Massachusetts Gaming Commission Chairman Stephen Crosby, center, at a hearing.
Credit: Nicolaus Czarnecki, Metro
The chairman of the state’s gaming commission recused himself on Thursday from the decision-making regarding the awarding of the Eastern Massachusetts casino license.
Chairman Stephen Crosby opened Thursday’s meeting, during which the commission will hear testimony regarding Boston’s status as a host or surrounding community to the Revere and Everett proposals, by reading a statement.
“Over the past several months, my behavior and judgmentconcerning the parties to the Region A decisionhas been questioned, sometimes in good faith, sometimes in bad faith,” Crosby said in a statement. “But thecompounding of these issues hasnow gotten to the point where my participation in the decision making processhasbecome a distraction and a potentialthreat to our critical appearance of total impartiality.”
Crosby most recently came under fire for attending a celebration at Suffolk Downs, which is partnering with Mohegan Sun and competing against Wynn Resorts for the Greater Boston area casino license. Crosby paid $400 of his own money to attend the celebration of the opening of the horse racing season and the Kentucky Derby, according to the Globe. Gov. Deval Patrick recently said while the decision was probably not a wise one, it appeared to be within the rules.
As of 2012, the newly formed commission took over all regulatory duties and responsibilities for the state’s horse racing industry.
Commissioner James McHugh will take over as chairman for all Region A matters, and Crosby will serve as chair for all other gaming commission matters.
Material from the State House News Service was used in this report.
Follow Michael Naughton on Twitter @metrobosmike.
