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 […]
Gambling
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 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 […]
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 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 […]
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 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 […]
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 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 […]
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 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 […]
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 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 […]
Posted inGambling
Casino revenues, amid constraints, do fairly well in July
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 […]
Posted inEconomy
House releases sports betting bill
CONSIDER ITS UNCERTAIN ODDS as falling somewhere between a Hail Mary pass and a slam dunk. With a week left before the scheduled end of the legislative session, the Massachusetts House just threw sports betting back into the mix of major issues that will be discussed. On Friday, the House Ways and Means Committee released its […]
Posted inGambling
Lottery sales show surprising strength
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE DESPITE SEEING SALES plummet in March and April as the pandemic closed many businesses and changed consumer habits, the Massachusetts Lottery had its third-best year in terms of revenue in fiscal year 2020 and projects that it will return $979 million in profit to the state to use as local aid. […]