Three Operators Tapped For Next Phase of Effort To Build Casino Resort In Western MA
Ameristar Casinos, Inc., one of three operators that qualified last week to submit formal proposals for a casino resort in western Massachusetts, has announced details of a $910 billion project on 40 acres near downtown Springfield.
The Ameristar Springfield site at I-291 and Page Boulevard is ready for immediate construction of a casino resort that includes a 150,000-square-foot casino with 3,300 slot machines and 110 table games, including a poker room. Las Vegas-based Ameristar bought the land in January for $16 million.
Two other gaming operators, MGM Resorts International and Penn National Gaming, have also proposed casinos in Springfield in pursuit of what is expected to be only one casino license issued for western Massachusetts. In a memo to Mayor Domenic Sarno on Friday, the city's chief development officer gave the green light for all three projects to proceed to the second phase of the selection process.
A fourth operator, Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority, has proposed a casino for Palmer, east of Springfield.
The Ameristar resort will include a 500-room luxury hotel with 50 suites, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a spa, a fitness center, retail and diverse food and beverage options, offering everything from casual to upscale dining.
Also included will be a conference and entertainment center and a garage with parking for 4,300 vehicles. The resort is master-planned to accommodate significant future expansions of the casino, hotel and parking garages.
The restaurant lineup will include upscale dining restaurants overseen by celebrity chefs Wolfgang Puck and Martin Yan, and a more casual Asian restaurant also overseen by Yan, as well as a Jerry Remy’s Sports Bar & Grill operated by the former All-Star Red Sox second baseman and television color analyst, along with other restaurants and bars.