REVERE, MA-Two companies that originally pursued casino projects in different parts of the state have joined forces to build one near Boston. Mohegan Sun said last week that it had become development partner and gaming operator for Suffolk Downs on a resort casino that would comprise 42 of the Revere, MA racetrack's 52 acres.

“Mohegan Sun and Suffolk Downs each began our pursuit of a place in the Massachusetts gaming industry in different ways and different locations,” Michael Etess, CEO of the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority, said last Wednesday. “Circumstances brought us together in recent days, and we immediately recognized that something truly special can be created in Revere.”

Those circumstances affected both Suffolk Downs' proposal to give over a good portion of its acreage to a casino and Mohegan Sun's plan to build a facility elsewhere in the state. In October, Suffolk Downs severed its ties with Caesars Entertainment, its former partner on the project; last month voters in Palmer, MA rejected a $1-billion proposal by Mohegan Sun to build a gaming resort in that western Massachusetts community.

In announcing the development partnership with Mohegan Sun, which operates three casinos in Connecticut, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Suffolk Downs cited its new partner's financial platform. The Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority has backing from New York City-based Brigade Capital Management, a $15-billion investment advisor which has invested extensively in the gaming industry. “The Massachusetts Gaming Commission has already found Mohegan Sun and Brigade, as well as Suffolk Downs, suitable as potential license holders in the Commonwealth,” according to Suffolk Downs.

The two firms have already begun putting together a design for the resort casino in Revere. In addition, as part of the deal, Mohegan Sun will honor all commitments made by Suffolk Downs in its Host Community Agreement with the City of Revere, and will work alongside Suffolk Downs to reach agreements with surrounding communities.