Rolling the Dice

Coverage of casino licensing and the gambling referendum

Sports betting bill refiled, seeks more revenue

Crighton says Mass. needs to get in on the action

By Shira Schoenberg Casinos 0 Comments Jan 22, 2021

SPORTS BETTING is back. State Sen. Brendan Crighton, a Lynn Democrat, reintroduced a bill this week to legalize sports betting in Massachusetts, reviving a debate that died without action at the end of the last legislative session. “Looking at the states around us, folks are going to bet on sports whether or not we legalize(...)

December gaming revenues show promise

Despite COVID restrictions, slot revenues rising

By Paul DeBole Casinos 0 Comments Jan 19, 2021

LAST WEEK’S REVENUE REPORT from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission suggested the state’s casinos are doing pretty well, given the many restrictions imposed by COVID-19. Monthly slot revenues for the Commonwealth’s two category 2 casinos showed modest increases, with Encore Boston Harbor posting a 3.9 percent increase over November’s numbers, and MGM Springfield showing a 9.51(...)

Tribe chairman arrested for extortion related to Taunton casino

Head of architecture firm allegedly paid $57,000 in bribes

By Shira Schoenberg Casinos, Cedric Cromwell 0 Comments Nov 13, 2020

THE CHAIRMAN of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe and the owner of an architecture firm that the tribe contracted with to help build a casino in Taunton have been arrested on bribery and extortion charges. Tribe chairman Cedric Cromwell, 55, of Attleboro, and David DeQuattro, 54, of Warwick, Rhode Island, are facing federal charges, US Attorney(...)

N.E. gaming market is not saturated yet

Slot growth suggests the market is still growing

By Paul DeBole Casinos 0 Comments Oct 8, 2020

A YEAR AGO I would have said the gaming market in New England was saturated, with a relatively fixed number of customers bouncing between casinos based on promotions or geographical convenience. But a closer look at the numbers, particularly at gross receipts for slot machines, suggests the market is continuing to grow even with nine(...)

Mohegan slots tops in New England

CT casino's take almost equals all of Mass. facilities

By Paul DeBole Casinos 0 Comments Sep 30, 2020

SLOT MACHINES at the Mohegan Sun casino in Connecticut are going gang-busters. In August, the casino’s slot revenue was nearly $45.6 million, just $2 million shy of the $47.5 million in slot revenue at all three Massachusetts casinos. Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, also led the pack in New England in August in terms of(...)

My bet is Vineyard gaming is coming

Legal challenges just delaying inevitable

By Paul DeBole Casinos 0 Comments Sep 26, 2020

THE PURSUIT of a casino by the Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe on Martha’s Vineyard may be one of the most under-covered stories in Massachusetts. The tribe is trying to open a so-called Class II gaming facility, which is typically referred to as a high-stakes bingo operation. It is bingo, but not with balls dropping and people(...)

MGM Springfield lays off 1,000 employees

Number of workers cut in half, revenue down significantly

By Sarah Betancourt Casinos 0 Comments Aug 28, 2020

MGM SPRINGFIELD is laying off 1,000 already furloughed employees as part of nationwide cuts by its parent company that resulted in 18,000 total layoffs on Friday. The workers have been on a temporary furlough that started in March, when the coronavirus pandemic forced casinos to shut down. “While we have safely resumed operations at many(...)

Casino slot revenues off to a strong start

On a per-machine basis, Plainridge leads way

By Paul DeBole Casinos, COVID-19 0 Comments Aug 26, 2020

GAMING IS BACK in Massachusetts and the casinos are open and ready for business and patrons appear to be ready, willing, and able to play. Plainridge Park reopened on July 8 and both MGM Springfield and Encore Boston Harbor reopened on July 10. We now have some gaming revenue numbers to examine and try to(...)

Casino revenues, amid constraints, do fairly well in July

Fewer games, fewer days – 56% of July 2019 revenues

By Bruce Mohl Casinos, COVID-19 0 Comments Aug 17, 2020

THE STATE’S THREE CASINOS performed fairly well in July, bringing in 56 percent of the revenue they did in July 2019 despite operating far fewer games and slot machines for fewer days. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission said on Monday that Encore Boston Harbor in Everett, MGM Springfield, and Plainridge Park Casino in Plainville brought in(...)

Las Vegas-style casinos face uncertain future

Encore faces big challenges; slots will bounce back quicker

By Scott Van Voorhis Casinos, COVID-19 0 Comments Jul 6, 2020

THE MASSACHUSETTS CASINO industry faces a long and steep climb back as it prepares to reopen over the coming week, with its opulent centerpiece, the $2.6 billion Encore Boston Harbor, facing a particularly uncertain future. MGM Springfield and Plainridge Park Casino, which rely heavily on less labor-intensive slot machines, are likely to see a rebound(...)