Caesars kicked out of attempt to get Boston casino, due to Russian mob ties

[Dan Druff]

It was more of the fail variety than anything sinister.

Caesars had a partnership with a company called Gansevoort, to run the upcoming replacement casino for Bill's.

Turns out Gansevoort has Russian mob ties, and that made Caesar's look really bad. The guy with the ties is named Arik Kislin, and he led a firm serving as the treasury for a highly influential Russian mob.

Suffolk Downs, a race track in east Boston, was attempting to get the only casino license being granted in the Boston area.

They were partnering with Caesars to do so, but have dropped them, out of concern that this connection with Gansevoort will cost them the license.

http://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/b...opped-caesars/

No word on how this will affect the construction of the new hotel replacing Bill's.

Caesars has dropped their partnership with Gansevoort since this occurred.

[Dan Druff]

BUMP

I don't know how I missed this in October (maybe because it wasn't in most of the initial reports), but Caesars is also accused of engaging in money laundering at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas:

http://www.vegasinc.com/business/gam...gations-money/

These allegations were in the same SEC filing as where the Gansevoort situation was mentioned.

[Steve-O]

This is why I hate my state sometimes. Caesars is fine in every other state and elsewhere across the globe, but nope, can't have them in MA. Like the MA regulators (who are brand new to the job) know better than everyone else. Liberal puritanism is how I describe this state

[Sanlmar]

This is why I hate my state sometimes. Caesars is fine in every other state and elsewhere across the globe, but nope, can't have them in MA. Like the MA regulators (who are brand new to the job) know better than everyone else. Liberal puritanism is how I describe this state

Mass voted down all 4 casino proposals. The black hole that is Foxwoods post MGM tower is hardly an encouraging omen for casino gambling locally.

GG

But now you can play $2 craps early in the morning so you can achieve the proper level of tilt before hitting the poker tables.

[Steve-O]

This is why I hate my state sometimes. Caesars is fine in every other state and elsewhere across the globe, but nope, can't have them in MA. Like the MA regulators (who are brand new to the job) know better than everyone else. Liberal puritanism is how I describe this state

Mass voted down all 4 casino proposals. The black hole that is Foxwoods post MGM tower is hardly an encouraging omen for casino gambling locally.

GG

But now you can play $2 craps early in the morning so you can achieve the proper level of tilt before hitting the poker tables.

MGM in Springfield and Wynn in Everett passed their referendums (they just haven't passed state suitability checks yet), and Mohegan/Suffolk Downs is exploring Revere as a possibility. And then their is the Indian casino that will be built in most likely Taunton. The MGM/Foxwoods thing won't make a difference. They are simply stripping their name off of it because they expected the Foxwoods casino project to pass in Milford and wanted to avoid confusion between their Springfield project and the Milford one (which failed miserably at the polls).

My feeling is the only reason the original Suffolk downs project was voted down was that Caesars was rejected like a week before the vote. They did the same thing to Foxwoods in Milford, with regulators making a big deal about their financial backing right before the referendum. It seems like the fix is in, and they know precisely who and where they want these casinos located

[Ballin]

This is why I hate my state sometimes. Caesars is fine in every other state and elsewhere across the globe, but nope, can't have them in MA. Like the MA regulators (who are brand new to the job) know better than everyone else. Liberal puritanism is how I describe this state

Mass voted down all 4 casino proposals. The black hole that is Foxwoods post MGM tower is hardly an encouraging omen for casino gambling locally.

GG

But now you can play $2 craps early in the morning so you can achieve the proper level of tilt before hitting the poker tables.

I dont know anything about the rest of that, but $2 craps is fucking awesome!

[Shizzmoney]

Caesars files lawsuit against Massachusetts gaming commission chairman

In October, Caesars was dropped from its partnership with Suffolk Downs after state gaming investigators found four areas of concern about the company’s potential suitability.

The company sued Crosby both individually and in his role as chairman of the gaming commission. The company is seeking unspecified monetary damages and wants Crosby, who had a 45-year career in state policymaking and entrepreneurship before being named gaming commission chairman, removed from the process.

Caesars officials declined comment Thursday. But in an interview with the Review-Journal last month, Caesars Chairman and CEO Gary Loveman, who lives in the Boston area and spent 13 years lobbying Massachusetts to legalize casinos, criticized the gaming commission as “being staffed by people who have never been in the (gaming) business.”

Massachusetts Gaming Commission spokeswoman Elaine Driscoll said in a posting on the commission’s website the lawsuit was “without merit,” and the investigators acted independently “to protect public interest.”

Chairman Crosby had no role in the investigation, report or recommendations,” Driscoll said. “As this is now pending litigation, neither Chairman Crosby nor the Commission will comment further on this matter.”

Caesars said in the lawsuit the company was held to a different standard than other license applicants.

It singled out MGM Resorts International, which is seeking approval for a casino in Springfield. The company received a favorable suitability recommendation from investigators on Monday, despite concerns raised in 2009 by New Jersey gaming regulators over MGM Resort’s partnership in a Macau casino with Hong Kong businesswoman Pansy Ho. MGM Resorts, which has a 50 percent ownership stake in the Borgata in Atlantic City, gave up its license for the property, but has filed an application to have it restored.

Caesars said in the lawsuit that “Crosby’s conflicts of interest and his failure to timely disclose them” damaged the company.

Caesars said Crosby failed to publicly disclose his friendship and past business relationship with Paul Lohnes, part-owner of an Everett, Mass., land parcel where a proposed $1.2 billion gaming complex operated by Wynn Resorts Ltd. is to be located. Wynn and Caesars were competing for the single Boston-area gaming license that was being offered by the state.

According to the lawsuit, Crosby told the governor’s office in August of his relationship with Lohnes, who he has known since 1970 and was a business partner for seven years. Last week, Crosby announced he would not participate in Monday’s scheduled suitability hearing for Wynn Resorts.

Caesars attorneys said Lohnes “stands to gain a significant financial benefit” should Wynn receive the lone gaming license.