1. Encore Casino Boston Opening Day
2. Encore Casino Boston Opening Day 2019
3. Encore Casino Boston Opening Days
4. Encore Casino Boston Opening Day Forecast

BY JOSH RESNEK

If everything goes according to current plans, Encore Boston Harbor Casino could be opening again on June 29. Last minute changes and additions to health and safety standards by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, all part of the new normal caused by safety measures the state is imposing, could cause the reopening to be put off a few days or even a week or two.

All the hype was so real leading up to Encore's grand opening - the celebrations, fireworks, and finally stepping foot inside was amazing. Got to play a 1/3 session in the. Encore Boston Harbor, Wynn Resorts' long-awaited $2.6 billion resort casino, is scheduled to open June 23 on the banks of the Mystic River in Everett, Mass. (Provided by Encore Boston Harbor).

• WBZ-TV's Lisa Gresci reports.
• Guests take in the Mystic River during an invitation-only party at Encore Boston Harbor Thursday, June 20, 2019. The $2.6 billion, 671-room resort opens Sunday at 10 a.m.

The MGC is also weighing occupancy limits, an issue the licensees have raised issues about.

Encore Casino Boston Opening Day

At a fraction of occupancy, Encore, and the other casinos operating in Massachusetts, cannot possibly generate the income needed to meet their obligations and to turn a profit.

Encore’s question to the MGC: “Will reduced capacity include taking into consideration employee counts?”

Short term, this is not the end of the world.

Long term, it is a business killer.

Limiting the number of people gaming inside the casino at any given time raises a big issue with management because so many employees are inside the casino to begin with.

Encore Casino Boston Opening Day 2019

Also, the MGC’s requirement that plexiglass shields be installed at all gaming tables is another matter that will likely cause serious negative cumulative effects on doing business.

At least a week before reopening, Encore and each licensee will be required to submit its own plan detailing “the steps and measures the licensee will take to achieve compliance with the guidance and protocols” to the Gaming Commission, and each facility will have to be fully cleaned and disinfected.

Upon arrival, gamblers will be told not to enter if they have recently had any COVID-19 symptoms, casino staffers will hand out masks or face coverings if guests do not have their own, and hand sanitizer will be made available. Players will be required to wear something that covers their nose and mouth upon entry and while in the gaming area.

The casinos will be asked to limit how often players touch cards or chips and will have to develop a protocol for chip sanitization so that all chips have been sanitized before they are issued. Each facility will also have to come up with a plan to replace cards based on volume and frequency of play.

The Encore Hotel will remain closed for the time being.

Restaurants inside the casino and hotel will also remain closed and when reopened, will remain subject to restrictive health and hygiene standards imposed by the state.

Wynn Resorts stock has fallen about $6 a share since last week. The price this week was in the range of $87 per share.

The market cap, that is, the value of all the outstanding stock was $10 billion last week. It begins this week at $9.36 billion.

Wynn’s cash cow is its operation in Macau, China. Since reopening there some weeks back, gross gaming revenue was about 25% of its historical run rate, according to Barron’s.

Wynn’s Las Vegas operation opened two weeks ago. Figures have not yet been released. However, there is a great wave of relief among Wynn officials that the doors are again open, and people are coming inside to gamble.

The die has been cast: The Encore Boston Harbor casino plans to open back up on Sunday, July 12, the company announced Thursday.

The announcement came a few hours after Gov. Charlie Baker announced that Phase 3 of his four-phase coronavirus reopening plan will start Monday. During this step, casinos, movie theaters and gyms can start back up following closures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

But Encore will have far from a full house, as the casino has said it will have many of its slot machines turned off, and it will enforce social distancing.

“Every effort has been made to preserve Encore’s luxury experience and provide guests with the peace of mind needed to enjoy a fun and relaxing return,” the casino said in a statement announcing the game-on move.

The opening is pending the approval of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.

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Encore, at $2.3 billion, was the most expensive private construction project in the history of the state, opening last June before closing March 15 as the pandemic spread.

Its top brass in May outlined a range of steps for an eventual coronavirus-era reopening, including thermal cameras taking the temperature of everyone going in and out, and all staff and visitors being required to wear a mask. They said the casino will sanitize all machines every hour and will use “disinfectant guns” that blast an electrified mist of cleaning products.

The casino is installing plexiglass between gamblers at blackjack tables, and restaurants will not be using printed menus as guests instead use their smartphones to order food.

Encore Casino Boston Opening Days

Other table games like poker, craps and roulette remain suspended until further notice.

Encore Casino Boston Opening Day Forecast

Massachusetts’ coronavirus trends have remained positive now more than two months after the state and Boston-area peak. But cases nationally have begun to spike, driven mostly by large outbreaks in the southeast and southwest.

Encore, a huge golden building on the banks of the Mystic River, which is owned by casino giant Wynn resorts. The casino said it will open its hotel side “in a limited capacity.”