There were two significant “firsts” in western Massachusetts in 2018. The first resort casino in Massachusetts opened in Springfield and the first legal sale of marijuana for recreational use in the eastern United States happened in Northampton. WAMC’s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill reported on both, and takes a look back.
The doors to the MGM Springfield casino opened to the public at 11 a.m. on August 24th, 2018, and for the first time brought Las Vegas-style gambling to Massachusetts.
There was much fanfare that accompanied the opening, including a parade with the UMass Amherst marching band, Cirque Du Soleil acrobats, and the Budweiser Clydesdales.
Thousands of people lined up on Main Street, with many arriving before dawn on the warm summer day for a chance to be among the first to put their money down at the gaming tables or in a slot machine in the shiny new casino.
MGM Springfield looks nothing like a Las Vegas casino. Built on three-square blocks in downtown Springfield, it is designed to fit-in-with rather than stand-out-from the surrounding neighborhood of low-rise buildings.
It also functions differently than a typical casino. As MGM Springfield General Manager Alex Dixon noted, there is a movie theater, a bowling alley, golf simulator, retail shops, and restaurants that are all accessible without having to walk through the profit center – the gambling floor.
"It absolutely is a risk," acknowledged Dixon. " We believe as an entertainment company that we can build a product that makes people excited and appeal to not only your core traditional gambler but to families who want to come to a movie, get a great meal, or go to the outdoor skating rink or farmers' market in summers."
As one of the last states on the East Coast to legalize casinos, Massachusetts hopes the MGM resort will help it recapture the estimated $1 billion Bay State residents spend every year gambling out of state. Springfield is counting on the casino to give it an economic rebirth.
" Springfield , you took a chance. I promise it will be worth it," vowed MGM Resorts Chairman Jim Murren at event with state and local officials the day before the casino opened.
Murren is gambling that the Northeast casino market has not become oversaturated.
In the first six weeks, MGM said one million people visited the new Springfield casino. Gross gaming revenue for the month of September was reported at $27 million. But in November, the monthly take slipped to $21 million.
MGM Springfield President Mike Mathis said there was no cause for concern.
"We are pleased with where we are at, " said Mathis. "We will ramp it up after the New Year and we are excited about 2019."
It was in a cold rain that hundreds of people lined up and waited for hours two days before Thanksgiving to be able to legally purchase pot.
The state’s first licensed marijuana retailers opened at previously established medical marijuana dispensaries in Northampton and Leicester.
Northampton Mayor David Narkewicz was invited into the New England Treatment Access store to be the first official customer.
" I am proud that Northampton is playing a role in this historic day ending some 80 years of prohibition here in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and moving into a new modern era where we have safe, tested, well-regulated adult use marijuana or cannabis," sand Narkewicz.
The mayor purchased – for $20 plus $4 tax – a chocolate bar infused with 50 milligrams of THC.
Narkewicz said he would put it on display and later donate it to a local historical group.
