Why the ‘Casino in the Woods’ Is a Safer Bet

When it comes to casino gambling in the Bay State these days, the phrase you hear with increasingly regularity is ‘when, not if.’

To many, the pendulum has swung, from a belief that the state couldn’t afford to approve casinos (from a social standpoint, at least) to the opinion that it can’t afford not to — from a budgetary standpoint. The growing consensus is that gambling is part of our society and that if people are going to go Connecticut, New York, or Rhode Island to do so, they may as well stay within the confines of the Commonwealth and generate much-needed revenue that can go toward schoolbooks and bridges; highways and health clinics.

We’re not exactly sold on this ‘when, not if’ theory — the arguments supporting casinos are based on common sense, and the Legislature doesn’t usually apply that to its decision-making — but let’s assume for the minute that it’s accurate, but that ‘when’ may still be a few years away. The next consideration for the state and its leaders is the all-important question of where?

And this gets complicated. There are several areas of the state that want a piece of the action, many politicians with power (real or imagined) who will try to influence matters, and some conflicting definitions of just what constitutes ‘Western’ and ‘Central’ Mass. as talk continues about how to divide up the pie.

And then, there’s the very powerful argument that casinos will go only where the developers willing to pony up hundreds of millions of dollars to create them want them to go.

Considering all of these factors, we believe the resort-style facility being proposed for a site just off Turnpike exit 8 in Palmer, perhaps the casino plan with the most momentum at the moment, makes a good deal of sense, and we hope the Legislature and whichever body picks the eventual winning locations agrees.

There are other proposed sites in what would inarguably be considered Western Mass., including a challenged parcel in Chicopee that Mayor Michael Bissonnette has floated as a consideration. It’s landlocked, has wetlands and multiple owners, and so far no one in the casino development community has expressed any interest in it. But other than that, it’s perfectly viable. Then there’s the Holyoke Mall, which, rumor has it, has caught the eye of Donald Trump. This location actually makes some sense. It’s visible, highly accessible, has ample parking, and could easily be retrofitted into a casino and all its accompanying features, including an entertainment venue, restaurants, and shops (the site already has plenty of those).

But Holyoke is not in the woods, and the ‘casino in the woods’ seems to be the preferred model at the moment.

This is the Foxwoods/Mohegan Sun model, the destination area that offers much more than gambling and isn’t in the middle of a major urban area. This means that, by and large, the resort, or destination, casino breathes life into an area instead of sucking life out of it, which is essentially what happened in Atlantic City and what many Bay State leaders fear could happen here.

The Palmer site apparently works for at least one developer — Mohegan Gaming LLC is interested and last month presented a conceptual plan to a packed room of officials and residents — and we think it makes sense for the state and this region. It gives Western Mass. a piece of the pie, and, with its location well to the east of Springfield, Holyoke, Northampton, and Amherst, presents the opportunity for casino visitors to possibly (that’s possibly) stop in those communities on their way to Palmer from Eastern New York and Berkshire County.

The Palmer site has its share of challenges, and a casino on that site would certainly impact workforce quantity and quality in Western Mass. — where would 3,000 workers come from, and what impact would an employer of that size have on wages for service sector jobs?

But from most points of view, the Palmer location does, indeed, make the most sense.

Should the ‘when, not if’ theory of the casino universe be accurate, we would hope that a facility in Palmer would be in the cards for Western Mass.