Casino Project Submitted for Milford

BOSTON — A resort casino application was submitted to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission Tuesday by developer David Nunes, working with Warner Gaming.

The application, for Crossroads Massachusetts, had not been reviewed by state staff as to a specific location, but Nunes has spoken for several years of placing a multi-million resort casino at a site in Milford, off Interstate 495.

The application was among 11 submitted by the 5 p.m. deadline Tuesday, and is among three for the greater Boston region.

The state commission ultimately will authorize a casino license for up to one proposal in three regions: one for Western Massachusetts, one for greater Boston and a third for the southeastern area of the state. Applications for casino licenses in southeastern Massachusetts are temporarily on hold, while the state considers tribal applications, which have first priority in that region.

The proposed Crossroads development submitted by Nunes is in the same region and would directly compete for the available license with two other resort-style casino proposals, , submitted by the Las Vegas development company Wynn Resorts.

The state also will authorize up to one slots parlor.

Voters in each community hosting a casino, or a slots parlor, would have to authorize the development in a referendum. The process is expected to take up to two more years for the resort-style casinos, the state commission said.

Slots parlors will get the initial priority for licensing review, followed by the resort casinos.

The deadline Tuesday was for the initial level of review, an investigation of whether the developer has the appropriate financing and integrity for the project. This will include a background investigation of key employees and investors, according to the state commission. This could take up to six months.

Speaking at a press conference, after announcing the final list of applicants, commission chairman Steve Crosby said the background investigations in Phase I would be "substantial" and would include the expertise of former FBI agents, gaming experts, accountants and police officials. The investigation would include a review of the regulatory history of the applicants, as well as their financial histories.

The commission by the end of the summer of 2013 expects to release the regulations to be followed in the Phase 2 process, which will focus on the remaining applicants site-specific plans.

Nunes, a Colorado-based developer, could not be reached by Milford Patch on Monday or Tuesday. On the spreadsheet distributed to reporters Tuesday by commission staff, he is listed, along with Warner Gaming LLC, as the sole partners of Crossroads Massachusetts, which is seeking a resort-casino license. When asked about the location, Crosby told reporters he believed it was Milford.

The commission staff has not yet reviewed the proposals, and they are not yet being made public. According to Crosby, the commission will announce at a later date when the applications will be made available. "The applications must first be reviewed and processed by the investigators for completeness and areas of confidentiality," he said.

In early November, Nunes told the Boston Business Journal he would present a casino development proposal for the Milford location of up to 1 billion, with a new financial partner he would not name at the time. He told the Boston Globe on Sunday he planned to enter the competition by the deadline, which was set 90 days ago by the gaming commission.

The following entities have submitted proposals and will now undergo the Phase 1 review, according to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. As part of this application, developers had to submit a nonrefundable $400,000 fee, which Crosby said would be used to pay for the background investigations.

Boston area region (Region A)

• Suffolk Downs
• Wynn MA
• Crossroads Massachusetts

Western Massachusetts region (Region B)

• MGM Springfield
• Penn National
• Mohegan Sun
• Hard Rock

Slots Parlor

• Plainridge Racecourse
• Raynham Park

Undisclosed locations/license types

• Mass Gaming & Entertainment
• PPE Casino Resorts