Not taking any gambles
Casinos closed until ‘at least’ June 1
Casino owners and the Massachusetts Gaming Commission say they aren’t going to roll the dice with a May opening under coronavirus, with the regulators extending the closure until “at least” June 1 and operators saying they don’t expect to open anytime soon.
The Gaming Commission unanimously voted to extend the temporary closure of the three casinos in the state through the end of the month, with Interim Executive Director Karen Wells saying that’s an “atleast’ date.”
The temporary order had been due to expire Monday, when Gov. Charlie Baker’s stay-at-home order also ends. The governor has rolled out the broad strokes of a four-phase reopening after that date but hasn’t given a timeline or elaborated on what industries will reopen, and when.
“By no means do we believe we should be in one of the earliest phases,” Brian Gullbrants, president of Encore Boston Harbor casino in Everett, said about the governor’s plan.
Gullbrants and officials from MGM Springfield and Plainridge Park Casino — the other two casinos in the commonwealth — joined the members of the Gaming Commission and other state officials on a conference call Thursday.
“All of us are expecting a much later opening,” Gullbrants
said. The casinos appeared to be three of a kind throughout much of the call, echoing that sentiment and all saying they’re planning major efforts to keep the premises clean and people separated when they do open up.
Encore, at $2.3 billion, was the most expensive private construction project in the history of the state, opening last June. Gullbrants outlined a range of steps the casino plans, including thermal cameras taking the temperature of everyone going in and out, and all staff and visitors being required to wear a mask. He said the casino will sanitize all machines every hour and will use “disinfectant guns” that blast an electrified mist of cleaning products.
Encore and MGM officials both talked about the possibility of installing plexiglass between gamblers, especially at tables. Plainridge, which is a much smaller casino, said it expects to open even later, and, like the other two, expects to have many of its machines off, spacing gamblers out.
An Encore spokeswoman said Thursday that the casino, which hired thousands last year, is “committed” to paying all employees through the end of the month.
“Should our closure here in Boston extend beyond May 31, the Company is evaluating next steps and considering all options,” spokeswoman Rosie Salisbury wrote in an email. “It’s premature at this point to speculate what will happen at that time.”
MGM Springfield warned regulators this week that as many as 1,887 people could be laid off at the end of August as the pandemic continues to batter the economy.