Mayor Martin J. Walsh, unable to reach an agreement this week with two developers vying for a Boston-area casino license, will appeal to casino regulators Thursday to decide if Boston should have more say over the two projects that touch its borders.
Walsh will also raise concerns about ownership of the Everett site where Steve Wynn wants to build a casino, said a person briefed on the city’s plans. For months the land has been mired in controversy as state and federal law enforcement officials try to determine whether alleged criminals have secret interests in the land and could profit if Wynn is awarded a license.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission had been poised to hear arguments last week about Walsh’s disputed claim that Boston qualifies under state law as a “host community” to both the Wynn casino proposal in Everett and the Mohegan Sun resort proposed for Suffolk Downs in Revere.
But the discussion was delayed after Governor Deval Patrick intervened in the hope that the city could reach agreements with Wynn Resorts and Mohegan Sun, potentially avoiding a lawsuit or arbitration.
Officials from the city and Mohegan Sun met for several hours Wednesday, said sources briefed on the negotiations, but the sides could not reach an agreement. Mohegan Sun offered the city compensation as a “surrounding community” a lesser status that would not permit the city to hold new elections that could jeopardize the projects.
On Thursday, lawyers for the city will make their case before the commission.
“I’m hopeful the Gaming Commission will deem Boston a host community in both proposals,’’ said Walsh. “We’re certainly going to make the argument. I want the people of East Boston and Charlestown to be able to vote on whether they want a casino in their community.”
Walsh, who argues that both projects depend on Boston, has said Charlestown residents should vote on the Wynn project and East Boston should have a say on the Mohegan Sun plan. Access to the Wynn property is through Boston, and the casino project is offering amenities that are located in Boston such as use of TD Garden for entertainment events.
The Mohegan Sun project is linked to the Suffolk Downs racetrack, most of which is in East Boston, the city argues.
“Today we had a productive meeting with the City of Boston,” Mitchell Etess, chief executive of the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority, said in a statement. “Ultimately, we were unable to agree on our status as a host or surrounding community. We do, however, remain committed to continuing the discussions and reaching a mutually beneficial agreement with the city.”
Wynn officials did not meet this week with the city, but said in a statement that they are willing to, but only to negotiate a surrounding community agreement.
“We have been and continue to be interested in meeting with the City of Boston,” said Wynn spokesman Michael Weaver. “. . . We currently are unaware of any meeting planned to discuss a surrounding community agreement.”
Last month, Walsh called on commission chairman, Stephen P. Crosby, to recuse himself from any decisions about licensing a casino in the Boston region, accusing him of bias against the city and its efforts to gain more influence over the two casino proposals.
City attorney Elizabeth Dello Russo said the commission is trying to “stack the deck” against Boston, to deny the city a fair hearing on its claim for host community status. In a letter to the commission, Dello Russo also cited a federal lawsuit by Caesars Entertainment Corp. that also accuses Crosby of bias.
“Taken together, the pending federal lawsuit, recent commission statements, current press articles, and the commission’s own actions create a cloud over the proceedings when chairman Crosby participates,” the letter said.
Andrea Estes can be reached at estes@globe.com.