Wynn Resorts, which was awarded the sole casino license for greater Boston Tuesday, says the company is staying out of the fight over whether to repeal Massachusetts' casino law — for now.
In May, Steve Wynn said his company would not get involved in the referendum. But Wynn executive Robert DeSalvio is now leaving the door open.
"We have always said that it’s up to the citizens of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to make that decision come November," DeSalvio said. "Whether or not we’ll get involved at a later date, we really haven’t come to that conclusion yet."
MGM Resorts and Penn National, the other companies who have casino licenses, have contributed $1.7 million dollars to a political action committee working to defeat the ballot question. A spokesperson for the PAC said it's her expectation Wynn would also be chipping in.
The other side isn’t as well financed, but John Ribeiro of Repeal the Casino Deal says the decision to award the license to Wynn instead of Mohegan Sun will help his cause. He says that's because Boston won't get as much money from a Wynn casino.
Ribiero's group is challenging casino executives — and top lawmakers — to debates on the ballot question ahead of the November 4 vote.
