MGM Springfield, Massachusetts, Casino Keeping Steady Employee Count

MGM Springfield is only one of three retail casinos in Massachusetts, and it is holding its employee count steady despite failing to attain its initial employment goals.

MGM Towing the Line

Of the three casinos in Massachusetts, MGM Springfield is a steady No. 2 to the Encore Boston Harbor, located in Everett, Massachusetts, just 10 minutes north of Boston. But MGM Springfield has generated impressive numbers, considering it is located in the western part of the state, drawing from a smaller population than its Boston-based competitor.

However, it is one of just two Category 1 resort-casinos in the Bay State, with the other, Plainridge Park Casino, being a Category 2 slots parlor, operating without the ability to offer casino table games. When MGM Springfield vied for one of the three commercial casino licenses in 2018, management promised 3,000 permanent jobs at its casino.

However, that number was only achieved in its immediate aftermath, but the numbers have dipped to roughly half of that. In the second quarter of 2025, MGM Springfield reported a total of 1,546 employees, up ever so slightly from the 1,541 in the second quarter of 2024.

MGM Springfield has voiced a goal to get to 2000 employees, but attaining the 3000 it promised to the city of Springfield to receive its license isn’t feasible in this business climate, according to the MGM Springfield C-suite.

However, keeping those under 21 off the gaming floor and out of the bars has shown a marked improvement.

The second quarter numbers from 2025 compared to 2024 revealed an 85% decrease in minors accessing off the casino floor and away from alcohol. It has been a source of pride for the casino and its management, as they have stressed the importance of prohibiting underage gaming.

Unfulfilled Promise

Despite promising 3000 permanent jobs, MGM Springfield has been unable to achieve that number, and the prevailing business climate is to blame. In early 2023, MGM Resorts International CEO and President William Hornbuckle met with Springfield mayor Domenic Sarno and his coterie to discuss the shortfall of jobs.

“Our original valuation of this market simply was off — full stop,” Hornbuckle told reporters gathered in the office of Sarno’s chief of staff, Thomas M. Ashe. “We are where we are now.”

Hornbuckle believes the city of Springfield must become more of a destination location than it is. However, a high crime rate and seedy neighborhoods prevent it from becoming a world-class destination, and Hornbuckle has become aware of the neighborhood, and what needs to be done is beyond his control.

”If it’s three things, something has dynamically changed in this marketplace. It has to, to have that happen,” he said. “There is capacity in that building for 3,000 jobs. But it is going to involve making Springfield more of a destination. We can’t do that alone.”

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