Springfield Voters Approve Agreement Between City Officials And MGM ResortsMGM Promised the City Over $25 Million a Year |
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The voters of Springfield, Massachusetts approved the agreement made between MGM Resorts and city officials to be one of the three western region cities to have a casino under the state’s new gambling law.
The new law permits three full-scale casinos to be built and operated in Massachusetts. This would be the state’s first casino. Before the law change gaming consisted of horse racing and a lottery.
From a total of 24,278 votes casted, 58 percent were pro and 42 percent against.
The Massachusetts Gaming Control Board will have the final vote of whether or not Springfield will be one of the three cities to have a casino.
Springfield is an hour and a half drive away from Mashantucket, Connecticut, which has an Indian casino, and Boston, the biggest city in Massachusetts.
MGM has promised the city more than $25 million a year if their casino is chosen. They’ve also guaranteed 3,000 permanent jobs and 2,000 temporary jobs during construction, 35 percent of which would be reserved for Springfield residents only.
Critics are worried the casino would negatively affect low-income and elderly residents.
Citizens for the casino think it’s just what the city needs after the last few hard years resulting from the tornado damage in June of 2011 and the natural gas explosion in November 2012.
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