Latest news with #MassachusettsGamingCommission
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Commission OK's more casino mitigation money, but the well may be running dry
SPRINGFIELD — The Massachusetts Gaming Commission approved $3.1 million in new Community Mitigation Fund grants for Western Massachusetts Tuesday. The awards followed $3.2 million in community mitigation funds it approved May 27. But this might be the last time the commission distributes this much funding to the region. Versions of next year's state budget making their way through Beacon Hill call for the elimination of the fund, folding it into the state's general coffers. At Tuesday's meeting, Joseph Delaney, chief of the commission's Division of Community Affairs, said the commission currently has enough money collected from casinos to fund the $22 million to $23 million worth of grant requests it has received. But next year, Delaney expects the available funds will plummet to a quarter of that — between $5 million to $6 million — under a new state budget as the fund sunsets. The 2011 law that established legal casinos called for 6.5% of gaming tax revenue to go toward mitigating the effect of a casino in the surrounding community, addressing problem gambling, public safety and economic disparities, for instance. The list commissioners approved Tuesday includes $2.9 million for the city of Springfield. Among the projects, the commission gave $250,000 toward the possible adaptive reuse of Old First Church into a regional events and visitor center. Old First Church, built in 1810 and city-owned since 2008, is on Court Square park, which is now undergoing a rehabilitation project with new sidewalks and lighting. 'Now it's the piece of the puzzle there,' Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said in a phone interview. The building hosted statesman Daniel Webster and abolitionist John Brown. Former President John Quincy Adams laid in state there. 'This is not only a historic site for Springfield,' Sarno said. 'It's a historic site of the nation.' Timothy T. Sheehan, the city's chief development officer, said there is roughly $5 million worth of maintenance, including roofing and drainage, the city needs to complete on the building. That work will be funded by other means. Springfield also received funding for sidewalk and street improvements near the South Main Street redevelopment project, aka the Clock Tower Building, creating an area friendly for pedestrians. Funds also went towards traffic management and public safety. The Gaming Commission also unanimously approved $400,000 to offset rent for the Hampden County Sheriff Department's addiction treatment facility on Mill Street, the Western Massachusetts Recovery and Wellness Center. Despite voting in favor of the award, Commissioner Eileen O'Brien reiterated her concerns that the treatment center is not sufficiently connected with MGM Springfield. She praised the work done at the facility, however, referencing a tour Sheriff Nick Cocchi led in May 2024 for the Gaming Commission. Cocchi expressed gratitude in an emailed statement Tuesday 'When they toured the facility last year, we had a productive dialogue, and they saw firsthand the impact our approach to treatment can have on someone's life,' Cocchi said in the statement. 'With nearly 90% of the justice-involved individuals in our care reporting some level of substance use disorder, addiction treatment is truly central to our mission—and this facility is more important than ever.' Then-Sheriff Michael Ashe under former Gov. Michael Dukakis established the center in 1985 at the old YWCA building on Howard Street in the South End. But the Howard Street building was in the way of the casino's construction, so the Sheriff's facility moved, eventually renting a location on Mill Street. 'We're looking at 10 years out from when they had to relocate,' O'Brien said. The Mill Street building costs $1.1 million a year to lease, according to the Sheriff's grant application. Also Tuesday, the Gaming Commission voted to approve $294,000 in casino mitigation money for Holyoke. The money will fund the Puerto Rican Cultural District, promotional efforts and street improvements. There are funds for anti-gambling efforts and a shuttle bus, and the ValleyBike Share program among other projects. In Longmeadow, the commission approved $292,000 for public safety, police and fire gear, and a street-and-sidewalk project on Lynnwood Drive. Walter Gunn resigns from Longmeadow Planning Board amid town tensions Most claims against AG's office in wrongful termination suit to move forward Celebrating Latino heritage: Pedro Veras leads mural project in Springfield Springfield police confiscate 11 guns, arrest 8 in 3 operations over 2 days Read the original article on MassLive.
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.
