Elected officials express concern as report about a possible MGM Springfield sale surface

A report that MGM Resorts could be exploring a sale of its Springfield casino has drawn reaction from some local elected officials.

Citing unnamed sources, Bloomberg reported Wednesday that MGM was in the early stages of looking into selling off the facility, but also said it was possible no sale would take place.

In a statement, Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno said he has spoken with MGM Resorts President and CEO Bill Hornbuckle and that the two would be meeting soon to discuss the status of the casino.

"I assure you that my number one priority is protecting the interest of the city of Springfield," the mayor said in a statement issued Thursday.

MGM issued its own statement saying it is "proud" of its relationship with Springfield and of “the strength of our operations at MGM Springfield.”

Beyond that, the company said little about the possible sale.

"We are aware of the recent press reports and have a longstanding policy not to comment on any rumors."

The casino projected it would have 3,000 employees and briefly came close to that mark when it first opened in August, 2018. Since then, that number has trended downwards. According to its third quarter report to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, it had 1,490 workers. And, the casino has been well off from revenue projections made prior to opening.

In comments made to reporters early in 2023, Hornbuckle said it was not realistic to think MGM Springfield would get back to that 3,000-employee figure, and said the overall projections were not accurate.

“Our original valuation of this market simply was off — full stop,” he said. "We thought there would be more business here than ultimately materialized — scale, scope, etc. And so, it is what it is. And so we're pushing forward. We're trying to make the very best of it,” Hornbuckle said.

It was those comments which led State Rep. Bud Williams, D- Springfield, to say Thursday he was not surprised by the news of a possible sale. Williams has been a critic of MGM, alleging the company has failed to deliver in certain areas on what it promised.

If the Springfield casino is going to be sold, Williams said he has some expectations for a new owner.

"I hope it's not true, but if it is, we have to make sure we get a good operator that's going to focus on this facility and be a real corporate partner in the city of Springfield," he said.

State Sen. Adam Gomez, D-Springfield, said he was a bit surprised by the rumor. He said he and other legislators met with MGM Springfield leadership in recent weeks and that the topic of a possible transaction did not come up.

He said if the sale does happen, one of his focuses will be on maintaining jobs belonging to current MGM employees.

“We really have to look at the impact of the workers…where do these individuals land?” Gomez said.

Any sale would need to be approved by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, which is the regulatory body for casinos in the state. A spokesperson for the agency did not have any immediate comment on the rumors.

This story is a production of the New England News Collaborative. It was originally published by New England Public Media.