What you need to know for opening day at MGM Springfield casino

Massachusetts' first resort casino with expansive gambling and entertainment options is opening Friday with a Las Vegas-style flourish.

Opening day schedule:

MGM Springfield will open at approximately 11 a.m.

• Kicking off the festivities at 10:30 a.m. at the corner of State and Main Streets will be a lively procession featuring the world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales and other surprise entertainment, alongside hundreds of the resort's employees, construction workers and local dignitaries.
• Guests are invited to view the procession as it heads down Main St. and ends at the entrance to the property.

Special traffic considerations:

• Visitors are encouraged to park for free at The Big E and enjoy the free express shuttle
  to the property beginning at 6 a.m.
• Some roads around MGM Springfield will be closed beginning at 4 a.m. This includes Main St. from Court St. to Union St. and State St. from MGM Way to Dwight St.
• To accommodate our free Big E Express shuttle, Memorial Bridge will feature an express lane.

>>MORE: A look inside MGM Springfield, Massachusetts' first resort casino

Rideshare pickup and dropoff:

• Ask the driver to drop-off at Valet. Pick-up location is the resort Bus Lobby. This begins at 1 p.m.

Handicapped-Accessible parking:

Located on all levels of MGM Springfield Parking Garage. Buses available at The Big E.

Additional parking options:

The MGM Parking Garage and other downtown parking are expected to fill early in the day. Other nearby parking facilities within walking distance include:

A - Civic Center Garage, 41 Harrison Ave.

B - I-91 South Garage, 1620 East Columbus Blvd.

C - I-91 North Garage, 1870 East Columbus Blvd.

D - Union Station Garage, 1771 Main St.

E - Tower Square Parking Garage, 1500 Main St.

F - Monarch Parking Garage, 1414 Main St.

Visit SpringfieldParkingAuthority.com for additional locations.

>> PHOTOS: A look inside MGM Springfield

Here is a look at some of the game-changing MGM casino's numbers:

7: Years since Massachusetts legalized casino gambling in 2011, paving the way for MGM and other casino companies to seek state gambling licenses.

3 years and 5 months: Amount of time from the project's March 24, 2015, groundbreaking to its official Aug. 24 opening.

$960 million: Total project budget, which came in higher than the early estimates of $850 million.

3,000 people: People employed on opening day.

35 percent: Number of those who are Springfield residents.

$25 million: The amount Springfield is expected to receive annually from MGM once the casino opens its doors. (The city also received a $15 million upfront payment from the company.)

14.5: Roughly the number of acres the development covers, or about three city blocks.

250: Rooms in the casino's five-floor boutique hotel.

2,550 and 120: Number of slot machines and table games, respectively, on the casino's 125,000-square-foot (11,612 square meters) gambling floor.

200 yards: Roughly the distance a more than 130-year-old historic brick church was moved to accommodate the casino development. It now anchors the casino's public plaza.

$25,000: Cost of an "Indian Sidecar" at the casino's Commonwealth Bar. The drink is made with a cognac from 1901 and an actual motorcycle by Indian Motorcycle. The company was founded in Springfield in - you guessed it - 1901.

4 a.m.: Last call for alcohol, at least if you are still gambling. Casino bars and restaurants will still honor the state's 2 a.m. cutoff.

1891: The year basketball was invented in Springfield by gym teacher James Naismith. The sport's local roots figures heavily into the casino's sports bar, Tap.

2: Number of U.S. presidents who stayed at the historic Chandler Hotel, the facade of which was incorporated into the casino's steakhouse. The presidents were James Polk and James Buchanan, the nation's 11th and 15th presidents, respectively.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Cox Media Group