Wynn details casino envisioned near Patriots’ home

BOSTON -- Las Vegas casino owner Steve Wynn unveiled details Friday of a proposed Massachusetts resort he hopes to develop near the home of the New England Patriots.

Wynn mailed a brochure and 20-minute DVD to thousands of Foxborough households explaining the proposal, which has been opposed by many residents who worry it would add to traffic congestion and crime.

An artist's rendering depicts a sprawling, six-story rustic lodge, rather than a Las Vegas-style high-rise casino. It would be built on vacant land across from Gillette Stadium that would be leased from Patriots owner Robert Kraft.

Wynn, CEO of Wynn Resorts Ltd, earlier pledged the proposed casino would fit the character of the town.

In a letter accompanying the brochure and DVD, Wynn said the casino would benefit the town "both socially and economically." He said the plans included a luxury hotel, convention space, more than 5,000 covered parking spaces, a public skating rink, high-end shops, a spa, fine dining and casual restaurants, and a performance theater.

The casino would create more than 4,000 permanent jobs and about 10,000 construction jobs, Wynn wrote, and it would generate $10 million to $15 million Foxborough could use to lower property taxes or invest in services. He also said an agreement could be reached with the town to cover public safety and other costs associated with the casino and that traffic impacts could be studied.

Stephanie Crimmins, a spokeswoman for the group No Foxboro Casino, said opponents anticipated Wynn's public relations blitz.

"We fully expected all along that they were going to send out some really fancy brochures," Crimmins said. "It is certainly not going to change my mind or the minds of most people in the community."

Crimmins noted that Foxborough officials are not yet negotiating with Wynn, nor have they revised town bylaws that ban gambling. She said opponents also question the economic impact estimates.

"These casino developers consistently over-promise and under-deliver," she said. "That is something that has happened over and over again in every town and city in the country in which there has been a casino developed."

Under state law, town residents must approve the casino plan in a referendum. Wynn's proposal would also have to beat out competition for the sole casino license that will be granted in eastern Massachusetts. The state also will allow resort-style casinos in two other regions.

The mailing and DVD is the latest in what has been a costly effort by Wynn to expand into the Massachusetts gambling market. A review of state lobbying records found that a Las Vegas-based Wynn subsidiary, Development Associates LLC, spent more than $863,000 on lobbying in just the past three years to persuade state lawmakers to legalize casino gambling.

Wynn's chief rival for the single casino license in the Boston area -- Sterling Suffolk Racecourse -- spent more than $2.8 million on lobbying in the past five years.