By Robert Rizzuto, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

For a variety of reasons, there are countless ideas, concepts and pitches for projects that never come to fruition. They make it to various stages of development, however, and are often remembered the public as the dreams that died on the vine.

In Western Massachusetts, where MGM Springfield is poised to open a $960 million casino on Aug. 24, in its wake are several competing casino concepts that will never make it past the colorful artist renderings that defined them. For other casino pitches of decades past, there are just written promises and ideas, which evaporated. 

What follows is a look through The Republican archives at some of these projects. If we missed one of your favorites, please leave a note in the comment section. 

The Hard Rock Holyoke casino was pushed hard by former Springfield City Councilor Anthony Ravosa, political consultant Tony Cignoli and former Pennsylvania legislator Joseph Lashinger, but in the end, never came to fruition. 

The pitch involved developing a casino resort on the 100-acre Wyckoff Country Club off Interstate 91. The Hard Rock announcement came as top state legislators voted to go behind closed doors on Beacon Hill to negotiate a final bill to legalize casinos in Massachusetts, which was signed into law on Nov. 22, 2011 by then Gov. Deval Patrick.