One of three companies that had been in the running to build a casino in Springfield Massachusetts has abruptly dropped out. WAMC’s Paul Tuthill reports
Ameristar Casinos announced late Friday afternoon that it was abandoning its plans for a $910 million dollar resort casino development in Springfield. The company, in a statement, said it did not believe it had a strong enough chance to win a casino license in Massachusetts. Ameristar , nearly a year ago, had purchased, for $16 million dollars, a former industrial site on Springfield’s east side. Just last month the company staged an elaborate unveiling of its planned development. Two other companies, MGM Resorts International and Penn National Gaming are competing to develop casinos in different parts of downtown Springfield. There is also a casino proposal in Palmer, and just recently two in Holyoke. State law authorizes just one license for a resort casino in western MA..
