$1 Billion Casino Proposed in Palmer

In American gambling news, there will be a vote of local officials in Palmer on Tuesday, as the council decides whether to sanction the building of a new casino in the town. Mohegan Sun are proposing the $1 billion casino will pay the town council $15.2 million a year for the license, an amount that surpasses its annual tax revenues.

Casinos are still being proposed and built in their droves, as state gambling laws mean that online casinos in America are often not viable. With Delaware launching the first full online casino this week, and New Jersey, Nevada and California soon to follow suit, only the monopoly of Native American tribes will keep brick and mortar casinos alive across most of the US.

This casino is competing with a pair of rival offers for the single resort casino license available in western Massachusetts. With American gambling laws quite stringent on the number and frequency of casinos, all the bidders will have a hard time convincing local councils their solution is the right one,

The other bids for the license are a Hard Rock International bid for a West Springfield resort – which will be voted for on September 10th – and an MGM Resorts International proposal for a Springfield casino that has already been approved by residents back on July 16th.

Speaking about the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority’s bid, Palmer council President Phillip Herbert conceded that: “It’s still up in the air as to whether it’s something I would want.” Expanding upon that statement, he furthered: “I intend to ask the council to set aside a certain amount to be applied to the tax base.”

Along with the new casino, the proposal includes $23 million worth of funding to improve sewer and water facilities, as well as road improvements to expand the Exit 8 turnpike.