The site plans for a MGM casino in Springfield, Mass. has been deemed complete by the town’s city council, according to a report from Masslive.com.
The City Council must schedule a public hearing on the plans within 45 days, which will be followed by possible vote on amendments to the plan. The mayor must also OK everything.
MGM said just last week that it would be raising the price tag for the casino from $800 million to $950 million, even though the property is being scaled back in terms of square footage.
The Las Vegas-based casino operator plans to open the casino in 2018, a delay it says has been caused by construction issues. The planned changes reportedly won’t significantly affect the gaming floor, which is expected to include 3,000 slot machines, 75 table games and a poker room.
Over near Boston, casino operator Wynn Resorts is still engaged in a fight to gain the final approval for resort in Everett. Steve Wynn recently filed a libel lawsuit over the political resistance he has received from Boston in his fight to get his planned $1.7 billion casino.
In another region of the state, the Mashpee Wampanoag, a federally recognized tribe with roughly 2,600 members, has received the OK to pursue its casino plans.
Four years ago, state lawmakers passed a bill that called for one slots parlor and three commercial Las Vegas-style casinos in separate regions of the state. The slots parlor from Penn National Gaming is already in operation. The state might also approve another casino in the future.
