WHEN YOU THINK of casinos in New England, what comes to mind are Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun, which continue to dominate the region and account for between 42 percent and 45 percent of the total amount of cash fed into slot machines by casino patrons. Encore Boston Harbor, a relative newcomer to the New England gaming […]
Paul DeBole
Posted inOpinion
Witnessing history at the Sirhan parole hearing
THE 1960s marked a profound change in the American psyche. Gone was the optimism of the post-World War II era as Americans began to embrace a profound distrust of their political and government systems. It was a decade marred by civil unrest and punctuated by three high profile political assassinations: that of President John F. […]
Posted inOpinion
Mass. casinos returning to pre-pandemic revenue levels
THE STATE’S THREE gaming facilities reported strong revenues in July, with the numbers at Encore and MGM Springfield returning to pre-pandemic levels and the Plainridge Park slots facility trending in the same direction. The best way to compare slot revenues is on a per machine, per day basis. Slot revenues, in general, can fluctuate wildly […]
Posted inOpinion
2-month sales tax holiday makes sense to me
THINKING OUTSIDE the box is always difficult. We are pre-programmed to look at things in certain ways and seldom venture outside of our comfort zones. I confess, I am one of those individuals. However, when I first heard about Gov. Charlie Baker’s proposal for a two-month sales tax holiday, for the months of August and […]
Posted inOpinion
Mass. casinos may need Legislature’s help
I GET IT! Massachusetts is slowly beginning to emerge from the cocoon of the COVID-related shutdown of a significant portion of the Commonwealth’s economy. The effects of that shutdown have been felt across all ranges of business activity, especially our nascent gaming industry. I have read, with some amusement, the news stories touting the post-pandemic bounce […]
Posted inOpinion
Legislative oversight hearing on COVID was shameful
THOMAS PAYNE wrote, in The American Crisis (1776), that “These are the times that try men’s souls.” Although he wrote those words during the American Revolution, he may have been talking about Massachusetts during the Age of COVID. I think that we can all agree that we are living in unprecedented times, and that we are being […]
Posted inGambling
Slot revenues rise, but fall on per-machine basis
OVERALL GAMING revenue numbers for the most part were up in February over the previous month, but there was a surprising decrease in daily per machine revenues. In February, Encore Boston Harbor took in nearly $24 million in slot revenues, an increase of almost $4.3 million over the previous month’s numbers. However, the revenue per machine per […]
Posted inOpinion
Gaming numbers improved in January
THE MASSACHUSETTS GAMING Commission released the casino revenue figures for the month of January 2021 this week and those revenue numbers look encouraging. All three gaming venues, Encore Boston Harbor, MGM Springfield, and Plainridge Park, showed increases in their monthly revenues. Encore Boston Harbor saw slot revenues increase by a total of $3.6 million over […]
Posted inOpinion
December gaming revenues show promise
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 […]
Posted inOpinion
Questions, options in wake of insurrection
LIKE MOST AMERICANS, I sat in front of my television last week transfixed by what was happening in Washington, DC. I frantically switched from CNN to MSNBC to Fox News to our local news stations, smartphone abuzz and iPad tuned to NPR. I sat and watched for hours and was overjoyed and relieved that Congress […]