Suffolk Downs to move forward with Revere casino

LYNN – Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy said she will meet as early as Friday with Suffolks Downs and Revere city officials pushing plans to build a Revere-only casino.
Kennedy a month ago outlined how a Suffolk gambling complex will help and hurt Lynn in a letter stating Lynn?s interest to be given “surrounding community” status by Suffolk officials.
The request preceded the Nov. 5 vote that saw East Boston residents reject Suffolk?s plan to build a casino on track land located in Boston. Since then Suffolk executives and Revere Mayor Daniel Rizzo have pushed forward with a plan to reorient the track to a 50-plus acres in Revere.
?I?m meeting with Mayor Rizzo and (Suffolk Chief Executive) Chip Tuttle and I will have an update after that,” Kennedy stated in a Thursday text message.Rizzo and Tuttle separately sent letters Wednesday notifying the state Gaming Commission of their intent to push ahead with the Revere casino site. Rizzo in an interview Tuesday said he is “cautiously optimistic” the track and the city can complete a revised casino plan and win a casino license for Suffolk.In a hand-delivered letter Thursday to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, Suffolk Downs chairman William Mulrow said the thoroughbred race track was confident that it would submit a final casino application to the panel by the Dec. 31 deadline.Mulrow also indicated that Suffolk Downs was close to lining up a new casino partner after severing ties last month with Caesar’s Entertainment.Voters in East Boston defeated a casino referendum on Nov. 5, but Revere voted to support the project. The track then began negotiations with Revere officials to move the entire casino proposal to a 52-acre site in Revere.