MGM Springfield casino boosts local economy despite failure to meet forecasts

MGM Resorts’ Massachusetts casino added over $640m in value to the state economy in its first year of operations, but it’s anyone’s guess what the future holds in a COVID-19 environment.

A University of Massachusetts study released Wednesday shows the MGM Springfield casino in the state’s southwest corner had a payroll that averaged 2,538 jobs in 2019, the property’s first full year of operations following its September 2018 launch.

The individuals working those jobs collected combined pay of $85.2m, while the casino and its visitors created an additional 3,740 jobs beyond its walls, bringing the total personal income supported by MGM Springfield to nearly $357m.

All told, MGM Springfield’s first full year resulted in $974.2m in new economic output, of which $640.1m was value added. The casino spent $110m with local vendors and made $101.5m in payments to the state while its customers generated $66.3m in new off-site spending.