Very little new information revealed at casino presentations

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - MGM and Penn National Gaming pitched their Springfield casino plans to city residents during a presentation at CityStage on Tuesday night , but for those who have been following the process closely, not much new was revealed.

Very little of what the executives from the two companies said during the five-hour presentation and Q&A came as a surprise. For the most part, it was a lot of old news recycled into a fancy presentation.

Penn National did announce a relationship with quarterback Doug Flutie for a sports bar.  MGM said it has plans for an ice skating rink and to lease two floors in the new Union Station.

MGM has already laid out its plans for the South End, while Penn National has been fairly tight-lipped about their proposal for the North End. 

Both are pointing toward Springfield's January 3 deadline for their entire plan to be revealed. 

“You'll see a few more things, but what you'll really see is some of the rich detail behind our proposal; not how we think we're going to do it, but how we're actually going to do it,” MGM Springfield President Bill Hornbuckle said.

Penn National Chief Operating Officer Tim Wilmott also said that additional details would be on the way.

“We've got more to come, so I would say this the starting point, but it is clearly not the end of the game of what you're going to hear from Penn National,” Wilmott said.

Penn National is planning a fancy black tie event next Thursday, where they say they will disclose more of their partnerships. 

Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno plans to announce whether he will pick to negotiate with MGM, Penn National or both sometime next month.