In a development that caught the eye of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, former Mashantucket Pequot tribal treasurer Steven Thomas has pleaded out on theft charges one day after resigning from the tribal council. His brother, Michael Thomas, has already been convicted of embezzling 100 grand from the tribe. “[T]hat is the kind of stuff we take seriously and look into,” said MGC Chairman Stephen Crosby and he’s not bluffing: Just ask the outgoing owners of Plainridge Race Course, disqualified due to a skim.
This puts the onus on Scott “Woody” Butera to prove to the MGC that Mashantucket Pequot Gaming Enterprise is hermetically sealed from tribal affairs and It Could Not Happen Here. Mohegan Sun may have passed with flying colors but Foxwoods Massachusetts is unlikely to sail through as easily.
In a bit of kabuki theater, a ‘job fair’ was staged at Suffolk Downs. The Caesars Entertainment-led project is at least seven months and three 
approvals distant from reality. So the near-term purpose of getting a thousand area residents in and ginned up about jobs is to motivate them to vote favorably on Nov. 5 and to pass the good word along. Caesars exec John Payne promised average wages of $42K/year. Not too shabby (and better than many journalists). That’s something to remember when you hear the shopworn canard about casinos bringing low-paying jobs to town.
Not only did Macao ride out a stormy September, it did so well that shares of Galaxy Entertainment Group went for a joyride yesterday. Galaxy Chairman Lui Che-Woo found himself $1 billion richer in a single day. It’s the latest incredible chapter in a hardscrabble success story.
