Springfield, Mass. Metropolis Council has voted unanimously to increase a ban on new pawn outlets and second-hand jewellery sellers within the space, WAMC Northeast Public Radio reviews.
The council applied the ban in 2014 when MGM Resorts formally utilized for a license to function a on line casino within the metropolis.
Three years earlier, Massachusetts residents voted to vary the state structure to permit gaming, creating three on line casino licenses and one for a slots parlor. The MGM Springfield opened its doorways in 2018.
Poverty Line
Supporters of a on line casino within the metropolis hoped it could carry jobs and much-needed financial rejuvenation. Within the 12 months earlier than the vote, 26.8% of the inhabitants of Springfield have been beneath the poverty line, based on the US Census Bureau (USCB).
However others apprehensive {that a} large on line casino would have a adverse impact on town’s massive low-income neighborhood.
Such resorts are normally positioned away from metropolis facilities. However the MGM Springfield was to be inbuilt downtown Springfield. Metropolis councilors have been involved the brand new on line casino would carry an avalanche of companies that preyed on stricken gamblers.
Springfield continues to have a disproportionate share of pawn outlets and secondhand sellers compared with different Gateway Cities throughout the Commonwealth,” Metropolis Councilor Mike Fenton instructed WAMC Wednesday. That’s why he believes the ban ought to stay in place.
There are six pawn outlets and 30 secondhand sellers within the metropolis, which has a inhabitants of round 154,000. In close by Worcester, with a inhabitants of round 185,000, there are 4 pawn outlets and 20 secondhand shops.
Pandemic Skewed Information
In 2014, the council additionally applied a system that requires pawn outlets to maintain digital data, together with images, of things they accepted. Fenton mentioned this had been profitable in lowering crime and curbing the secondary market in stolen items.
However the metropolis council hasn’t been in a position to do a correct case research on whether or not the on line casino’s arrival elevated the variety of pawn store transactions, as a result of knowledge has been skewed by the pandemic. The on line casino closed for 4 months in 2020 and reopened with decreased capability.
Extending the moratorium on pawn outlets for an additional three years will permit the council to assemble extra knowledge, which it hopes will reply that query.
The excellent news is that the MGM Springfield has not had a disastrous affect on town’s poverty ranges. However neither has it dramatically improved them. In keeping with the USCB, poverty ranges in Springfield in July 2021 have been at 25.5%, down 1.3% from 2011, when households have been nonetheless feeling the pinch of the Nice Recession.