Photo courtesy of Yamaguchi先生 / CC BY-SA 3.0

The plans for a mixed-use development with a horse track and gambling hall in Wareham now envision a slots parlor at the site rather than a small-scale casino as originally envisioned when the project was announced last month.

The shift in the vision for the Wareham site aligns with legislation (H.4070) filed by Wareham Rep. Susan Williams Gifford and sent to the Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies this month. No hearing has yet been scheduled.

Gifford’s bill would allow the Massachusetts Gaming Commission the discretion to issue either a full-scale casino license or a slots parlor license in southeastern Massachusetts, but not both. Gifford did not respond to News Service interview requests.

The Notos Group, led by Thomas O’Connell, was originally said to be seeking legislation that would give the Gaming Commission flexibility to issue a license for something less than a full-scale resort casino in the southeastern part of the state.

The plan has since been refined, a Notos Group representative said Thursday evening, and the developer is now supporting the change in state gaming law that would allow the Gaming Commission to issue a second slots parlor license.