Brockton Casino Developer Not Impressed With Gaming Commission

The process of obtaining a casino license in the United States is a long drawn out process that can often taken close to a year or more to complete. Neil Bluhm, an investor from Chicago had earlier proposed to invest close to $200 million to build a mega-casino resort in Brockton. Bluhm has already invested heavily into developing casinos in a number of locations including Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Ontario and Illinois.

Bluhm and his Massachusetts investment partner George Carney are committed to building a casino at the Brockton fairgrounds which is located near Route 123 but have been waiting for quite some time to get their license approved by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. The commission is yet to confirm a fixed date as to when they will make a final decision as then waiting appears to have frustrated the Chicago developer.

In a statement, Bluhm said

I’ve got other things to do. Do I want to be here? Yes. I’m not giving an ultimatum, but I’m not going to sit here waiting forever. You got a bird in hand right now, ready to go. I’m not saying, ‘Pick our proposal,’ but I am saying, ‘Consider our proposal, see if it qualifies for a license and if it is in the best interest of the Commonwealth, then make a decision

The Mashpee Wampanoag Indian tribe have also put forward a proposal to construct a casino in the same location but the tribe has to first get legal clearance before the state gaming commission can make a decision. Bluhm has voiced his concerns stating that the gaming commission could be waiting for a decision to be made in the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian tribe court case before deciding on who should be given the license to develop the Brockton casino.

Bluhm has stated that if this is the stance of the state gaming commission, then he is not prepared to wait forever and urged state officials to make a decision sooner rather than later.

The Chicago developer has assured state officials that his company has already secured the financing to construct the casino and should the license be issued without further delay, then the Brockton casino could be opened in the spring of 2018 and bring in millions of dollars in annual gambling revenue to the state.

State gaming commissioners are expected to meet on the 24th of September to discuss the Brockton proposal and will then issue a statement and share more insight into their decision making process.