Casinos haul in the dough last month
Despite restrictions around the number of people allowed onto gaming floors and the number of active machines, gamblers put nearly $605 million into slot machines at the three Massachusetts gaming centers last month, helping to contribute to a state revenue haul of just more than $20 million.
The Mass. Gaming Commission announced Thursday that Plainridge Park Casino, MGM Springfield and Encore Boston Harbor had generated a cumulative $70.54 million in gross gaming revenue last month, down from about $71 million in August. Of that gross gaming revenue, the state is due $20.02 million, the commission said.
The state’s take for September was lower than the $22.56 million full-month contractual payment that was deferred due to the coronavirus pandemic. The outlet reported that the city and casino have been holding ongoing talks to resolve the matter.
“After this temporary deferment period, I will expect and will demand on behalf of our taxpayers that MGM Springfield honors their/our legally binding contractual agreements,” Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno said, according to Masslive. “We will continue our collaborative dialogue with MGM as well as the (state) Gaming Commission concerning the impact of the unprecedented public health emergency created by the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic on MGM’S obligations under the Agreements.”
The slots parlor at Plainridge Park Casino in Plainville saw patrons wager about $3.83 million less on its slots in September as compared to August, but its gross revenue dipped by just $221,000 thanks to a lower payout percentage on its machines.
Combined, the two fullscale casinos generated about $15.15 million in tax revenue for the state last month — about $4.4 million from MGM Springfield and $10.74 million from Encore Boston Harbor. Those businesses are taxed at a rate of 25% of their gross gaming revenue.