Casino Ultimatum in New Bedford, Mass. Commission gave developers of a proposed New Bedford casino an ultimatum: Nail down 33 state and local permits, and starting cleanup of their Everett toxic waste site this fall.
A state-licensed New Bedford casino would be at a huge disadvantage, because as a federally recognized tribe, the Mashpee would pay no taxes, while the New Bedford facility would face a 25 percent tax. An artist's rendering of the proposed New Bedford casino.{/INSERTKEYS}{/PARAGRAPH} Mitchell said he and city residents had been led to believe by the developers that financing had been secured. Crosby has often stated his intention to award the license only after competition between at least two bidders. Email to a Friend. In a June 23 referendum, New Bedford voters approved hosting the casino by a whopping 73 percent to 27 percent margin. {PARAGRAPH}{INSERTKEYS}In its letter to the state Gaming Commission, KG Urban said investors were not convinced that the venture would work in an increasingly competitive environment. Follow him on Twitter spmurphyboston. Commission chairman Stephen P. Sean P. View Comments. New Bedford casino developer withdraws bid By Sean P. The withdrawal came as a bitter blow to New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell, who had hoped a casino would spur economic development in a city long plagued by high unemployment. In March, Mitchell delivered an impassioned appeal to the commission, pledging full support for a casino to be located on a former power plant site on Cannon Street. Now the only bidder for a Southeastern Massachusetts casino is a partnership of Rush Street Gaming, which operates four casinos in the Midwest, and George Carney, the longtime owner of Raynham Park race track. The state officially entered the casino era last month with the opening of Plainridge Park Casino in Plainville, but that facility is much smaller than the resort casinos, which are to include hotels, planned for Springfield and Everett. Among its concerns, the company cited a plan being developed by the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe to open a casino in Taunton, within 25 miles of the site in New Bedford. When — and whether — the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe will get approval from the US Bureau of Indian Affairs for a casino is a matter of intense speculation. Murphy can be reached at smurphy globe.