Encore Casino Boston Opening Day

Temperature Checks, Spaced-Out Slots: Encore Boston Harbor Details Coronavirus Reopening Plan May 11, 2020 at 11:52 am Filed Under: Encore Boston Harbor, Everett News. Guests take in the Mystic River during an invitation-only party at Encore Boston Harbor Thursday, June 20, 2019. The $2.6 billion, 671-room resort opens Sunday at 10 a.m.

Beach Plum flowers bloom along the banks of the Mystic River in front of the Encore Boston Harbor casino in Everett, Mass., Friday, June 21, 2019. Encore Boston Harbor, Everett, Massachusetts. Encore Boston Harbor, the official hotel of the New England Patriots, features more than 1,800 slot machines, 185 table games, and numerous. Boston’s thriving beer culture, first made famous by the Samuel Adams and Harpoon breweries, has expanded to include craft microbreweries, distilleries, and cider houses. Enjoy transportation by bus on this guided half-day tour, which explores city highlights and offers visits to three different brewing locations, where you can enjoy up to 12.

The die has been cast: The Encore Boston Harbor casino plans to open back up on Sunday, July 12, the company announced Thursday.

The announcement came a few hours after Gov. Charlie Baker announced that Phase 3 of his four-phase coronavirus reopening plan will start Monday. During this step, casinos, movie theaters and gyms can start back up following closures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

But Encore will have far from a full house, as the casino has said it will have many of its slot machines turned off, and it will enforce social distancing.

“Every effort has been made to preserve Encore’s luxury experience and provide guests with the peace of mind needed to enjoy a fun and relaxing return,” the casino said in a statement announcing the game-on move.

The opening is pending the approval of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.

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Encore, at $2.3 billion, was the most expensive private construction project in the history of the state, opening last June before closing March 15 as the pandemic spread.

Its top brass in May outlined a range of steps for an eventual coronavirus-era reopening, including thermal cameras taking the temperature of everyone going in and out, and all staff and visitors being required to wear a mask. They said the casino will sanitize all machines every hour and will use “disinfectant guns” that blast an electrified mist of cleaning products.

The casino is installing plexiglass between gamblers at blackjack tables, and restaurants will not be using printed menus as guests instead use their smartphones to order food.

Other table games like poker, craps and roulette remain suspended until further notice.

Massachusetts’ coronavirus trends have remained positive now more than two months after the state and Boston-area peak. But cases nationally have begun to spike, driven mostly by large outbreaks in the southeast and southwest.

Encore Casino Boston Opening Day 2019

Encore, a huge golden building on the banks of the Mystic River, which is owned by casino giant Wynn resorts. The casino said it will open its hotel side “in a limited capacity.”

Massachusetts’ three casinos — MGM Springfield, Encore Boston Harbor and Plainridge Park — are working to reopen with Encore using June 29 as its target with the understanding that the date could change.

Each operator also told state regulators Thursday that they’ll need at least two weeks to reconfigure the gambling floor to spread out slot machines and ensure gamblers at table games are far enough away from each other to insure social distancing. Employees will also have to be brought back and retrained.

MGM Springfield stayed away from a specific target date, only saying it is working to welcome its guests.

And, as Massachusetts Gaming Commission Interim Executive Director Karen Wells said Thursday, two weeks from June 29 is just a few days from now, Monday June 15, giving the casinos just a few days to find out the specifics of how their operations will have to change in the COVID-19 environment. And Massachusetts Gaming Commissioners worked toward a reopening plan, but didn’t finalize it Thursday.

The commission’s focus is on social distancing, health, hygiene, safety and reporting measures for each casino.

The three casinos have been closed since March 15 with most employees furloughed.

Meanwhile casinos are opening up all over the country. In neighboring Connecticut, the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and the Mohegan Tribe reopened Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun at the beginning of this month. Twin River Casino in Lincoln, Rhode island is open by invitation only.Rivers Casino & Resort in Schenectady, New York, is still closed.

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission said Thursday it needs more guidance from the state about the need for six-foot distancing between slot machines and if that’s dependent on on other barriers being in place or if that distance can be lessened of other barriers are not in place.

Commissioners reached a consensus on requiring Plexiglas barriers for blackjack and for similar games, but stopped short of requiring the shields for poker, craps and roulette because the shields — common in groceries and retail locations — might prove too cumbersome to use effectively.

There was also much discussion of mask requirements and if hand sanitizer should be mandatory or just available. Commissioners discussed the dangers of handling cards and passing them back and fort.. What about chips handled and lost by one gambler getting paid out as winnings to the next gambler almost immediately?

“What we are trying to do is to layer as many provisions as are feasible in order to minimize the overall risk,” said commissioner Enrique Zuniga. “We are not going to bring down the risk to zero. Let’s face it. That’s true for every other industry. What we are left with is the workability of each precaution.”

Brian Gullbrants, president of Encore Boston Harbor, said said Encore’s already started making prepartions with plans to install barriers on all regular blackjack games but not on other games and not on the casino 's high roller games.

MGM Springfield executives said they’d planned to install Plexiglas at some, but no all games so it would be the patron’s choice whether to play with or without a barrier.

Encore Casino Boston Opening Day 2020

Even under the most strict rules under consideration by the commission, slot gaming positions at MGM Springfield would be reduced to 589 out of 1,768 before the restrictions. That would allow for two disabled machines between each operating machine.

Allowing for only one disable machine, MGM Springfield would have room for 884 slot players out of 1,768.

Slot capacity at Encore goes to 935 out of 2,804 with two disabled machines between each operating machine. It’s 1,402 out of 2,804 at Encore every other machine to be disabled.

Slot gaming positions at Plainridge are calculated at approx. 440 out of 1,320 allowing for two disabled machines between each operating machine. A six foot minimum distancing between slot machines allows for a total of approx. 385 slot positions. There is room for 660 out of 1,320, operating machines with which every other machine to be disabled, according to the gaming commission.

The commission is considering reducing the number of roulette players at MGM Springfield to 24 if there are three players maximum per roulette table but there could be as few as nine roulette players if there are just three allowed per row in order to keep them distanced.

There was also discussion about how how best to pay off winners. Should cash be counted into the hand? On to a table or surface?

Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and Timothy Sheehan, the city;'s chief development officer, said they’ve been kept up to date on MGM Springfield’s reopening plans.

Sheehan said MGM Springfield is working with an epidemiologists, making sure its precautions mesh with the latest science .

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Encore Casino Boston Opening Days

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