The Brockton casino would have sat just 20 miles from the Taunton casino being developed by the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe, which broke ground earlier this month.
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In a statement, Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council Chairman Cedric Cromwell praised the decision.
A 2013 revenue-sharing deal obligates the tribe pay 17 percent of its annual gambling profits to the state, but only if no other casino is allowed to operate in the region. It means the tribe, which does not need state authorization, will not face competition from another resort casino in Southeastern Massachusetts.
The decision capped three days of deliberations on the project, a $677 million casino, hotel and entertainment complex for the old fairgrounds. “Today, the gaming commission upheld the Commonwealth’s end of the bargain, paving the way for a fruitful economic partnership”.
“The expanded gaming legislation made a high priority that our facilities should be “destination resort casinos” with a deep commitment to associated economic development”, he concluded.
The rejection was broadly telegraphed the day before, when MGC chairman Stephen Crosby publicly slammed the Mass Gaming proposal as a “great disappointment”, primarily because it lacked the necessary “wow factor”. If the Brockton plan had been approved, the tribe would have been off the hook for paying state taxes.
Casino winnings were down both in the slots and in the tables and games categories.
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The commission denied the license Thursday to Mass Gaming & Entertainment by a 4-1 vote. But, it’s bad news for the city of Brockton, badly in need of a jolt to the local economy.
