RESORT STYLE CASINO COMING TO LEOMINSTER?

If so, then do we really need The Fairgrounds a thoroughbred race and off-track betting facility?

In addition to the proposal for The Fairgrounds thoroughbred racetrack and off-track betting facility, apparently there is a push from State Rep John Cronin and an organization called the Leominster Development Group to carve out a new casino region that would allow for an additional casino in Massachusetts. This new region, Region D, would consist of Ashburnham, Fitchburg, Leominster, Lunenburg and Westminster. If successful their plan is to bring a 750-800 million dollar, resort style casino to the Jungle Road location that was previously slated for a slots parlor about a decade ago.

They say a resort style casino with a 3500 person show venue, would bring 1000’s of permanent jobs and roughly 250-300 million in revenue annually. This would be a high-rise building (10+ floors) and the proposed requirements for the new casino zone D stipulate it must be on 70 acres or more. From what was presented to the planning board on 5/6/2024 they are looking at somewhere around 100 acres for this project.

Even though this resort casino would be aways off, it appears to be underway. The point is, if this is a possibility, why would we want the additional traffic, burden on our current city infrastructure, potential environmental issues from messing with the landfill and the moral and ethical issues aligned with horse racing that come with The Fairgrounds proposal? It would make sense to keep the casino project in mind when considering The Fairgrounds.