Massachusetts Breaks State Casino Revenue Record in October

The record for casino revenue for one month in Massachusetts did not last long.

Encore Boston Harbor, Plainridge Park and MGM Springfield combined to bring in $95.98 million in revenue for October, breaking the state record of $95.74 million set in July.

Encore, which opened in summer 2019, was the key to setting a record, surpassing $60 million in a month for the first time. The facility in Everett made $62.8 million for the month, or about 65% of the state total. That figure was a record for Encore, beating the mark of $59.7 million set in July.

A spike in table games gross gaming revenue (GGR) made all the difference. Encore made $30.58 million in table games GGR for the month, the second most ever. Slot machines made $32.2 million, the third-best figure recorded at Encore. Also, October was the first full month of operation for the WynnBET sports bar at Encore, which opened in mid September.

The state’s revenue number was an 8% increase for October compared to the $88 million in September.

Also, the state’s combined handle rose by 2.6% in a month-over-month comparison, according to numbers reported by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.

Revenue Mixed Across the Board

Encore was the only facility to set a revenue record in October, but MGM Springfield had a strong month as well. MGM drew $21.44 million, an increase of more than $2 million from September.

Plainridge Park was the outlier with $11.74 million for October, the lowest revenue number there since February. Still, Plainridge has eight consecutive months over $11 million. That was routine there from summer 2015 until October 2019, but that streak ended in November 2019, even before the COVID-19 pandemic struck and forced Massachusetts casinos to close in the summer of 2020.

Increased Handle at Massachusetts Casinos

October saw the state's casinos take in $750.1 million in combined handle, nearly $20 million more than September’s $731.4 million total. Encore Boston Harbor in Everett led the way with $376.9 million in handle for October, followed by MGM Springfield at $202.6 million and Plainridge Park, which offers slots only, at $170.5 million.

Encore and MGM offer table games as well as slots. There are no real money online casino options in Massachusetts.

Sports Betting Off in Distance

The push to make legal sports betting a reality in the Bay State has not had much momentum lately.

State Senate President Karen Spilka (D-Ashland) did not indicate there being any urgency in the state’s latest effort for sports betting legalization. She indicated five bills that were a high priority in the autumn session but sports betting was not among them.

The Massachusetts House approved a sports betting measure over the summer but a Senate version has to be worked out before it can hit the desk of Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican and a known proponent of legal sports betting.