The project will also be a windfall for local governments. Then, when the casino opens, it pledges to hire no less than 3,000 permanent workers - 35 percent of them residents of Springfield, which has one of the highest jobless rates in the state. MGM says the massive project will employ about 2,600 temporary construction workers. It will restore or reuse all or parts of a number of historic buildings, including a castle-like armory, preserve Main Street's traditional storefront row and offer new amenities like a public plaza, ice skating rink, cinema and bowling alley.

The project is billed as an urban-centered casino meant to revive the economically struggling city. MGM plans a more than $800 million casino, hotel, entertainment and shopping complex on 14 1/2 acres straddling Springfield's downtown and South End neighborhood. Here's a look at the project and what's next in the drive to open Las Vegas-style casinos in the state. Gambling regulators named MGM Springfield as Massachusetts' first licensed casino Friday.

Mgm springfield casino address