Today the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) announces the release of an educational video developed to inform potential surrounding communities about the Category 1 (resort-casino) licensing process in Southeastern Massachusetts (Region C). Currently, two applicants are pursuing a resort-casino license in Region C – Mass Gaming & Entertainment for a resort-casino proposal in Brockton and KG Urban in New Bedford.

As part of the Commission’s continuing goal to keep communities, the general public and other interested parties informed about the important rights afforded to “surrounding communities” under the Commonwealth’s Expanded Gaming Act, the MGC has recently created an informational video presentation.

This video describes many items of interest to potential surrounding communities, including the definition of surrounding community, how applicants are required to determine which communities are surrounding communities for the purposes of their gaming application, and important rights surrounding communities have under the Expanded Gaming Act and the Massachusetts Gaming Commission’s regulations.

This video supplements a wealth of materials the Commission has placed on its website, MassGaming.com.  The Commission recommends that communities specifically review materials found in the “About Host and Surrounding Communities” section of the website.  The Commission also recommends that potential surrounding communities review the section of the website that describes the licensing process.

Among other items, MassGaming.com describes the three ways a community may be designated as a surrounding community, including the ability of a surrounding community to execute a surrounding community mitigation agreement with a gaming applicant.  Please note that although geographic adjacency to a community potentially hosting a casino is a factor in determining a surrounding community status, it is not the only factor and therefore is not dispositive.  Please also note that geographic adjacency is also not a requirement in order to become a surrounding community.

Any community with further questions after viewing the website and the video should contact the Commission’s Ombudsman’s office, which has been established to help communities and others understand the Commission’s gaming license process.  In addition, to contacting the Commission, we urge communities to establish contact with representatives of the gaming applicants.

Contact Information

Further, the Commission has established an Ombudsman’s office to serve as a point of contact with communities.  Upon reviewing the video and the materials on the Website, any community that has further questions should contact the MGC’s Ombudsman, John Ziemba, at 617-979-8400 or john.s.ziemba@state.ma.us.

Request for Public Comment

The deadline for the site-specific applications (RFA-2) for a potential Southeastern Massachusetts (Region C) full-casino license has been set at no sooner than July 10.    Potential alternative application dates in August and September were discussed at the May 14, 2015 Commission meeting. Given the experience in other gaming regions (including surrounding community agreements that needed to be executed well after the RFA-2 deadlines) and the specific timetables in Region C (including the May 12^th host community referendum in Brockton and June 23^rd host community referendum in New Bedford), how should the Commission set an RFA-2 deadline that helps maximize the positive greatest possible economic development benefits and revenues to the people of the Commonwealth and also helps to reduce to the maximum extent possible the potentially negative or unintended consequences of expanded gaming in Region C?

Please email comments to mgccomments@state.ma.us with ‘Region C application’ in the subject line.  All written comments must be received by May 26, 2015 at 5:00 pm.