Page 6 - BusinessWest March 17, 2021
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6 MARCH 17, 2021
FEATURE
No Sure Bets
ButMGM C
hris Kelley had just arrived in Springfield and was still
Springfield Leader Optimistic About the Next Chapter
getting acclimated to the region when the COVID-19 pandemic arrived almost exactly a year ago.
Then, he had to get acclimated to something else — something no one in the casino industry had ever seen or been forced to endure before.
“These facilities just weren’t meant to be closed,” said Kelley, presi- dent of MGM Resorts’ Northeast Group, which includes MGM Spring- field. But they were, of course — for four long, brutal months, before finally reopening in July, but only at one-third capacity and with a number of restrictions in place. Later, the state’s casinos had to reduce hours and close at 10 p.m. as a late-year surge in cases moved the goalposts again.
Now, some restrictions are being eased, and later this month, the
By George O’Brien
BusinessWest
