SPRINGFIELD, MASS. — Penn National Gaming is aiming to build an $807 million destination resort casino in Springfield.
The Wyomissing, Pa.-based company said it has submitted its proposal to the City of Springfield and the Springfield Redevelopment Authority.
If approved, the plan would include a 300,000-square-foot casino with up to 5,000 slot machines, as many as 100 game tables and up to 30 poker tables. The project would also include a hotel with up to 500 rooms, a spa, restaurants, a night club and 4,000 to 5,000 spaces of structured parking. The casino would be named Hollywood Casino Springfield.
Penn will be working in partnering with Peter Picknelly, CEO of Springfield-based Peter Pan Bus Lines, to construct the facility on 13.4 acres near the city's downtown.
The development would include land now occupied by The Republican newspaper on Main Street. The company said The Republican offices would be moved to a newly renovated downtown location featuring a village square and construction of a new printing plant in Springfield. The proposal also calls for Peter Pan Bus Lines' operations to be moved to Union Station.
Peter Carlino, chairman and CEO of Penn National Gaming, says the casino project would be a catalyst for the revitalization of the downtown area. “Our proposed $807 million destination casino resort will be the centerpiece of a revitalization of the city and bring thousands of permanent new jobs, significant union construction jobs and millions of tax dollars to the region,” says Carlino.
As part of the plan, the company also intends to incorporate elements of Springfield's existing architecture into the design of the facility to ensure that Hollywood Casino Springfield fits into the downtown area.
According to the Springfield Redevelopment Authority, two additional gaming companies have also submitted casino proposals for Springfield. Penn National would compete for the sole casino license in western Massachusetts with MGM Resorts and Ameristar Casinos.
— Liz Burlingame