Mohegan Sun CEO Mitchell Etess
Mohegan Sun CEO Mitchell Etess pitched his $600 million Western Mass casino proposal to a crowd of about 100 business leaders and town officials this afternoon at the Amherst Chamber of Commerce lunch meeting held at the Lord Jeffery Inn.
Touting his four years of work on the project, having opened an office in Palmer in 2009 and pouring $15 million to date into the project, Mr Etess also highlighted his company's recent strategic partnership with Brigade Capital Management, a $12 billion dollar investment fund.
His biggest selling point? Regional development. Not just for Palmer, the host community, but places as far away as Amherst, home to our favorite institute of higher education.
Etess pointed out Umass hosts the well known Isenberg School of Management Hospitality & Tourism Management program.
Amherst Select Board Chair Stephanie O'Keeffe cited the predominance of students in Amherst and asked if the casino will tempt them to make "bad decisions"? Etess responded that they are "very careful" about underage drinking and underage gambling.
And he also pointed out it "it's easier to make a bet today in your college dorm room than it is in a casino."
With three other major players -- Penn National Gaming, MGM and Hard Rock International -- vigorously pursuing a casino licenses for Western Massachusetts, it's a safe bet that Amherst cannot avoid being impacted by "casino mania".
Only question is, will it be a winner ... or craps?
9 comments:
What a waste of breath. Everyone knows that MGM Springfield has this thing in the bag. However, Palmer might be able to get a new bowling alley or a thrift shop.
The only kind of people you will see at the casino are compulsive/smokers/gamblers/drinkers and old people. Same as every other state that now has them. College kids in every community that have casinos such as Scottsdale AZ where ASU is have little to no interest in visiting the local casinos. The entitlement generations aren't into gambling. They'd rather just expect the money without having to do anything for it.
Entitled? Those days are long gone. This generation is growing up in a severe recession. They are just praying they'll have jobs when they graduate.
No they are thinking about taking back their old room at mommy and daddy's house or moving far away and taking a space in mommy and daddy's basement. Same group that will wonder why they don't graduate and get a $100k job. They "earned" it. You ought to have been in NY watching the loser OWS movement. I interviewed a hundred of them. All 20 something entitled kids (and a few college over-the-hill professors looking to score) who were never taught that work is important, to perform and work towards a goal. These were the kids who in grammar school were coddled by their parents. Same kids who played soccer and were taught everyone is good, everyone gets a metal. You don't need to score a goal you are already winners. And now all they say is where's mine? Adam Corolla said it best: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJD8pZiRIzs
Walter if you had any wisdom at all from life, you would know every generation thinks they are entitled after they finish school or have a little experience. I have heard all of this over thirty years ago. They all learn that the world don't owe you nothing, the hard way. Pay attention and YOU might actually learn something.
Walter, thank you for weighing in from the capital of Blowhardistan.
Because Western Mass could really benefit from more hookers, Mob enforcers, bagmen, and bought politicians.
No person who isn't man enough to use his name. I'm not talking about people feeling entitled coming out of school. I'm talking about a much bigger sense of entitlement. One where life is not earned it's owed. We started to see this with the generation that was born in the late nineties. These kids were coddled in a different way. And the result is we have a generation of lackeys. I know. I work in the real world where I have to deal with these younger people every day. I've dealt with younger people professionally for 30 years and the latest batch is far different than any other.
No Walter, they're not different you're just getting older. Now you know what you're parent's generation thought about you. Words of Wisdom. True knowledge has no name.
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