Massachusetts Officials Criticize Casinos For Small Poker Rooms

Casino playing regulators in Massachusetts held a listening to Thursday that featured some vital feedback in regards to the state of stay poker money video games within the Bay State.

It’s not the primary time officers have commented on rising resentment amongst some poker gamers within the state that stay poker hasn’t returned to what it was like pre-pandemic.

According to feedback from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, there’s nonetheless some lingering displeasure in regards to the variety of tables obtainable between the state’s two Las Vegas-style casinos, each of which opened a handful of years in the past.

“A lot of people love to play this game and they’re very disappointed that we only have, if I’m doing this right, 27 tables throughout the entire commonwealth,” Commissioner Brad Hill stated.

“Just disappointed is all I can say at this point,” he added.

The COVID-19 pandemic shuttered each casinos and their respective poker rooms in mid-2020, and the providing hasn’t totally recovered since regardless of the supply of vaccines.

Encore Boston Harbor has 12 tables, in line with its web site, and MGM Springfield has 14. Encore is open Monday by Thursday from 10 a.m.–8 p.m., in line with its web site. MGM Springfield’s poker site is open day by day from 11 a.m.-3.a.m.

Regulators have been additionally a bit vital of the working hours.

Encore beforehand thought-about closing the room completely, which obtained some pushback from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission in 2021.

Encore, a property from Wynn Resorts, reopened its poker site in February 2022.

“Based on current market conditions and the resulting need to prioritize space, Encore Boston Harbor will not be bringing back live poker at this time,” the casino said in a statement in July 2021. “If and when poker should return to Encore, it will likely be at a reduced capacity.”

Statewide, there’s roughly 1 / 4 of the tables there as soon as was. MGM Springfield opened its poker site in 2018 with 23 tables, whereas Encore opened in 2019 with 74 tables.

Below is the MGC listening to from Thursday, with the poker dialogue initially of the assembly.