The commission and other panelists will discuss key issues associated with the introduction of expanded gaming to the Bay State at Western New England University.
Members of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, from left: Enrique Zuniga, James F. McHugh, Chairman Steve Crosby, Bruce Stebbins and Gayle Cameron. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)The Massachusetts Gaming Commission will be in Springfield on Wednesday to present a public forum on casinos and related issues.
With several gaming companies showing interest in obtaining the one license to build a casino in the four Western Massachusetts counties, the commission and other panelists will discuss key issues associated with the introduction of expanded gaming to the Bay State at Rivers Memorial Hall on the campus of Western New England University.
The forum is scheduled from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and The Republican and MassLive.com will have reporters there throughout the afternoon providing live updates on the issues discussed and the comments made by people from Western Massachusetts. Readers of MassLive.com will be able to add their comments in an online discussion of the forum that will include updates from The Republican reporters.
The Republican's Statehouse reporter, Dan Ring, who's been covering the casinos issue, will write separate stories during the afternoon as they develop from the three panels of discussion: tourism; workforce training for casinos; and ways for communities to manage the effects of casinos.
For our readers who can't make the forum, we'll try to ask some of your questions about casinos and how they might affect your city or town. You can leave your questions for the Gaming Commission in the comments section below. Our reporters at the forum will do their best to ask some of your questions.
Forum panelists include the members of the Gaming Commission – Chairman Steve Crosby, Gayle Cameron, James F. McHugh, Bruce F. Stebbins and Enrique Zuniga; Pioneer Valley Planning Commission Executive Director Tim Brennan; State Sen. Gale Candaras, D-Wilbraham, Chair of the Joint Committee of Economic Development and Emerging Technologies; and Holyoke Community College President William Messner.