It looks like MA gamblers will be able to enjoy after-hours drinking at the casino when MGM Springfield opens at the end of August.
Last call everywhere else in Springfield is at 2 a.m. However, Springfield City Council approved a proposal on Monday night allowing MGM Springfield to extend alcohol serving hours at the casino until 4 a.m.
State lawmakers still need to approve the proposal. But if they do, gamblers on the casino floor will be able to continue drinking for two more hours after the traditional last call.
The extended alcohol serving hours will only be available to gamblers on the casino floor. In fact, all MGM Springfield restaurants and bars will still be forced to observe a 2 a.m. last call for alcohol.
Drinks served on the casino floor between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. will also be served in different cups. Alcohol sales will be prohibited from 4 a.m. to 8 a.m.
MGM Springfield’s August opening
MGM announced in April that its $950 million MGM Springfield casino resort will open its doors on Friday, August 24.
Promising to be New England’s first integrated luxury resort and entertainment destination, MGM Springfield will feature a boutique-style five-story hotel with 250 guestrooms, inspired by the historic significance of the area.
The property will offer an array of food and beverage options, including:
- Cal Mare by James Beard Award-winning Chef Michael Mina
- The Chandler Steak House with executive chef Meghan Gill, winner of Hell’s Kitchen season 14
- MGM’s signature TAP Sports Bar
- South End Market off Main Street casual dining experience
- Starbucks coffee house
The MassMutual Center
Entertainment on the property will center around the 8,000-seat MassMutual Center, MGM Springfield’s official entertainment venue. It will house large-scale conventions, events, and live entertainment. Stevie Wonder is scheduled to play MassMutual Center on Saturday, Sept. 1.
Further entertainment options on the property include MGM Springfield’s Topgolf Swing Suite, an eight-screen movie theater complex, and a 10-lane bowling center.
MGM Springfield will also feature a spa and an 8,000-square-foot pool housed within a terraced rooftop garden.
The property will also include close to 55,000 square feet of retail space. The resort’s retail space will include an open-air plaza inspired by the classic New England town common. This space will feature an open-air marketplace hosting live events, local artisans, farmers markets and a seasonal outdoor ice rink.
125,000-square-foot casino
Finally, the property will include a 125,000-square-foot casino. The gaming floor will feature more than 2,550 slot machines and 120 gaming tables. Plus, a poker room and high-limit VIP gaming area.
When it does open, MGM Springfield will be Massachusets’ second commercial casino. Penn National Gaming opened the Plainridge Park Casino in Plainville in 2015.
The Expanded Gaming Act, passed by state lawmakers in 2011, also authorized the opening of a third commercial casino. The $2.4 billion Encore Boston Harbor (formerly Wynn Boston Harbor) is scheduled to open in Everett in 2019.
The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe is also building a $1 billion Tribal casino in Taunton. The First Light Resort & Casino plans to open its doors this summer.
Photo by Alexandru Nika / Shutterstock.com
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