New Bedford Voters Approve Casino Plan

Tourism Industry Still Struggles One Year After KatrinaNEW BEDFORD, Mass. (AP) — New Bedford voters have overwhelmingly approved a $650 million resort casino plan for the city’s waterfront.

The referendum passed Tuesday with 73 percent voting in favor of it and 27 percent against, according to results posted on the city’s website.

The vote was 8,355 to 3,040. About 21 percent of the city’s nearly 54,000 registered voters cast ballots.

KG Urban Enterprises’ plan calls for a Foxwoods-managed resort on a former power plant site.

Voter approval was critical for the plan to advance in the competition for the state’s third and final resort casino license.

A plan for the Brockton Fairgrounds already has been approved by voters.

The vote comes during an important week for Massachusetts’ nascent casino industry: the state’s first casino, Plainridge Park, opens in Plainville on Wednesday.

The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe is hoping to build a resort casino in Taunton.



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