Statewide, spending by the casino on wages and to vendors supported a total of 6,287 net jobs and $356.9 million in personal income. In the first year of operation, MGM Springfield directly created 2,538 jobs paying $85.2 million, said Thomas Peake, senior research analyst at the UMass Donahue Institute, the SEIGMA partner responsible for economic and fiscal impact research. 14, at the 2020 Public Research Day Webinar, titled “ Springfield’s Two Years as a Casino Host: Looking Back and Looking Forward.” The reports are part of the most in-depth and comprehensive investigation ever undertaken into the impact of introducing casino gambling in a community. Researchers with SEIGMA, based at UMass Amherst, presented data about the casino’s social and economic impacts today, Oct. Those are some of the key findings from the latest round of Social and Economic Impacts of Gambling in Massachusetts (SEIGMA) study reports, which feature findings from surveys of MGM Springfield employees, casino patrons and community residents. – The opening of MGM Springfield – the first resort-style casino in the state – stimulated the local and statewide economy and enhanced job and educational opportunities for a diverse workforce while not resulting in any increase in the rate of problem gambling or at-risk gamblers.
