Suffolk Downs Announces $1 Billion Casino and Resort Plan

By Veronica Grecu, Associate Editor

Reno, Nevada-based casino entertainment company Caesar’s Entertainment and the owners of Suffolk Downs, a famed thoroughbred race track in East Boston that opened in 1935, have unveiled a long-awaited plan for a $1 billion casino and resort that would boost the local economy and create 2,500 construction jobs and 4,000 permanent jobs.

The new “Mecca for entertainment and gaming” will include a hotel with 300 guest rooms, a 200,000-square-foot casino with 4,000 to 5,000 slot machines and 200 table games, entertainment facilities, 10 fine-cuisine restaurants, a food court, and a sports bar, as well as garage and surface parking and an extended horse racing track. It is estimated that the new project would have a $200 million regional economic impact in annual tax revenue.

Designed by Elkus Manfredi, the ambitious project will set the standard for gaming development in Massachusetts, according to Suffolk Downs owner Richard Fields who was quoted by the Chelsea Massachusetts Newspaper. The developers also promised to invest $40 million in upgrading the site’s roads and intersections to ease the transportation issues that might occur in the area before applying for a casino license.

As reported by NECN.com, the project is strongly supported by two political leaders, Boston Mayor Tomas Menino and Massachusetts House Speaker Robert DeLeo.

Rendering courtesy of Suffolk Downs website