In February, Wynn Resorts proposed an entertainment complex across the street from its existing Everett casino, complete with a theater, bars and restaurants, a parking garage, and eventually additional hotels.
At the time, Wynn urged the Massachusetts Gaming Commission to consider the entertainment complex as something separate and apart from its existing casino, and therefore not subject to the regulatory oversight of the commission. The argument carried the day, and the commission gave Wynn the green light to move forward with its planning.
This fall Wynn returned to the Gaming Commission with a redraft of its original proposal. It now wants gaming at the entertainment complex, including a sports betting bar and restaurant and a 21,000-square-foot poker room. Wynn also wants to relocate its nightclub across the street to provide more gaming space at the existing casino.
The shift in thinking raises an interesting question for the Gaming Commission: Can a casino extend its gambling operation beyond its original footprint? If the answer is yes, how far beyond the original footprint can it go?