REP. BRAD HILL, a Republican from Ipswich, is leaving the Legislature after nearly 22 years to become a member of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. Hill is a joint appointment of […]
Gambling
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 […]
Posted inGambling
House approves sports betting, again, with bipartisan vote
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE HOUSE OVERWHELMINGLY approved a bill to legalize sports betting in Massachusetts on Thursday evening, but even before the vote, the question of whether to allow […]
Posted inGambling, Transportation
Legislation on the move: Sports betting, T governance, vote-by-mail
THE MASSACHUSETTS HOUSE teed up a bill authorizing sports betting for debate on Thursday, marking the second time the House will weigh in on the policy. Lawmakers have been discussing […]
Posted inGambling
Vaccinations slow despite Vax Giveaway
DESPITE THE LURE of millions of dollars in prize money with the Massachusetts Vax Millions Giveaway, the number of people getting vaccinated against COVID-19 in Massachusetts keeps dropping. In the […]
Posted inGambling
VaxMillions not driving up shots yet
THE NEW VaxMillions lottery so far isn’t driving up the rate of COVID-19 vaccinations in Massachusetts. In the week before Gov. Charlie Baker announced the lottery on June 15, 175,071 […]
Posted inGambling
Blackjack players lose their bet at the SJC
“ACCORDING TO THE WISE gambling proverb, ‘If you must play, decide upon three things at the start: the rules of the game, the stakes, and the quitting time.’” So begins […]
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 […]
Posted inGambling
State launches $1m Lottery game to promote vaccinations
STILL ON THE fence about getting vaccinated? Starting July 1 a Massachusetts vaccine card could be worth $1 million. Gov. Charlie Baker announced on Tuesday the launch of VaxMillions, a […]
Posted inGambling
Is state primed for sports betting?
WHEN THE MASSACHUSETTS LEGISLATURE held a two-day hearing on sports betting legislation in 2019, the games had only been legal nationwide for about a year, and fewer than a dozen […]
Posted inGambling
Casino revenues continue to make gains
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AFTER POSTING THEIR best month since before the COVID-19 pandemic in March, the casinos and slots parlor in Massachusetts reported similarly positive revenue figures for the […]
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 […]
Posted inGambling
Key senator releases sports betting proposal
SEN. ERIC LESSER, a key player in the state’s debate over legalizing sports betting, on Monday laid out his vision for the state’s latest gambling expansion, unveiling a proposal that […]
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, […]
Posted inGambling
Lottery finding its footing during COVID
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE MASSACHUSETTS LOTTERY saw greater sales and profit performance during the six months from July through December 2020 than it did during the same six months […]
Posted inGambling
Judd-Stein: Casinos haven’t asked for COVID relief
THE CHAIR of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission says the state’s three casinos have not asked for any financial breaks during the pandemic despite shutdowns, capacity restrictions, and curfews that have […]
Posted inGambling
Sports betting bill refiled, seeks more revenue
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 […]
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 […]
Posted inGambling
Tribe chairman arrested for extortion related to Taunton casino
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 […]
Posted inOpinion
N.E. gaming market is not saturated yet
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 […]
Posted inOpinion
Mohegan slots tops in New England
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 […]
Posted inOpinion
My bet is Vineyard gaming is coming
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 […]
Posted inGambling
MGM Springfield lays off 1,000 employees
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 […]
Posted inOpinion
Casino slot revenues off to a strong start
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 […]
