Wynn Boston Harbor Casino Resort to Open in June 2019

Following several years of legal wrangling, Wynn Resorts finally started construction on its $2 billion Wynn Boston Harbor casino project in August of this year. Located on 33-acres of land bordering the City of Boston, Wynn Resorts has described the development as “the largest private single-phase construction project in the history of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,” with the integrated resort expected to be completed by June 3, 2019.
Setting an anticipated official opening date for the resort along the Mystic River was made possible after its final design was approved by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission on Wednesday. The five-member commission voted unanimously in favor of the mega casino project, which will also include a 29-story hotel complete with 500 bedrooms, as well as numerous restaurants, retail stores, a picnic park, spa, and convention centre. Once complete, the Wynn Boston Harbor is expected to employ at least 4,000 people, with revenues from the resort then spurring further economic development in the area.
Built on the site of a former chemical plant, the development underwent an extensive environmental cleanup in 2015, and in the summer of 2016 the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) granted Wynn a Chapter 91 license. Commenting on the decision, DEP officer Jane Rothchild explained back in June:
“One does not need to be a casino enthusiast to recognize and acknowledge the benefit that accrues to a city when a long-dormant contaminated waste site is cleaned up and brought back to useful life. Chapter 91 recognizes this work as a public benefit.”
More than 4,000 construction workers will now be employed to complete the huge development, and highlighting the challenges of the project, Chris Gordon, president of Wynn Design and Development in Massachusetts, stated that “we have 500,000 tons of soil to get off this site in the next six months.”