The Patrick administration is focusing on destination resort-style casinos as it decides whether to legalize expanded gambling in Massachusetts, according to executives familiar with the deliberations.An administration panel appointed by Gov. Deval Patrick to study the gambling issue is leaning heavily toward the all-inclusive casino model that mixes shopping, entertainment and hotels as well as gambling halls, say industry executives and insiders.
That emphasis has created an uphill battle for some state racetrack owners, who have lobbied for years to add slot machines to their venues. That stripped-down model of gambling, however, is seen as less desirable by administration officials, who believe it draws heavily on local gamblers while not producing as big an economic bang.
“I think the dynamic has changed from slots at the racetracks to full-blown casinos,” said state Rep. Brian Wallace (D-South Boston), a longtime State House supporter of expanded gambling.
One possibility being explored by the Patrick administration is awarding as many as two to three casino licenses, including one to the newly recognized Mashpee Wampanoag tribe, which is pushing ahead with plans for a $1 billion casino complex in Southeastern Massachusetts, executives said.
Also likely benefiting from this casino bias is Big Apple developer Richard Fields, who recently became the lead investor in East Boston’s Suffolk Downs racetrack. Fields, who developed a casino for the Seminole Tribe in Florida, is looking at a similar plan here.
Fields got a big boost yesterday when Hub Mayor Thomas M. Menino endorsed the idea of a casino at Suffolk Downs.
Another potential winner: Las Vegas casino tycoon and Dorchester native Sheldon Adelson, who wants to build a casino in Boston’s outer suburbs along Interstate 495.
But the emphasis on casinos threatens to leave dog and horse track owners in Revere, Raynham-Taunton and Plainville fighting for a seat at the table, executives said.
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