Latest news with #MassachusettsGamingCommission
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
MGM Springfield updates employment numbers
SPRINGFIELD — The worker headcount at MGM Springfield remained largely unchanged in the early part of 2025 with 1,546 total employees. That's according to employment figures released by the casino this month in its quarterly report to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. Those 1,546 employees were down slightly from the 1,562 reported in the fourth quarter of 2024. The figure a year ago in the first three months of 2024 was 1,505. Of the 1,546-person headcount for the first quarter, 984 were full time, 314 part time and 246 were on-call. The casino is hitting, or nearly hitting, its diversity goals with 804 minority employees working out to 52% of the total. The goal set by the state is 50%. Sixty-eight employees are veterans, about 45 of the total, beating the goal of 3%. MGM falls short on women hires with 639 or 41%. The goal is 50%. At a meeting last week, MGM pointed to success in hiring women for its security team, traditionally a male dominated field. The promise of 3,000 casino workers in Springfield — a number executives now say is unrealistic — was held out to voters as a reason to vote for legalized casinos. MGM hit the number once, briefly when it first opened in 2018. A more realistic goal, executives have said, is to grow to about 2,000 jobs. But hiring is driven by business needs, MGM has contended. The casino has open, unfilled positions now and touted tours given to Holyoke Community College, Manchester Community College and Springfield College students and its presence at career fairs hosted by UMass Hospitality and Westfield State University. MGM Springfield table games dealers and poker dealers voted in March 2024 to join the New England Joint Board UNITE HERE union but say MGM is refusing to negotiate. MGM management says a number of union representatives engaged in misconduct that interfered with employee choice and made a free and fair election impossible, so it is having the election reviewed. Gaming Commission grants Western Mass $3.2 million in casino mitigation funds Muffin thief or target of retaliation because of her disability? MGM cocktail server sues after firing As years pile on, investors who bought into dream of the Scuderi engine get anxious Read the original article on MassLive. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Gaming Commission grants Western Mass $3.2 million in casino mitigation funds
SPRINGFIELD — The Massachusetts Gaming Commission granted Tuesday more than $3.2 million in community mitigation funds for Western Massachusetts. Grants include $200,000 for the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission to do a traffic study on the impact of cars headed through Springfield and neighboring towns headed to MGM Springfield. Also on the list is $807,000 for Holyoke Community College, Springfield Technical Community College and Springfield Public Schools to continue their WorkReady program in the next year. WorkReady includes English for speakers of other languages, digital literacy and occupational training. Programs include preparing students for work as a line cook and focusing on jobs in the casino industry, according to the school's application. Gaming commissioners deferred votes on some grant requests, including traffic improvements in Longmeadow and public safety grant applications, because Commissioner Eileen O'Brien was absent and wishes to review them in detail at the June 17 meeting. The public safety applications included a $400,000 request from the Hampden County Sheriff's Office for the Western Massachusetts Recovery and Wellness Center. The drug treatment facility had to move to 155 Mill St. when the casino was built and the state Gaming Commission has supported it with casino revenue for the past 10 years. But there are questions now as to how connected the congoing expenses are to casino. Sheriff Nicholas Cocchi led commissioners on a tour of the Mill Street facility a year ago. Also delayed until the June 17 meeting was the Hampden County District Attorney's Office's request for $100,000 to cover personnel costs related to cases that emerge from MGM Springfield. The commission, when it votes, is recommending a smaller $75,000 amount. State law set up the community mitigation fund when casinos were legalized. Gaming regulators warn, however, that while the money is available now, current state budget proposals from the governor, House and Senate don't guarantee any of it will be there next year. Also approved at Tuesday's Gaming Commission meeting were: Agawam: $321,000 to close funding gaps in the Suffield Street, Rowley Street and Cooper Street intersection project. The project is expected to cost $1.7 million. Chicopee: $341,000 for surveillance cameras and license plate readers along with supporting infrastructure. Funding will also go to streetscape improvements in Chicopee Center and the city's portion of the ValleyBike Share funding. East Longmeadow: $347,000 for conceptual planning of the Center Town District, for ambulance and police equipment including defibrillators, radar units and traffic cameras. Of that $347,000, $60,000 will go towards the possible redesign of the infamous East Longmeadow rotary. Hampden: $75,000 for a tourism marketing plan emphasizing the town's outdoor recreation. Northampton: $75,000 for a digital marketing campaign. West Springfield: $518,000 for improved signs in the downtown, EMS response bicycles, police training, emergency dispatch support, a prisoner transport vehicle and increased traffic enforcement. Wilbraham: $517,000 toward the expected $1.14 million cost of reconstructing the Springfield Street/Stony Hill Road intersection. Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
