State law requires signed agreements between operators of casinos and the cities and towns where they would be built so host municipalities know what sort of revenue to expect.
PALMER — Casino representatives are expected to announce details of a host community agreement reached with town officials at an event scheduled for 11 a.m. Thursday at the Palmer Public Library, 1455 North Main St.
Representatives of Mohegan Sun Massachusetts, Palmer Town Manager Charles T. Blanchard and municipal leaders are expected to attend today's signing event, during which operators of Connecticut's Mohegan Sun casino will share details about the host community compact – a state requirement.
Mohegan Sun hopes to build a nearly $1 billion resort casino complex on undeveloped land off Route 32 near the town's Massachusetts Turnpike toll plaza, but state law requires casino operators to first ink agreements detailing payments to host municipalities and other project components.
Today's ceremony comes after months of negotiations between casino officials, Blanchard and others. It will be followed by a noontime press conference to discuss the agreement, which is expected to include substantial annual payments to the town of Palmer.
The Town Council must sign off on the deal before it's presented to voters for approval. Councilors could act on the host agreement as soon as Sept. 3, at which point they likely would also schedule a referendum election on the issue.
Even if the Mohegan Sun plan receives strong backing from voters, it still faces stiff competition from rival proposals in Springfield and West Springfield. Voters in the City of Homes last month gave their blessing to a downtown casino proposal by MGM Resorts International, while West Springfield voters are scheduled to vote Sept. 10 on a plan by Hard Rock International for a casino next to the Big E.
The Mohegan Sun plan calls for creating a destination resort casino with a retail shopping complex, restaurants and a water park, among other features.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission will decide which plan receives the sole state casino license reserved for Western Massachusetts.
Material from The Republican, Associated Press and State House News Service was used in this report.