No Deal For Worcester Slot Parlor

City officials and gambling developers have announced they couldn't reach a deal on a proposed $240 million slots parlor in Worcester.

The city and Mass Gaming& Entertainment said in a joint statement Monday night they are ending talks on a host community agreement that was needed to move forward under the state gambling law.

The proposal for the vacant 14-acre Wyman-Gordon industrial property had been under negotiations for more than two months. It would have competed for the only slots parlor license the state will grant under the law.

Mass Gaming's Chairman Neil Bluhm said the talks were "complex" and included numerous factors including state tax rates, rising costs and "reasonable" mitigation requests from the city.

City Manager Michael O'Brien said both sides worked very hard but couldn't reach a deal to put before local voters.