The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) has begun talking about a “safe and sustainable” way of reopening the Bay State’s three casinos, the Encore Boston Harbor, MGM Springfield and Plainridge Park slots parlor. It is looking to Macau, China for an example of how this might be accomplished.
The casinos closed March 15 on the executive order of Governor Charlie Baker and won’t open again at least until May 5. During the MGC meeting on April 23 Chairwoman Cathy Judd-Stein commented, “We are fully engaged with our licensees in preparation for a new normal and the myriad of considerations for a safe and sustainable reopening.” She added, “What we do know for sure is it won’t be as simple as unlocking the doors and switching the lights back on.”
Two of the companies that own casinos in Massachusetts, MGM Resorts and Wynn Resorts, previously closed and have now reopened properties in Macau. This experience will be helpful, said Judd-Stein. A team of commission employees has begun meeting to learn some of the lessons from that experience.
They will also draw from a paper by Wynn CEO Matt Maddox that gives a detailed proposed policy for limiting casino capacity, disinfecting surfaces and protective gear for employees and guests.
Judd-Stein added, “Whatever the plans are, they will require robust public education campaigns for customers and employees. Right now though, the focus remains on staying home to stop the spread and flatten the curve. But as we think about looking towards the next phase, whatever that may be, there will be no shortage of logistics to consider.”
The governor has said that he doesn’t yet know whether businesses and agencies will reopen on May 4. April 27 during his weekly press conference Baker said he was waiting for more coronavirus data before he decides.
He said, “The trend data remains reasonably high, but obviously whatever decision we make needs to come with a little thought and a plan behind it, so we’ll probably put that out later this week.”
He noted a decline in the numbers of Covid-19 cases and death and especially in declines in hospitalizations. The governor said he expected that the decline in cases will be gradual, mirroring the initial increases, but that it might take longer than was projected, which would affect when the state can reopen.
Some states, such as Texas and Georgia, have begun reopening. Others, such as California, remain firmly locked down. Baker referenced this when he said, “The numbers vary so much from state to state that you would expect states to act relatively independently based on their own data and to try to act with the states around them.”
‘Play My Way’ Extension
Because of the uncertainty, the commission unanimously voted to give the three casinos a one-year extension to launch the “Play My Way” program that will help players track their spending and assist them in limiting their wagers.
The Encore and MGM casinos had been scheduled to launch the program by September 1, 2020 but, given the hardships imposed by the closures, they convinced the commission to give them another year. Plainridge Park had already implemented the program.
MGC’s Director of Research and Responsible Gaming Mark Vander Linden credited MGM and Wynn with working “diligently and in good faith toward the completion and launch of a play management system.”
He described the “Play My Way” program as a way for players to keep track of how much they spend and “inform their decision to continue to stop their play. “They make decisions about gambling and monitor it in real time.”
