Craps games and expanded blackjack tables are back in Massachusetts.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission approved the measures Thursday that were sought by MGM Springfield and Encore Boston Harbor because of improved coronavirus statistics in the state.
“There is a lot of comfort in knowing that our enforcement measures are heightened… and we will continue to rely on the compliance efforts of the two licensees here,” Cathy Judd-Stein, commission chairwoman, told MassLive.
Blackjack games will increase from three to four seats with plexiglass partitions still in place and a minimum of three feet between player positions.
Craps tables, which were shut down last year when Massachusetts casinos closed in March, will allow a maximum of six players, three on each side of a table, with plexiglass partitions between players and partitions for three dealers. A minimum distance of four feet between seats will be enforced, dice will be sanitized between throws, and non-players will not be allowed to gather around tables.
The gaming commission staff said opening craps tables and the extra blackjack seat will allow adding employees at the casinos and expanded gaming opportunities for gamblers.
Commission members approved the blackjack expansion by a 3-1 vote. Craps was approved by a 4-0 vote. Gaming commission member Eileen O’Brien voted for the return of craps, but opposed adding the fourth blackjack player. O’Brien told MassLive her concerns were in part due to patrons being allowed to raise their face masks while seated.
In January MGM Springfield, Encore Boston Harbor and Plainridge Park Casino generated $58 million in revenue operating at a reduced capacity of 40%. That was an increase of $7.77 million – 15.6% — over December 2020, but still a drop of 16.2% ($11 million) from what the casinos brought in in October 2020, the last full month before casinos were required to close nightly at 9:30 p.m. That curfew ended in February.
