MGM Resorts International in Springfield said its $960 million casino and entertainment complex will open Aug. 24 ahead of its projected September launch.
MGM Springfield, the entertainment company’s first in New England, will employ 3,000 people in one of the largest hiring efforts in that city’s history. The development of the luxury resort also marks the largest private investment in western Massachusetts’ history, officials said Thursday.
Massachusetts’ first casino launch is expected to take business and talent away from Connecticut’s Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun.
MGM plans to invest approximately $100 million in annual payroll and benefits, with average salaries of more than $40,000. Officials said most jobs will be full-time positions with benefits.
The company said it will hire 35 percent of its workforce from Springfield and 90 percent from a combination of the city and the region.
The facility will include a 125,000-square-foot gaming floor that will feature 120 gaming tables, 2,550 slot machines, a movie theatre, bowling alley, 250-boutique style rooms and numerous retail stores and upscale restaurants.
Thursday’s announcement follows a report earlier this month that MGM is actively negotiating the purchase of a partially built Boston Harbor resort owned by Wynn Resorts, according to Reuters.
MGM’s opening in Springfield, however, would complicate the Boston purchase as Massachusetts prohibits a company from operating more than one casino in the state, the report said.
MGM officials at the time told Reuters the group is committed to its Springfield’s opening.
The $2.5 billion Boston Harbor resort is scheduled to open in 2019.
