Gov. Charlie Baker rescinded the state’s Mandatory Early Closure of Businesses Order and Stay at Home Advisory, which took place in early November. Casinos will begin operating full hours at 5:00 a.m. ET on Monday.
Gov. Baker made the announcement after he deemed that Covid-19 cases were declining across the state. He warned that Massachusetts is not yet out of the woods when it comes to slowing down the pandemic.
Nevertheless, Gov. Baker’s decision is positive news for the state gaming industry, which has seen casino revenue drop in recent months.
In November the three commercial casinos -- Encore Boston Harbor, MGM Springfield and Plainridge Park -- combined for $45.4m in revenue, which was a 34% drop from October. Encore recorded $27.4m in November, its worst ever full month since opening in June 2019.
Total revenue across the three properties grew slightly in December to $49.8m
Encore said in a statement that it will return to 24/7 business starting on Wednesday Jan. 27, and that hotel guests will be able to stay Thursday through Sunday evening starting on Feb. 4, a Thursday. .
For 2020, MGM and Plainridge recorded annual year-on-year declines of 45% and 46%, while Encore lacked a y-o-y comparison.
