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BREAKING: Suffolk Downs Casino Deal Done, Revs Wonderland SSS Once Again Possible

Just when it seemed all hope would be lost, a ray of light has parted the gray clouds over the Revolution community today as word through the grapevine is that a deal has been struck between Boston and Suffolk Downs for the proposed Casino project to move forward.

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We reported to you in June that the Suffolk Downs Casino project talks were hitting some serious turbulence, but that situation seems to have taken a 180-degree turn according to reports from the Boston Globe this afternoon.

About a half-hour ago, Mark Arsenault of the Globe tweeted the following:

More details were later provided in this article posted on Boston.com's MetroDesk. Here's the basics:

The protracted casino negotiations between Mayor Thomas Menino and Suffolk Downs are done, with the two sides agreeing on a deal that will allow Suffolk Downs’ gambling resort proposal to move ahead to a referendum vote.

Details of the deal have not yet been released, but it apparently will include payments to the city that exceed any other casino agreement in the state as well as language obligating the developer to maintain cetain employment levels at the resort.

So, what does this mean exactly for the Revolution? Well, that much is still very unclear. However, we can say with confidence that the potential of building a Soccer Specific Stadium in the Boston area is (and has been for quite some time) intimately tied to this deal.

Revere has already all but given the go-ahead for the project, but the Suffolk Downs site is not entirely in Revere but rather is technically in East Boston as well. Hence why Boston Mayor Tom Menino had to get invovled to help facilitate the deal between Suffolk Downs and the city of Boston.

With both Boston and Revere now on board, the casino project can go into the referendum stage (where the proposal will go up for a direct vote to be either accepted or rejected). The link for the Revolution is that the dog-racing track at Suffolk Downs (referred to as Wonderland) would be the proposed site for the Revs' stadium. Simply put, now that Revere has full control over the land, they can move forward with the Casino as well as the stadium plans, as Revere Mayor Dan RIzzo has enthusiastically stated that he'd like to do.

Again, this hardly guarantees that a stadium for the Revs is guaranteed. The proposal must first be accepted via referendum vote, of course. Should it be accepted, then we'll have to see from there if a stadium ideal with the Krafts is indeed still in the works as a part of the agreement.

And with that, Revs fans wait with bated breath hoping to hear the words that they've waited so long now to hear.

The protracted casino negotiations between Mayor Thomas Menino and Suffolk Downs are done, with the two sides agreeing on a deal that will allow Suffolk Downs’ gambling resort proposal to move ahead to a referendum vote.

Details of the deal have not yet been released, but it apparently will include payments to the city that exceed any other casino agreement in the state as well as language obligating the developer to maintain cetain employment levels at the resort.

- See more at: http://www.boston.com/metrodesk/2013/08/27/menino-suffolk-downs-reach-casino-deal-proposal-head-referendum/Hu3958lhRc6nYtoolJqoPM/story.html?camp=misc:on:twit:metro&dlvrit=715467#sthash.R4L9akbq.dpuf

The protracted casino negotiations between Mayor Thomas Menino and Suffolk Downs are done, with the two sides agreeing on a deal that will allow Suffolk Downs’ gambling resort proposal to move ahead to a referendum vote.

Details of the deal have not yet been released, but it apparently will include payments to the city that exceed any other casino agreement in the state as well as language obligating the developer to maintain cetain employment levels at the resort.

- See more at: http://www.boston.com/metrodesk/2013/08/27/menino-suffolk-downs-reach-casino-deal-proposal-head-referendum/Hu3958lhRc6nYtoolJqoPM/story.html?camp=misc:on:twit:metro&dlvrit=715467#sthash.R4L9akbq.dpuf