State gambling regulators will take another critical step toward awarding Massachusetts' first license for a Las Vegas-style resort casino this week.

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission has scheduled the final public hearing on an $800 million casino project proposed by gambling giant MGM Resorts International for Springfield. The meeting will be at the MassMutual Center on Wednesday.

The project is the lone remaining applicant for the casino license in the state's western region, which the commission hopes to award by June.

It has won enthusiastic support from city leaders hoping the project revitalizes the former manufacturing hub, which has among the highest unemployment rates in Massachusetts. But anti-casino activists and some downtown businesses that will have to relocate if the casino plan moves forward continue to voice concerns.

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