Chicago casino and real estate tycoon Neil Bluhm has settled on Worcester for a planned slot machine parlor, the first gambling business proposed for central Massachusetts.
Bluhm, chairman of Rush Street Gaming, in January applied to the state gambling commission for casino development rights, but did not announce a site. The company is not yet disclosing the specific property in Worcester on which it wants to build, according to Rush Street.
Bluhm is a major player in the casino industry. In the last several years, he has developed three urban casinos: Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, Ill., Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh, and SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia.
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The 2011 state casino law authorized one slot machine parlor that can be built anywhere in the state, as well as up to three resort casinos.
A Worcester slots proposal would compete with projects planned for Plainville and Raynham. One other developer who has applied for a slots license has yet to announce a community.