MGM Springfield generated more than $23M in gaming revenue in April
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – The Massachusetts Gaming Commission has released the gaming revenue numbers for April, including sports wagering results. The combined Gross Gaming Revenue for the state's three casinos was approximately $102 million. Also, for April, just over $65 million in taxable sports wagering revenues were generated across seven online licensees and three in-person licensees. The Black Keys to perform at MassMutual Center as part of 2025 tour MGM Springfield took in $23.5 million in the combined table and slot games, paying $5.8 million in taxes to the state. Plainridge Park Casino, MGM Springfield, and Encore Boston Harbor are licensed for sports wagering, which began on January 31, 2023. According to the Commission, $67.6 million has been paid to the state in total taxes and assessments from sports wagering. Since each casino opened, the Commonwealth has collected about $2.074 billion in taxes and assessments from PPC, MGM, and Encore. Read the full revenue reports on the MGC website. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
State collects $39.6-million in taxes from February gaming revenue
BOSTON (WWLP) The combined taxable gross gaming revenue (GRR) from the three Massachusetts casinos and sports wagering equaled $158,973,472.31 in February, according to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. The casinos generated approximately $93.40 million in GRR and $65.57 million in taxable sports wagering revenue (TSWR). The total taxes collected were $39,623,140.86. Boston Celtics sold for largest amount ever in sports franchise history MGM Springfield reported $112,272.37 in taxable gaming revenue, paying $16,840.86 in taxes. Of the total taxed amount for all operators, 45% is allotted to the General Fund, 17.5% to the Workforce Investment Trust Fund, 27.5% to the Gaming Local Aid Fund, 1% to the Youth Development and Achievement Fund, and 9% to the Public Health Trust Fund. You can read the revenue reports for each operator at the Massachusetts Gaming Commission website. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
March Madness can bring fun and financial ruin as experts warn of gambling concerns
Boston College isn't playing in the NCAA basketball tournament, but that doesn't mean a lack of March Madness on campus. Some, like BC student Noah McGuire, will be cheering on other teams — and hoping for a pay-off. 'Probably going to bet on March Madness,' he said. 'I usually only throw down ten bucks a game. Once a week will do it.' McGuire, like millions of other sports fans, will turn to one of the many online sporting apps to place his March Madness bets. And it's likely those sites — such as DraftKings and FanDuel — will see a surge in business as the tournament winnows down to the national championship. Janine Ruggiero, chief communications officer with the Massachusetts Council on Gaming and Health, said it's likely more college students will be playing because they are the targets of heavy advertising by the betting industry — and because it's so easy now to place a bet. 'The promotional bets, promotional offers that are being served to young people, I do think they are enticing,' Ruggiero said. 'So that's led to an increase in participation and gambling. I do think that younger people, as soon as they can, are wagering on these apps,. It's become cultural. Just watching sports has taken on a different experience.' That experience — betting on sports — is still a relatively new phenomenon in Massachusetts, which only legalized it in 2023. And some restrictions still apply — including no betting allowed on college teams in the state unless they are playing in a tournament. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission reports that for the six months ending in January, taxable revenue from sports betting topped $387 million. The state took in $77 million in taxes from that amount. While any form of gambling can turn into a problem, Ruggiero said sports betting is more likely to result in a problem. 'Gambling is a risky endeavor,' Ruggiero said. 'Gaming is on a spectrum and sports-wagering is on the riskier part of that spectrum, meaning it is more addictive.' That addiction can lead to something called 'chasing losses.' 'When you chase losses, you continue to go and try to make your money back,' Ruggiero said. 'That does lead to a propensity, an inclination to more addictive behavior.' Worse, chasing losses is accompanied by a false sense of control over the outcome of a game, she said. 'The bettor thinks their knowledge can help them influence the outcome and help them to make money, and that's simply not the case with gambling,' said Ruggiero. Financial issues aside, other signs of a problem gambler include lying or concealing bets and losses, faltering relationships at home and work and perhaps even legal trouble. 'A person with a gambling addiction can cause a lot of destruction,' Ruggiero said. There is help, however. A program called GameSense ( run by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, provides information and guidelines on 'safer' gambling. These include placing limits on frequency of gambling and amount to be gambled. BC Student Matt Wright isn't following the frequency recommendation — he gambles every day, he said. But he does limit his wagers to modest amounts. His advice on getting through March Madness without a massive gambling debt? Be consistent. 'If you bet like me, five, ten dollars a game, keep it consistent,' he said. 'The way people lose a lot of money is when you kind of go off the rails and you go on a losing streak and you kind of up your bets. That's just a dangerous way to play.' If you or a loved one has a gambling addiction, you can call the hotline at 1-800-522-4700 to get help. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
