| MGM Springfield | |
|---|---|
| Location | Springfield, Massachusetts |
| Address | One MGM Way, Springfield, MA 01103 |
| Opening date | August 24, 2018[1] |
| Theme | History of Springfield |
| No. of rooms | 250[2] |
| Total gaming space | 125,000 sq ft (11,600 m2) |
| Signature attractions | Massmutual Center (currently operated by MGM)Outdoor Concert Area |
| Notable restaurants | WahlBurgersCal Mare |
| Owner | MGM Resorts International |
| Coordinates | Coordinates: 42°5′56.77″N72°35′13.32″W / 42.0991028°N 72.5870333°W |
| Website | mgmspringfield.com |
Mgm casino proposal springfield ma He was convicted in October 2008 of leading five men, including two with guns, in an ill-fated bid to retrieve mgm casino proposal springfield ma personal items and memorabilia from two collectibles dealers and a go-between at a Las Vegas casino-hotel. A proposal to have a highway digital sign displaying the list of programs showcasing at MGM Springfield was denied by the state’s Gaming Commission in a vote Tuesday. The sign is said to be.
MGM Springfield is a hotel and casino complex situated in the heart of Metro Center, Springfield, Massachusetts, United States. Opening on August 24, 2018 in a block of buildings that are historically or culturally influential to Springfield, it became the first resort casino in the Commonwealth.[1] It is owned and operated by MGM Resorts International.[3]
- 1History
- 2Shops
- 2.1First Spiritualist Church
History[edit]
Proposals[edit]
MGM Springfield was one of three proposals in the city of Springfield, Massachusetts for the Western Massachusetts casino license. Casinos were also proposed for Holyoke, Palmer, and West Springfield. On December 2, 2012, MGM Springfield and Penn National's Springfield proposal became the remaining two proposals for Springfield when Ameristar withdrew its Springfield proposal for the former Westinghouse site.[4]
On April 30, 2013, Mayor Dominic Sarno selected MGM Springfield as the winning proposal for the City of Springfield, defeating the Penn National proposal for the north end of the city, and on July 16 Springfield voters approved the casino application, making MGM Springfield the state's first proposal to win voter approval in its host community. MGM was then in a three-way race with Hard Rock's West Springfield proposal and Mohegan Sun's Palmer proposal. On September 11, 2013, West Springfield voters voted to block the Hard Rock proposal, leaving only MGM and Mohegan Sun in the race for the license. MGM Springfield won the bid for the Western Massachusetts license on November 6, 2013, when Palmer voters blocked the Mohegan Sun proposal, leaving MGM Springfield as the only Western Massachusetts proposal to win voter approval. (Had either Hard Rock or Mohegan Sun won voter approval, the state's gaming commission would have had to make the final decision.)[4]
MGM officially received the license on June 13, 2014. It joined two other license winners: Penn National, which was awarded the slot parlor license, and Wynn Massachusetts, which was awarded the Eastern Massachusetts Region A casino license. As of November 6, 2014, it received its Region B license[4] and is expected to open in 2018.[5]
On November 4, 2014, a referendum attempting to ban casinos in the state failed.[6] The plan for the construction of the casino at the time would have required the demolition of some buildings in downtown, including the partial demolition of one on the National Register of Historic Places.[7]
MGM design[edit]
On September 22, 2015, MGM unveiled a redesigned site plan for the project, abandoning the 25-story glass-facade hotel on State Street in favor of a 6-story hotel on Main Street. The changes also included the reduction of the parking garage by one floor and the market-rate apartments being moved off-site.[8]
MGM has pledged to create about 3,000 permanent jobs to benefit the local community. The company announced that it would have various job descriptions available, including security officer, assistant executive housekeeper, food and beverage manager, host person, 21 dealer, concierge, assistant front desk manager, front desk clerk, and housekeeper, a spokeswoman gave as some examples.[9]
MGM Springfield opened to the public on August 24, 2018. The $960,000,000 project is built in an area that sustained significant damage by a tornado that struck Springfield on June 1, 2011. The 2-million-square-foot (190,000 m2) complex contains a gaming area surrounded by a parking garage, hotel, spa, movie theater, restaurants, and shops. The 125,000-square-foot (11,600 m2) casino featuring 2,550 slots, 120 table games, a high-limit room and a poker room with 23 tables.[10]
Shops[edit]
First Spiritualist Church[edit]
The relocated 129-year-old First Spiritualist Church from Bliss Street now sits past the former South End Community Center, through the MGM Springfield construction site to a pad where it now sits on Union Street.[citation needed]
Current tenants[edit]
- Kringle Candle - located inside of the historic church[11]
- Regal Cinemas - located adjacent to the casino hotel[citation needed]
- ROAR! Comedy Club - located inside the former historic Armory building
- Wahlburgers - will be opening on the corner of Main and Union St. next to the plaza[citation needed]
- Hannoush Jewelers
- Indian Motorycles Merchandise Shop
- Cal Mare
- TAP Sports Bar and Bowling Alley
- Chandler Steakhouse
- General Store
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ ab'MGM Springfield reveals $960 million resort casino to open earlier than expected (photos, video)'.
- ^'MGM Springfield'. www.mgmspringfield.com.
- ^Robbins, Carolyn (November 5, 2014). 'MGM Springfield moves to next phase, accepting license, soil testing in South End'. The Republican. Springfield, Massachusetts. Retrieved 2014-11-11.
