Foxwoods would operate casino proposed for New Bedford
A New York City-based developer proposing to build a casino in New Bedford, Mass., plans to partner with Foxwoods Resort Casino, which would operate the facility, a spokesman for the developer confirmed Monday.
KG Urban Enterprises, one of up to three applicants that could vie for the one commercial casino license to be awarded for southeastern Massachusetts, has signed a letter of intent with Foxwoods, the publication GamblingCompliance reported.
“We are thrilled to have Foxwoods as an operator,” Adam Stern, KG Urban’s managing director, told the publication. “They were our first pick.”
Stern is the son of former NBA Commissioner David Stern, who last month represented KG Urban before the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. David Stern said at the time that KG Urban was in talks with three potential partners, one of which was Foxwoods.
Andrew Paven, a KG Urban spokesman, confirmed details of the GamblingCompliance report.
The Mashantucket Pequot Tribe, which owns Foxwoods, would not comment on the report or respond to a question about whether Foxwoods would contribute equity to the New Bedford project.
Foxwoods was not believed to be involved in the competition for the southeastern Massachusetts casino license until its talks with KG Urban were revealed during the gaming commission’s Feb. 5 meeting. Foxwoods had previously proposed a casino in the Greater Boston town of Milford, Mass., a project that local voters shot down in a November 2013 referendum.
KG Urban faces a March 16 deadline for submitting a full application to the gaming commission, as do two other entities that indicated they had joined forces to file one application — Somerset on the Move and Crossroads LLC. Crossroads had previously partnered with Foxwoods on the Milford proposal, which Scott Butera, then the Foxwoods CEO, spearheaded.
At the Feb. 5 meeting, a Crossroads spokesman told the commission Butera was still advising Crossroads. Butera is now the commissioner of the Arena Football League.
b.hallenbeck@theday.com
Twitter: @bjhallenbeck
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