MGM: Over 150,000 people visited casino on opening weekend

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – MGM is touting a strong opening weekend for its first casino in Massachusetts.

MGM Springfield President Michael Mathis said Wednesday that more than 150,000 visitors came to the new $960 million resort casino during its first three days. He said the crowds exceeded the casino’s expectations.

The company says revenue numbers, however, won’t be available until next month, when the state Gaming Commission issues its monthly report.

MGM’s 14-acre (5.6-hectare) casino complex opened Aug. 24 with a Las Vegas-style spectacle. It spans three city blocks and is considered the first of its kind for the state.

Plainridge Park, a more modest slots parlour near the Rhode Island state line, has been open since 2015, and Wynn Resorts is slated to open a $2 billion resort casino near Boston next summer.