GGRAsia – Regulator nods one-year delay for MGM Springfield

Regulator nods one-year delay for MGM Springfield

Aug 10, 2015 Newsdesk Latest News, Top of the deck, World

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission has approved a new opening date for MGM Resorts International’s casino project MGM Springfield (pictured in a rendering), local media reported.

The property is now scheduled to be completed in August 2018 with the casino due for an official opening in September 2018. The US$800-million casino resort was previously slated to open in the autumn of 2017 according to earlier statements by the company.

MGM Resorts – which controls 51 percent of Macau-based casino operator MGM China Holdings Ltd – broke ground in March on its MGM Springfield project. In June, the U.S. casino operator submitted a revised project schedule to Massachusetts’ gambling regulators requesting for construction to be delayed by a year because of a major highway project nearby.

MGM Resorts officials have said that if the casino opens before the highway work is completed, severe traffic congestion would have a negative affect on customer experience. Construction of the highway project is scheduled to be completed by August 2018.

In June, the Associated Press quoted Michael Mathis, president of MGM Springfield, saying the casino’s revised timetable could be moved forward if the highway project finishes sooner.

MGM Springfield is expected to generate 3,000 jobs and US$25 million annually in public revenue for the Springfield community, according to the company’s projections.