Last week, when Curtatone joined Baker and Everett Mayor Carlo DeMario at the Encore Boston Harbor casino to announce the footbridge, the Somerville mayor said, “Moving forward on the Mystic River bike and pedestrian bridge shows a recommitment to fostering economic, environmental, and mobility equity in the region. “Wynn is looking to tap into the success of Assembly Row to get more people to his craps table.” But, with the right combination of patience and pressure, attitudes can change. Initially, Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone, a casino opponent, was anything but encouraging: “A footbridge would benefit Steve Wynn and Steve Wynn only,” he said in 2015. After winning the license, Wynn Resorts - then headed by Steve Wynn - re-upped it as a way to connect the casino on the Everett side of the Mystic River to the T station at Assembly Row, along with its crowded restaurants and shops. The idea of a footbridge predated the casino’s development by at least a decade.
That’s usually not enough to get a host unless you play for 6+ hours, multiple times per. Not that any decision in Massachusetts comes quickly. If you play about 70 hands per hour and the house edge is 0.8, your theoretical loss is 14 per hour. Related : Proposed pedestrian bridge across Mystic River would connect Assembly MBTA station and Encore casino
