The state Gaming Commission's decision to offer a slots parlor license to Plainridge Racecourse shows that some members place a premium on preserving endangered racetrack jobs — a dynamic some say bodes well for struggling Suffolk Downs as it seeks a casino license, but others say sets no precedent.
Commissioners Enrique Zuniga, Gayle Cameron and Bruce Stebbins voted yesterday to endorse Penn National's plan to acquire Plainridge in Plainville and put 1,250 slots there, with James McHugh and Chairman Stephen Crosby dissenting. Zuniga and Cameron said saving 100-plus track jobs gave Penn the edge over projects in Leominster and Raynham.
"That was added value," Cameron said. "I think it's well within our right and our responsibility to look at all the added value that comes with an applicant. I just looked at this as a process as, 'Which applicant brought more value?' And part of that value is preserving existing jobs."
Asked if his vote translates to an advantage for Suffolk Downs in Revere over a Wynn Resorts proposal on an Everett industrial site, Zuniga said, "Perhaps. I think perhaps, in the context of the preservation of jobs. I think that's very important."
Crosby railed against the idea that the slots decision revealed how commissioners will decide the pitched license battle between Wynn and Suffolk's proposed operator, Mohegan Sun.
"I think it would be a mistake to take very much away from this," Crosby said. "It may not even be relevant. It may be that somebody's so far ahead that it doesn't matter ... In this particular circumstance, I didn't think that should be the criteria that pushed it over the top."
Boston College professor and gaming expert Richard McGowan said the commission's slots decision "bodes very well for Suffolk Downs."
"If you think about it, there are a lot of jobs involved in the horse racing industry, and I think there's a lot of political pressure," McGowan said. "The unions are 100 percent behind Suffolk Downs; they're not behind Wynn."
Wynn spokesman Michael Weaver said the company isn't worried commissioners showed a bias toward applicants with tracks.
"We were impressed with the deliberate and serious nature of the decision, and I think they took a lot of factors into consideration," Weaver said.
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