- ^ abcMGM, Springfield. 'MGM Resorts International Accepts Massachusetts Casino License'. MGM Springfield Official Website. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
- ^Burnett, Andrew. 'A New Type of Casino'. Pokertube. Archived from the original on 8 March 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
- ^Williams, Michelle (June 27, 2014). 'MGM Springfield President Michael Mathis reflects on SJC's decision on gaming law repeal efforts'. The Republican. Springfield, Massachusetts. Retrieved 2014-10-23.
- ^Rizzuto, Robert (June 5, 2014). 'Endangered properties in Springfield's South End relating to MGM's proposed $800 million casino'. The Republican. Springfield, Massachusetts. Retrieved 2014-10-23.
- ^'MGM Springfield drops 25-story hotel tower from casino design plan, relocates hotel to Main Street'. Masslive.com. Retrieved 2015-09-22.
- ^Goonan Peter (July 5, 2013). 'MGM Resorts schedules job workshops and diversity vendor fair for Springfield casino jobs, biddable goods'. Masslive.com. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
- ^'Review of the $1 Billion MGM Springfield Casino'. playusa.com.
- ^'MGM Springfield reveals Kringle Candle coming to casino complex, announces partnership with Springfield Museums'. massliv.com. September 2017.
External links[edit]
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to MGM Springfield. |
Contents
While MGM Resorts continues construction on its $950 million casino resort in Springfield, MA, the company keeps fighting a legal battle in neighboring Connecticut.Tribal casinos in CT and MGM continue to spar about a proposed tribal casino in East Windsor, CT. On Wednesday, CT casino employees met with lawmakers in Hartford to voice growing concern about job loss. Workers are increasingly worried the forthcoming MGM Springfield could compromise their livelihoods.
Tribes say 9,000 casino jobs at risk
Employees from the Mashantucket Pequot-owned Foxwoods and Mohegan-owned Mohegan Sun casinos turned up for the Hartford meeting. Foxwoods employee Donald MacPheeexplained his greatest concern to local news station WWLP:
“MGM Springfield is competition. Competition is okay. It’s not a big issue. But to bring those jobs back into Connecticut and to bring those monies back into Connecticut, the facility certainly needs to be built where it’s being built.”
The East Windsor project is under fire from MGM. Representatives of the casino company say the state needs to open up the bidding on the new CT casino beyond the tribes. Moreover, the casino conglomerate is pursuing the issue in court, saying the state does not have the legal right to hand the casino project to the tribes.
Mgm Casino Springfield Ma Layout
The Mashantucket and Mohegan partnership (MMCT) claims the only way to save an estimated 9,300 jobs in CT is to greenlight a third tribal casino in the East Windsor area.
Residents of East Windsor support the casino proposal. Furthermore, State Sen. Tim Larsontold the Hartford Courant he is behind the plan as well:
“I think it’s a great step forward. It’s important that we save jobs in the state of Connecticut. We’ve done that in the defense industry — Pratt & Whitney, Electric Boat. Now it’s time to do it in the tourism industry.”
MGM proposes alternative casino site in Fairfield County
The tribes say East Windsor is the best site for a casino to protect CT gaming interests and generate revenue. Unsurprisingly, MGM has a completely different take. The Springfiled casino owners claim Fairfield County is a better site for a new venue.
Located near the New York state line, a Fairfield County casino would arguably contend with the increasing casino competition in upstate NY.
In March, MGM offered to pay 30-35 percent taxes on gaming revenue if given the chance to build in Fairfield County. The company claims at those rates, the revenue from a property in Bridgeport would offset losses from Springfield competition.
Tribal consultant Clyde Barrow suggests a Bridgeport casino would need $1 billion dollars in annual gaming revenue to recoup losses from competition. However, Uri Clinton, an MGM vice president, strongly disagrees:
“The report’s conclusion is undermined by the tribes themselves, as they have repeatedly told their investors that the greatest threat to their two current casinos isn’t Springfield — it’s the casino market that could be accessed if there was a commercial casino in southwest Connecticut.”
During a committee hearing last month, state Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff noted the biggest flaw in the Fairfield plan.
“There is a fundamental problem with that proposal,” he explained. “Fairfield County does not want a casino. There are not the votes to pass legislation for a Fairfield County casino.”
Breaking the CT casino monopoly could cost the state
Should the state listen to MGM’s Fairfield proposal and open up bidding, it could prove extremely costly. After all, the existing agreement between the state and the tribes is based on casino exclusivity. In exchange for no competition, the tribes give 25 percent of slots revenue to the state.
If the state breaks the monopoly, the tribes arguably could stop payment on $267 million in annual slots revenue. While a Fairfield casino could arguably offset competition from Springfield, it would not earn enough to recoup such a loss. In other words, the state needs to decide if compromising the existing tribal relationship is worth opening up casino competition.
Effectively, this third casino is turning into a bargaining chip for the tribes. This week, MMCT assured state lawmakers tribes would continue payments if the bill for the East Windsor property passes. Even though the monopoly could compromise the revenue agreement per the AG, the tribes insist they will continue to support the state.
“We’ve said from the beginning that we want to help the state we have called home for centuries,” Mashantucket Chairman Rodney Butler toldThe Day.
While the tribes seem willing to work with the state, the battle with MGM seems far from over.