Steve Wynn and New England Patriots owner, Robert Kraft, are collaborating to potentially bring a casino to the Boston area. State legislators passed a law that would allow big casinos to move into town, but due to some NFL restrictions, this deal might be more difficult than Wynn had likely hoped.
If built, the casino would be located across the street from Gillette Stadium, home of the Patriots in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
According to Boston Globe Reporter Noah Bierman, Wynn was in the Boston area Sunday to attend the game, and held meetings alongside Kraft to talk about the possible plans. Although the actual opening of a casino is likely five or more years away, Wynn assured locals in Foxborough that he would try to make the casino fit in with the “bucolic” nature of the Boston suburb—not the flashy lights of Vegas.
“Which might contrast with most people’s image [of Vegas] from out here,” Bierman said. “It’s very interesting for us to picture.”
In Massachusetts, some residents of Foxborough have expressed concerns that the casino would bring way too much increased traffic to the area. The 17,000 of them, after all, already have the stadium to deal with. “They want to make sure it doesn’t look like a Vegas location,” Bierman said.
Forming the Partnership
Mutual contacts, Bierman said, are who got Wynn and Kraft in touch. Kraft, who might be the post powerful businessman in Massachusetts, just might give Wynn the juice to succeed in getting the casino built.
The NFL has traditionally been wary of the casino business. Until recently, Las Vegas couldn’t advertise during the Super Bowl. Besides, the partnership might actually violate NFL rules, too.
But Bierman is quick to point out, the Miami Dolphins’ owner is trying to do something similar in Southern Florida. And the “The NFL is the NFL owners,” he said. “They certainly have the freedom to change their own rules, right?”
Tell us what you think about this new deal below in the comment section. What could this partnership mean for Las Vegas?
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GUESTS
Noah Bierman, reporter, Boston Globe