u/413_Dina

Anyone on here in the Springfield/ Western Ma area into MiniTruckin? Lookin for fellow MiniTrucker.

The MGM money is gone and our bills are suffocating us.

I live in Springfield. This is not a partisan post. This is about our money and our city getting shortchanged by Beacon Hill.

MGM

We were promised this casino would be a win for Western Mass. MGM projected $412 million in revenue their first year. They pulled in $253 million. Already a lie before the doors were barely open.
Springfield was getting $3 million a year from the Community Mitigation Fund to offset the real costs the casino puts on our roads and public safety. In FY2025 Boston cut that to under $400,000. Our two Hampden County senators tried to restore it. They failed.

The casino is still here. The costs are still here. The money went to Boston.

Energy bills

Third highest electricity rates in the country. Average household bill went from $113 in 2014 to $204 in 2025. Over 1.3 million Massachusetts households choosing between energy bills and food.

This is a Western Mass problem
We generate. Boston takes. November is coming. Every seat on your ballot matters.
413, are you feeling this?

The MGM money is gone and our bills keep going up.
I live in Springfield. Been here a long time. And I’m tired of watching this city get promised things that never materialize while Boston makes decisions for us.

The MGM bait and switch
When MGM came to Springfield we were told this was going to be a game changer for Western Mass. More revenue, more investment, relief for the city.
MGM told state regulators they’d generate $412 million in their first year. They brought in $253 million. Already $160 million short right out of the gate.
But here’s the part that really stings. Springfield was receiving $3 million a year from the Community Mitigation Fund, money specifically designed to offset the real costs the casino puts on our roads, public safety, and city services. In FY2025 state lawmakers in Boston cut that down to under $400,000. Two senators from Hampden County tried to restore it and failed.
The casino impacts are still here. The money is gone.

Energy bills

Massachusetts has the third highest electricity rates in the entire country. Nearly double the national average. The average monthly household bill went from $113 in 2014 to $204 in 2025. Over 1.3 million Massachusetts households reported having to choose between paying their energy bill and paying for food or healthcare.
We’re not talking about a little increase. That’s almost double the rate of inflation over the same period.

The gas tax

24 cents per gallon, unchanged since 2013, pulling in over $600 million a year. When prices recently spiked toward $4 a gallon, reporters asked Healey three separate times if she’d pause it. She redirected every single time without answering.
Western Mass always gets the short end
We host the casino. We deal with the traffic, the wear on our roads, the strain on public safety. Then Boston decides the mitigation money isn’t needed anymore and redirects it.
This is the pattern. Western Mass generates, Boston takes.

November is coming. State rep, state senator, governor. Every seat matters. Do your homework on who actually represents Western Massachusetts versus who represents Beacon Hill’s priorities.
Anyone else in the 413 feeling this?