BOSTON — State gambling regulators denied several requests Thursday for extensions from the recently-passed deadline for submitting initial casino applications and $400,000 entry fees.
Among those seeking waivers from the Jan. 15 deadline were two companies that hoped to build casinos in Holyoke and complained of the shifting position of the city’s mayor on whether to negotiate with developers.
Chicopee’s mayor asked the commission to allow him more time to lure a potential developer to his city, while another company, citing the recent death of a financial backer, sought an extension until Feb. 8.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission unanimously rejected all of the requests, saying they did not meet its criteria for “extraordinary circumstances” required to extend the deadline, and because granting waivers would unnecessarily delay the process of reviewing applications and awarding casino licenses.
“We want competition. We’ve gone out of the way to encourage competition and if there were legitimate proposals that could be fixed easily, then we would consider it,” said Stephen Crosby, the commission chair.
“But we are not going to slow down the process for no good reason,” he added.
Eleven firms hoping to compete for the eastern or western regional casino license, or for the single slots parlor license, met Tuesday’s 5 p.m. deadline to submit preliminary applications and the non-refundable application fee. The commission plans to conduct background checks on applicants over the next several months.
WM Development Co., also known as Paper City Development, said in its waiver request that it had been frustrated by Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse’s shifting stance. Morse had campaigned against casinos in the city, but in November announced he would entertain prospective developers, only to reverse himself again in December and rule out negotiations.
