For the third time in 20 years, New Bedford residents have voted overwhelmingly to welcome a casino into their city.

Voters approved a plan to locate a casino on the city’s waterfront by a margin of 73 percent to 27 percent, with 21 percent of the city’s 53,916 registered voters casting ballots in the referendum, according to the city’s summary report on the election.

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The proposal in New Bedford now faces a head-to-head competition with a similar proposal for a casino in Brockton. The state Gaming Commission is expected to make a decision on which casino to license -- or to not license either -- by the end of the year.The vote represents a major win for Mayor Jon Mitchell, who has enthusiastically backed the casino proposal as a possible economic stimulus for the city’s historic, but aged, downtown waterfront. KG Urban, a New York-based developer, is proposing a $650 million casino on the waterfront that would feature glass walls and large windows offering panoramic views of the harbor. Mitchell insisted that the developer design the site in a way that would integrate the casino with downtown. Mitchell has also promised to use a portion of the money to be received by the city from the casino to spur other development.“Obviously, we are very pleased,” Mitchell said after the results were tallied. “This is validation from the voters that the deal we got is a good one for the city. We look forward to competing for the license and returning New Bedford to its status as one of the leading cities in the Northeast.” The vote is also a welcome outcome for the state Gaming Commission, which has made clear its desire to have a New Bedford proposal by repeatedly voting to extend its deadlines for KG Urban. KG Urban representatives had to ask the commission several times for more time to finalize a deal with its principal financial backer, even while a developer of a proposal to locate a casino in Brockton met its deadlines.Gaming Commission Chairman Stephen P. Crosby has said the commission is likely to drive a better bargain for the state -- meaning a larger capital investment by the developer -- by having at least two casino developers compete for the state’s casino license reserved for Southeastern Massachusetts. The commission is expected to award the license, the third and final one for the state, by the end of the year.David Lima, pastor of a New Bedford church, led the opposition to the casino. He said it was not surprising that voters supported the proposal because of the dire need for jobs in a city with one of the highest unemployment rates in the state.“The casino companies look for cities with high unemployment to come into because those are the only places where people with vote for them,” he said. “But casinos aren’t for the communities. They are for the profits. The big problem with casinos is they take money from the people who can least afford to lose it.”On May 12, Brockton narrowly approved a proposal in that city for a $650 million casino, 50.5 percent to 49.5 percent, with a turnout of 32 percent of the city’s 44,010 voters. That casino would be located on the Brockton Fairgrounds, on the already-congested Route 123.New Bedford residents have twice voted overwhelmingly in favor of hosting a resort casino: In 1995, 78 percent to 22 percent; and in 2001, 64 percent to 36 percent. Last year, New Bedford voters delivered a resounding “no” to the statewide referendum that would have repealed the 2011 law that allows casinos. Almost 68 percent of voters rejected the casino repeal effort. Statewide, voters reject repeal by a 60 percent to 40 percent margin. KG Urban has promised to pay the city $12.5 million a year to compensate for increased traffic and other casino-related inconveniences. The developer also promises to make a one-time $4.5 million payment to the city, build a $10 million harbor walk and spend as much as $50 million for environmental clean up.Sean P. Murphy can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Follow him on Twitter @spmurphyboston.