The Massachusetts Gaming Commission is pleased to announce plans for the final evaluation, deliberation and determination process for the state’s first resort-casino license. The commission is rapidly approaching the completion of the ‘Evaluation Process’ for the Region B (Western Massachusetts) Category 1 (resort-casino) application submitted by MGM Springfield LLC. In keeping with the commission’s commitment to transparency, the results and findings of the months-long evaluation review will be made public during a series of public presentations and deliberations beginning on Tuesday, June 10, 2014. The license determination is scheduled for Friday, June 13, 2014.

On December 31, 2013, MGM Springfield LLC (who had successfully completed the Phase 1 suitability process) was required to submit a completed Phase 2 application to the Commission. The Phase 2 application consists of 236 pages and is broken up into sections to include key evaluation criteria: 1. Overview of Project; 2. Finance; 3. Economic Development; 4. Building and Site Design; 5. Mitigation. MGM’s submitted resort-casino application is available for viewing here.

Chairman Steve Crosby stated, “This is the culmination of an exhaustive competitive process in Western Mass that began with several high quality applicants and ultimately winnowed down to a single applicant. We look forward to sharing our findings with the public and are pleased to progress to this major milestone as we focus on facilitating the thousands of jobs and revenue benefits that await the citizens of the Commonwealth. ”

Public Meeting Schedule:

The established ‘Evaluation Process’ for assessing and ultimately awarding  expanded gaming licenses was developed based on requirements written into the “Expanded Gaming Act” as well as criteria approved by the Commission to solicit the most competitive projects that meet the expectations provided in the final application, have a positive impact on the Massachusetts economy and enhance the state’s revenues.

A detailed explanation of the ‘Evaluation Process’ and the five key evaluation criteria is available on the commission website and can be viewed here.

Each of the five Commissioners has taken the lead on overseeing independent advisers and industry experts to evaluate each gaming proposal based on more than 200 questions addressing the Commission’s key five evaluation categories. Each commissioner will publicly present the results of their efforts to their fellow commissioners. Commissioners will then have the opportunity to ask questions regarding each of the commissioner’s presentations. The information presented will then lead to public deliberations ultimately resulting in a determination for the Region B Category 1 license.

Additional facts:

• The Commission issued the state’s single slots license on February 28, 2014
• Penn National, the slots licensee, has begun construction and anticipates opening a slots facility in Plainville, MA by June 2015
• The Commission anticipates awarding the resort-casino license available for Region A (Eastern Massachusetts) by the end of August, beginning of September

About MassGaming

The mission of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission is to create a fair, transparent, and participatory process for implementing the expanded gaming law passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor in November, 2011. In creating that process, the Commission will strive to ensure that its decision-making and regulatory systems engender the confidence of the public and participants, and that they provide the greatest possible economic development benefits and revenues to the people of the Commonwealth, reduce to the maximum extent possible the potentially negative or unintended consequences of the new legislation, and allow an appropriate return on investment for gaming providers that assures the operation of casino-resorts of the highest quality. For more information on MGC, please visit MassGaming.com or connect and share on Twitter (@MassGamingComm) or Facebook www.facebook.com/MAGamingComm