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Steve Wynn has developed lavish resorts in Las Vegas. |
Las Vegas casino executive Steve Wynn has expressed interest for the first time in a possible casino deal in response to Governor Deval Patrick's proposal to legalize gambling in Massachusetts, joining a list of other suitors talking to the owners of Wonderland Park in Revere.
Track owner Charlie Sarkis said Wynn called him about two weeks ago, asked for information about the property, and questioned him about the chance of the legislation passing.
"They think it's a good market," Sarkis said, "and they would like to play in the market."
Wynn is primarily interested in the Boston area and has looked at three or four other properties in the area, Sarkis said. Wynn executives did not respond to requests for comment, but Wynn sent a representative to a casino hearing last month at the State House.
Sarkis said he had plans to meet with that representative, Richard D. Bronson, later this month in California to talk about a deal.
Wynn, who was born in New Haven and later took over his family's Maryland-based bingo business, is one of the best-known casino operators on the Las Vegas strip.
He has developed lavish resorts in Las Vegas - including the Bellagio, Mirage, and Treasure Island - and has recently expanded to Macau, where he is competing with Sheldon Adelson, who also wants to develop in Massachusetts, in the Marlborough area.
Last year, Wynn joined with Richard Fields, majority owner of Suffolk Downs, in an unsuccessful bid to run New York state's horse-racing franchise.
Wynn's father, Michael, was a sign painter in the 1930s, and one of his clients was a small bingo parlor on Revere Beach, according to a 2005 profile of Wynn in Vanity Fair. His father started offering suggestions and eventually ended up running the bingo hall, Wynn told the magazine.
Wonderland has held casino discussions with a wide number of investors, including Donald Trump, Foxwoods, Mohegan Sun, and the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Discussions have also been ongoing for nearly a year between Sarkis and Fields over a partnership between Wonderland and Suffolk Downs, which are just 2 miles apart.
Patrick filed legislation in October that would license one resort casino in each of three separate regions: Western Massachusetts, Southeastern Massachusetts, and metropolitan Boston. His proposal faces a stiff fight in the House of Represenatives, where Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi has expressed strong skepticism.
Matt Viser can be reached at maviser@globe.com.
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