The three casinos in Massachusetts didn’t perform as expected in November due to the re-imposed lockdown restrictions that hindered gamblers and income considerably.
According to the figures released on Tuesday by the MGC (Massachusetts Gaming Commission) the three gaming venues in the state generated a combined gaming revenue of $45 million in November. This is way more than a third of what it earned in October.
MGM Springfield of MGM Resorts generated a meagre $10.5 million which isn’t up to half of its revenue in November 2019. This is an estimated $7 million fall from October. The tally for November’s was $200,000 less than what was earned in July 2020 – this month the property didn’t open for up to three weeks after initial shutdown caused by COVID-19.
To understand it better, there are just 2 months where MGM Springfield generated less than its total in November 2019 to March 2020 – the company earned about $9.3 million. During this time, the property had to close in the middle of the month because of the initial wave of COVID as they earned $9.5 million in August 2018. During that period, the newly opened property could only open for business for just 8 days.
Currently, MGM Springfield is operating on a limited timetable, as they welcome guests from 8 am –9:30 pm, and there are a few non-gaming amenities on ground.
Like the Encore Boston Harbor of Wynn Resorts, blackjack tables are restricted to 3 players each, while play at other tables are suspended for the mean time.
When compared to MGM’s plight, you’ll realise Wynn had it fairly easy. Encore raked in $27.3 million in November, which is about 43.6 percent year-on-year and 33.5 percent from October. The loss was also equally spread across tables and slots.
Plainridge Park Casino of Penn National Gaming slots earned $7.6 million in November which is about $3.5 million less than what it earned in October. Just like the similar licensees, the guest capacity of Plainridge is limited to 3 times its number of accessible gaming positions. It also comes with a caveat that slots players must be parted by at a minimum of 6 feet of space or they should be walled off by Plexiglas dividers that is about 5’10” tall.
Understandably, now would be a perfect time for the casinos in Massachusetts to offer mobile sports gambling or/and online casino products to patrons, but the state Senate vetoed attempts to include legal betting to its 2021 budget proposal tabled last month.
Source: https://calvinayre.com/2020/12/15/casino/mgm-springfield-casino-worst-month-ever-november-2020/
