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Projected casino in Palmer draws different views

Posted on July 13th, 2010

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While Massachusetts state legislators are still currently under talks on casino gambling, plans to create a casino facility in Palmer shows no sign of stopping. Connecticut casino Mohegan Sun has laid out plans to create a casino resort facility on a 152 acre land in Palmersince last year. The casino plan includes a spa, an entertainment revenue that will hold up to a 2000-strong audience, a 600 room hotel, restaurants, shopping center, slot machines of up to 3,000 and tables games of 100. The proposed location will be directly across exit 8 on the Pike.

Mohegan Sun Vice President of Development Paul Brody says the plan is to create a “full resort casino”. The location was chosenfor its proximity to the turnpike and the labor force available inthe area. The Palmer community also received the idea warmly, making the locationa perfect choice. The proposed Palmer casino is projected to have 3 to 4 million players annually,making it a smaller facility as compared to the Mohegan Sun, according to Brody. A busy day will list about 30 thousand to 40 thousand at most. “Any casino proposed in Massachusetts will be like the casinos in Connecticut and along the eastern seaboard, catering to a local market and some overnight visitors,” hesaid. Casino bills are yet to be unified among state lawmakers.

The House version includes 2 casinos, and the location of these will still be determined by an independent gaming body. Whilethe Senate version includes3 casinos whose locations are already predetermined. Other differences that needs to be reconciled are the process on the acquisition of gaming licenses and the regulations surrounding the project.

Reviews from different concerngroups also produced mixed results.Western Massachusetts Casino Task Force member TimBrenan, has been studying the effects of the casino project in the region for three years. Brenan is also the executive director of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission. The task force is a non partisan group that is made up of local officials from the area. According to Brenan, the construction of a casino will entail several improvements on local infrastructure—for instancethe sewer and traffic and water adjustments.An upgrade on the Palmer turnpike exit will also have to be made in order to accommodate the projected volume of traffic that will come in. “It’s a busy interchange already and if you add thousands of trips a day there’s just going to be a meltdown,” Brenan said.

The Senate bill also required investors to shell out a minimum amount of $600 million for the project. Mohegan Sun will not say how much it will invest in the project. Inquiries regarding this went unanswered as well. Only a statement released from Mohegan Sun ChiefFinancial OfficerJeffrey Hartmann was given to the public to answer all queries. He said that the Mohegan Sun is“ comfortable with the licensing fee and minimum $600 million investment established by the Senate.” The House version of the bill however requires licensing fees of $100 million at a minimum.The Senate requires licensing fees of only $75 million.

Social impacts of the proposed casino project is another much-debated aspect of this issue. Some have shown enthusiasm on the project for the revenue and employment opportunities it will offer the city, while others fear the negative social effects it will cause. Palmer town council PresidentPaul Burns said”I’ve been a big supporter of the concept for a long time. It is going to offer a strong economic development opportunity, jobs throughout the region and a source of badly needed revenue for the town and ultimately the commonwealth.”Mohegan Sun projects a good number of job creation from the project; over 1000 jobs during the construction period, over 2,500 permanent jobs and some 2,500 indirect employment opportunities are projected to be offered.

PVPC executive Brenan however, thinks otherwise. “It does seem that if you do a resort type of facility that the idea is to keep the patron on the property. You don’t send them out to the local restaurant, they’re not going to go to the local hardware store, they’re not going shopping elsewhere,” Brenan says that he doesn’t see any reason local businesses would prosper from the casino as most patrons would be “sedentary” and will only be spending inside the casino facility.