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Revere Sues Gaming Commission Over Casino License Rejection

The city of Revere and a union representing workers at Suffolk Downs are suing the Massachusetts Gaming Commission over the decision to award a casino license to Wynn Resorts in Everett.

The suit accuses the commission of giving Wynn's proposal preferential treatment over the Mohegan Sun proposal for Revere.

It says regulators ignored issues in the Wynn proposal, such as the lack of a proper traffic mitigation plan for Charlestown's Sullivan Square.

Revere Mayor Dan Rizzo says the commission also failed to hold Wynn accountable for meeting job and economic development numbers in its application.

"There's a lot of things here that in my opinion were just based on conjecture that the Gaming Commission took as gospel," Rizzo said. "And we gave them real facts that would've allowed Mohegan Sun to go forward and open their doors in 30 months."

Suffolk Downs COO Chip Tuttle is not part of the suit, but he says it makes sense.

"The commission made such an issue of the job creation, how attractive it was," Tuttle said. "For them to then abdicate that responsibility that they live up to those numbers was stunning."

Gaming Commission officials say they've faced lawsuits from other losing casino applicants and stand by their decision.

This article was originally published on October 16, 2014.

Headshot of Jack Lepiarz

Jack Lepiarz Reporter and Anchor
Jack Lepiarz was a reporter and anchor at WBUR.

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