Adelson
Poised to
Take Over
By Josh Resnek
Wynn Resorts is close to
selling the Everett casino project
according to credible rumors
coming out of Las Vegas, a source
has told the Leader Herald.
Casino magnate Sheldon
Adelson is said to be the buyer,
according to the source.
Adelson owns the Venetian in
Las Vegas and casino interests
in Macau.
Industry sources say Adelson’s
private life is impeccable and his
public life speaks for itself.
Adelson is one of the richest
men in the world.
Reports that he may be buying
the project tends to confirm
the belief that the Gaming
Commission is going to pull the license if Wynn Resorts remains the owner.
Also, the Wall Street Journal has been calling around to find
out if construction at the facility has slowed in any way – as this
would be a sure sign that ownership might be changing.
All this speculation is consistent with Gaming Commission
Chairperson Steven Crosby’s statements issued at last week’s
commission meeting that caused a great stir throughout Everett
and in the Massachusetts gaming community about what the
commission is planning to do.
“They proceed at their own risk,” Crosby warned the Wynn
Boston Casino and Hotel group.
The message wasn’t aimed directly at the group but rather, was
for general consumption by the public and on Beacon Hill, where
Governor Charlie Baker and Attorney General Maura Healy have
spoken out against Wynn Resorts maintaining its name on the
property and Healy more aggressively expressing that perhaps
the license should be taken away by the Gaming Commission.
According to Chip Tuttle, the President of Suffolk Downs, the
Attorney General is making a new appointment to the Gaming
Commission probably this week who is said to be “a tough
feminist prosecutor.”
Such a scenario and new appointment would make it difficult
for Crosby to steer the commission where he wants it to go.
The Leader Herald mentioned Adelson two weeks ago as one
of two possible buyers for the project.
Adelson, who is Jewish, is a Republican and a staunch
supporter of Israel. He also supports countless charities and
philanthropies.
He comes from Dorchester, Massachusetts where he grew up
in humble circumstances.