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Mohegan Sun executives say they are eager to work cooperatively with Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, but insist his efforts to win host community status for their proposed casino are off base.
Walsh has asserted that Boston and Revere should both be host communities for the proposed Mohegan Sun casino at Suffolk Downs, just as they were for the original casino proposal of Suffolk Downs and Caesars Entertainment.
But Mitchell Etess, the CEO of Mohegan Sun , said his company’s proposed casino is located entirely in Revere while the earlier proposal encompassed both communities, particularly in terms of future expansion. Etess and Kevin Brown, the chairman of the Mohegan Tribal Council, met with CommonWealth on Wednesday.
Etess also said the lease agreement between Mohegan Sun and Suffolk Downs does not constitute a financial partnership between the two. Etess said the lease is a standard commercial lease with lease payments tied to casino revenues, meaning the payments would rise as casino revenues increase. He said the arrangement did not constitute a financial partnership, pointing out that if the casino’s landlord was based in Chicago no one would suggest that Chicago should be a host community.
Both Etess and Brown said they were puzzled by Walsh’s efforts to win host community status for Boston. Walsh supported the gambling legislation as a state representative, but many analysts believe his efforts to win host community status would, if successful, derail both the Mohegan Sun casino proposal in Everett and the proposed Wynn Resorts casino in Everett because of opposition in neighboring Boston communities.
Brown and Etess said they have had a several positive meetings with the mayor, but none recently. “I can’t image a case where he’d want to try to derail it,” Brown said.
The proposed Mohegan Sun casino would be owned 60 percent by Brigade Capital Management of New York and 40 percent by Mohegan Sun.
