The state's eastern casino license region has been pared down to just one contender with a successful host community vote — Everett's Wynn Resorts proposal — after Milford voters rejected Foxwoods yesterday in a classic "David vs. Goliath" beatdown, with a grassroots effort that trounced the casino by a 2-1 margin.
With 57 percent of registered Milford voters casting a ballot, casino foes defeated the proposal 6,361 votes to 3,480.
"From our very first meeting held around a kitchen table, we acknowledged that we would be fighting a David vs. Goliath battle," Casino-Free Milford co-chairmen John Seaver and Steve Trettel said in a joint statement. "We knew we would never be able to match the dollars of the Foxwoods campaign. We also knew that money does not buy everything. ... We worked together, and we prevailed."
"It's disappointing, but we have to respect the decision," said Foxwoods President and CEO Scott Butera. "It would have been a project that the commonwealth and the town of Milford would have been proud of."
It was just the latest casino snub by voters. Milford's nay vote follows East Boston's rejection of Suffolk Downs — which is now scrambling to cobble together a Hail Mary deal in Revere only. That currently leaves Wynn in Everett with the eastern region's only host community yea vote, though the deal still needs Gaming Commission approval. Voters also have rejected western Massachusetts casino bids in Palmer and West Springfield. Springfield voters approved an MGM casino, but that also has yet to pass a Gaming Commission suitability hearing.
Suffolk Downs has not announced a new partner since cutting ties with Caesars Entertainment over Gaming Commission concerns about debt and purported mob links. Foxwoods' Butera, when asked whether he would consider teaming up with the racetrack in Revere, said, "We haven't thought about anything like that at this point."
In Milford, opponents said a casino would inundate Milford with as many as 7 million visitors a year, bringing traffic, crime and lower property values. Proponents said it would bring Milford $34 million annually and create 3,500 jobs and a $1 million scholarship fund for local students.
"We're disappointed, but not surprised," said Mike Kaplan of Citizens for Milford's Future, which received $24,000 in funding from Foxwoods, which spent more than $800,000 to the $23,770 spent by Casino-Free Milford.
"It's easy to stay the same," Kaplan said. "People wanted to keep the town the way it is and not risk anything But if you're not going to take any risks, you're not going to get any benefits."
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