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Springfield's MGM Casino Is Open

The MGM Springfield casino's front facade on Main Street in Springfield (Charles Krupa/AP)
The MGM Springfield casino's front facade on Main Street in Springfield (Charles Krupa/AP)

Seven years after the state signed its gambling law, the first resort-style casino in Massachusetts is now open for business.

A crowd was waiting as the $960 million MGM casino opened in Springfield at 11 a.m. Friday.

Kenneth Radomski, of nearby Chicopee, said he hopes the casino will be successful. "I hope so, I hope so. Springfield needs this, the people need this."

City leaders have said they believe the casino, located in Springfield's South End, will help revitalize the city's downtown.

Rudolph Jansen, of Springfield, said a casino is not necessarily the best way to revitalize a city. "I would have preferred to see more manufacturing and companies and business and stuff like that, but everybody needs a little bit of entertainment, that's the biggest thing. There's not much around here, it should be a good draw."

The casino complex stretches three city blocks, and includes a 250-room hotel, and entertainment and retail space. On opening day it employs 3,000 people.

The opening Friday was highlighted by a procession that included a marching band and the Budweiser Clydesdale horses.

Research shows that when a new casino comes to town, there's often a spike in the number of people who develop a gambling addiction.

With reporting by New England Public Radio in Springfield and WBUR's Quincy Walters

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