Published on: October 25, 2025, 06:24h.
Updated on: October 24, 2025, 02:25h.
- Lawmakers in Massachusetts representing Springfield attempted to reinstate the city’s funding from the Community Mitigation Fund but failed
- Recent legislative actions have earmarked these annual funds elsewhere
With MGM Springfield located in the city, Springfield, MA, will not retrieve its full annual entitlement from the community mitigation funding as state lawmakers dismissed proposals aimed at restoring it this past week.
The establishment of the Community Mitigation Fund (CMF) in Massachusetts came about through the Expanded Gaming Act of 2011.
Under this legislation, the state collects 25% of the annual gross gaming revenue (GGR) from the commonwealth’s Resort-Casino licensees, MGM Springfield and Encore Boston Harbor. Since the commencement of MGM and Wynn Resorts’ projects nearly ten years ago, the state utilized part of these casino tax revenues to bolster the Community Mitigation Fund. This fund is designed to aid host municipalities in managing increased costs related to the casinos, including community planning, public safety initiatives, transportation, and workforce development.
Since MGM commenced operations in August 2018, Springfield has received about $3 million annually in mitigation funds. However, earlier this year, decisions made by lawmakers in Boston led to a diversion of CMF funds.
This redirection has resulted in Springfield receiving less than $400K in community mitigation funds for the fiscal year 2025.
Senate Dismisses Proposed Amendments
On Thursday, Massachusetts Senators Adam Gomez (D-Hamden) and Jacob Oliveira (D-Hamden) introduced two amendments aimed at restoring Springfield’s annual mitigation funding.
“In 2011, the Legislature enacted the Expanded Gaming Act. This legislation was not solely focused on revenue generation; it also aimed for responsible development. It acknowledged the tangible impacts casinos impose. To mitigate these effects, the Legislature established the Community Mitigation Fund, financed by 6.5% of gross gaming revenues. Since its launch, the CMF has dispersed over $56 million in grants to municipalities. Unfortunately, the FY25 allocation was entirely eliminated,” Gomez articulated on the Senate floor.
“This was not an oversight but rather a deliberate policy choice,” continued Gomez. “It has tangible repercussions. Springfield prides itself on hosting one of the state’s premier casinos, which has led to increased demand on our services and infrastructure. In previous years, we received millions from the CMF to meet these challenges; however, that financial support has vanished while the demands persist.”
Amendments 58 and 59 proposed by Gomez sought to reinstate the 6.5% funding for the CMF and guarantee $3 million annually for Springfield going forward.
Gomez highlighted the discrepancy that, while Springfield’s community mitigation benefits have significantly diminished, lawmakers allocated $10 million to support Boston in hosting next year’s World Cup—an event that will feature seven matches, including a quarterfinal, at Gillette Stadium located approximately 20 miles south of Boston.
Stagnation in Casino Revenue
State legislators claimed that the necessity for Springfield’s annual CMF funding has diminished, as the costs associated with the establishment and launch of the MGM casino have long since passed. Opponents of maintaining this subsidy pointed to stabilizing casino revenues, suggesting that associated public safety, community planning, and infrastructure expenses are unlikely to continue to rise.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission reported that MGM Springfield generated gross gaming revenue (slots and table games) of $259.1 million in 2022, $274 million in 2023, and $272.1 million in the previous year.
As of September, the GGR for MGM Springfield reached $212.2 million, reflecting a 4% increase from the previous year.