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Study Says Construction Of MGM Springfield Boosted Massachusetts Economy

Construction of the MGM casino in Springfield, Massachusetts, as of June 2018.
Patrick Johnson
/
The Republican / Masslive.com/photos
Construction of the MGM casino in Springfield, Massachusetts, as of June 2018.

Updated at 10:31 a.m. on September 30, 2019 

A new report says the construction of MGM Springfield added more than half a billion dollars to the economy of Massachusetts. 

Researchers from the UMass Donahue Institute presented the study to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.

They found that the building of MGM Springfield boosted the gross state product by $512 million since 2015. That includes the impact of construction workers spending money they have earned.

Economist Rod Motamedi, the lead author of the report, said the state overall benefited.

"Every county in the state received at least some direct or indirect economic benefit from the construction of MGM Springfield," he said. "And those benefits grew with proximity to Springfield."

The report also found the racial and ethnic mix of the workforce that built the casino reflected the diversity of the state.

Motamedi said UMass researchers will continue to study the impacts of MGM Springfield as well as the Plainridge Park Casino and the new Encore Boston Harbor. 

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the researchers who conducted the study are part of UMass Amherst. In fact, the researchers are with the Donahue Institute, which is located in Hadley and is part of the UMass system, but not the Amherst campus.

Copyright 2019 New England Public Media

Before joining New England Public Radio, Alden was a producer for the CBS NEWS program 60 Minutes. In that role, he covered topics ranging from art, music and medicine to business, education, and politics. Working with correspondent Morley Safer, he reported from locations across the United States as well as from India, Costa Rica, Italy, and Iraq.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

Connecticut Public’s journalism is made possible, in part by funding from Jeffrey Hoffman and Robert Jaeger.