BOSTON (AP) - Revere Mayor Daniel Rizzo wants state gambling regulators to publicly address what he says are unanswered questions surrounding the ownership of the former chemical plant site where Wynn Resorts seeks to build a $1.5 billion casino.
In a letter issued late Thursday, Rizzo said there needs to be more public discussion about FBT Everett Realty LLC, which owns land along the Mystic River that Wynn wants to develop into a resort-style casino.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission is set to hear an update from its staff on the Wynn land at its Friday meeting.
At least one of the firm’s partners, Anthony Gattineri, has so far declined to sign a pledge - required by gambling regulators - that no secret owners would profit if the land is sold to the casino for development. He has also refused to testify under oath to commission investigators.
Gattineri’s refusals have fueled speculation that convicted felon Charles Lightbody is still part owner of the land, something Lightbody’s lawyer denies.
Rizzo, in his letter, contrasted the uncertainty around the Everett proposal with the one in his hometown.
Sterling Suffolk Racecourse, the owner of the Revere land where Mohegan Sun proposes a casino, has been found suitable by the gambling commission, he noted.
Wynn and Mohegan Sun are competing for the lone casino license in the state’s eastern region, which gambling officials hope to award by August at earliest.
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