve a casino in their county, never have second thoughts. Selling non-gaming counties on new casinos, however, is a different story. Take Norwalk County, for instance, where a casino proposal only mustered 39% support. One opponent is perfectly accurate: The Wild Rose-sponsored project would have drawn much of the discretionary spending in the county. However, with so many other casinos in Iowa, has Norwalk really succeeded in keeping that money close to home or simply promoted its exportation? Voters in Cedar Rapids, however, have proven far more receptive to new casino product.
Slipping in just under the wire, Cordish Gaming has emerged as a last-minute entrant in the surprisingly crowded derby to have Massachusetts‘ only (highly taxed) slot parlor. The proposed, $200 million Massachuetts Live would cannibalize an existing Holiday Inn and is sited to target New Hampshire customers, rather than compete with Boston-area casinos. Cordish’s blockbuster success in Maryland gives it a powerful argument — although the company’s struggles in Indiana will require some explaining, too.
Even casino supporters want due process to take its time. Case in point, Springfield City Council prexy — and casino booster — James J. Ferrera III, who used some smooth parliamentary moves to slow up what he perceived as a rush to sign off on Mayor Domenic Sarno‘s host-community agreement with MGM Resorts International. “I don’t know what the big rush is,” he queried and the citywide plebiscite is, indeed, still several weeks distant. Ferrera spotted several loopholes in Sarno’s agreement, including one that lets MGM out of its $852 million development promise and another that subtracts 1,200 parking spaces from the project, a tax abatement. He’s also noticed some language in the document that might put MGM’s eventual investment below the $801 million-$807 million. And, as we know, we it comes to casino development, it’s the high bid that lands the prize.
After some intramural tussling, city councilmen agreed to un-table the discussion later this week. Ferrera may not want to get steamrolled but his colleagues are prepared to flatten him. Councilman Michael Fenton nonsensically declared, “I believe we should make this decision swiftly, but without haste.” In defense of Ferrera’s fellows, they are trying to keep a July 16 date at the ballot box that they (perhaps foolhardily) set for the body politic. Considering the amount of money MGM has put on the table, the question of the company’s long-term financial prospects is simply being begged.
Even so, it seems surrealistic that someone as far on their uppers as Foxwoods Resort Casino could propose to 
build a $1 billion casino in Medford and not get laughed out of town. But that hasn’t stopped Foxwoods CEO Scott “Woody” Butera from putting $3 million into a feasibility study. Gee, what do you think are the odds that Foxwoods Medford won’t be deemed not only feasible but an economic bonanza to boot. Medford city fathers are dealing directly with Butera now, suggesting that small-timer David Nunes is well and truly gone from the project and Warner Gaming has mysteriously gone “Poof!” He never did seem to have the cattle to go with his big hat. Meanwhile, the Mashpee Wampanoags promise “great progress” even as events leave them further and further in the rear-view mirror. Considering how uninspiring the casino design was, some new dormers and lintels from the Mashpee Wamps would be a welcome development.
