Some like the odds of local casino jobs

PALMER, Mass. (WWLP) - Some people are betting that a casino in the town of Palmer would help ease the unemployment crisis.

If gambling is legalized in Massachusetts, the Mohegan Sun Tribe is proposing a casino they say would create over 1,000 construction jobs and over 3,000 permanent casino jobs.

Thursday night the Pioneer Valley Jobs Coalition, which supports Mohegan Sun's proposal, met to discuss the need for economic development in the area.

Some local residents agree.

“I think western Mass needs something anything to revitalize this area. People are leaving. I’m ready to leave there's nothing going on here,” Molly Baker of Longmeadow said.

But not everyone is optimistic about a casino coming to the area.

“There are jobs that are created, but there's also a lot of money that leaves the area. The casino investors are usually out of town and very often out of the country,” David Caputo of Holyoke said.