Massachusetts: MGM CEO William Hornbuckle admits Springfield casino limitations, reaffirms commitment

Massachusetts: MGM CEO William Hornbuckle admits Springfield casino limitations, reaffirms commitment

Article brief provided by MassLive.com
  • Jim Kinney, MassLive.com
January 20, 2023 3:45 PM
  • Jim Kinney, MassLive.com

Three thousand jobs.

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That’s the promise MGM made the city of Springfield in order to get the license to build its $1 billion resort in Springfield. It’s a number memorialized in MGM Resorts International’s host community agreement with the city.

But it’s just not realistic, said MGM Resorts International CEO and President William Hornbuckle Friday after an hour-long meeting with Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and others.

Hornbuckle was invited to Springfield by a concerned Sarno and City Council Casino Oversight Committee Chairman Michael Fenton. His trip coincides with MGM’s hosting of the Red Sox Winter weekend Friday and Saturday and comes about a week before MGM opens its legal sports book on the property Jan. 31, part of Massachusetts’ foray into legal sports gambling.