Massachusetts regulators discuss reopening plans, casinos target June 29

Massachusetts’ three casinos, MGM Springfield, Encore Boston Harbor and Plainridge Park, are working to reopen with Encore using June 29 as its tentative target date.

On Thursday, each operator also told the Massachusetts Gaming Commission that they’ll need at least two weeks to reconfigure the gambling floor to spread out slot machines and ensure gamblers at table games are far enough away from each other to insure social distancing. Employees will also have to be brought back and retrained. MGM Springfield did not provide a specific target date, only saying it is working to welcome its guests.

Massachusetts Gaming Commission Interim Executive Director Karen Wells said that June 29 gives the casinos just a few days to find out the specifics of how their operations will have to change in the COVID-19 environment. And commissioners worked toward a reopening plan, but didn’t finalize it Thursday, as reported by Mass Live.

The Commission staff presented three sets of increasingly comprehensive minimum guidelines focusing on social distancing, hygiene, safety and reporting measures for the three casinos, all of which have been closed since March 15. The Investigations and Enforcement Bureau recommended that the commission require that each of them work with a public health expert or epidemiologist to develop a detailed plan the casino would submit to the commission at least a week before reopening, the Boston Herald reports.

The plan would outline the steps it would take to comply with the guidance issued by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the state Department of Public Health, Gov. Charlie Baker’s orders and the guidelines the commission ultimately adopts. The commission did not make any decisions Thursday, but its members were in consensus that masks should be required for players, in keeping with Baker’s order. They wanted to think more, however, about possible exceptions, like when a gambler is drinking a beverage.

There also was consensus that each facility should make hand sanitizer available at every entrance, though there was not unanimous agreement on whether the casinos should encourage or require players to use it.

The Gaming Commission said it needs more guidance from the state about the need for six-foot distancing between slot machines and if that’s dependent on other barriers being in place or if that distance can be lessened of other barriers are not in place. Commissioners reached a consensus on requiring Plexiglas barriers for blackjack and for similar games, but stopped short of requiring the shields for poker, craps and roulette because the shields — common in groceries and retail locations — might prove too cumbersome to use effectively.

Brian Gullbrants, president of Encore Boston Harbor, said Encore’s already started making preparations with plans to install barriers on all regular blackjack games but not on other games and not on the casino's high roller games. Slot capacity at Encore goes to 935 out of 2,804 with two disabled machines between each operating machine. It’s 1,402 out of 2,804 at Encore every other machine to be disabled.

MGM Springfield executives said they’d planned to install Plexiglas at some, but no all games so it would be the patron’s choice whether to play with or without a barrier. Even under the most strict rules under consideration by the commission, slot gaming positions at MGM Springfield would be reduced to 589 out of 1,768 before the restrictions. That would allow for two disabled machines between each operating machine. Allowing for only one disable machine, MGM Springfield would have room for 884 slot players out of 1,768. Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and Timothy Sheehan, the city;'s chief development officer, said they’ve been kept up to date on MGM Springfield’s reopening plans.

The commission is considering reducing the number of roulette players at MGM Springfield to 24 if there are three players maximum per roulette table but there could be as few as nine roulette players if there are just three allowed per row in order to keep them distanced.

Slot gaming positions at Plainridge are calculated at approx. 440 out of 1,320 allowing for two disabled machines between each operating machine. A six foot minimum distancing between slot machines allows for a total of approx. 385 slot positions. There is room for 660 out of 1,320, operating machines with which every other machine to be disabled, according to the gaming commission.

A spokesman for Gov. Baker said hotels affiliated with the casinos may reopen in the administration’s current phase – phase 2. Restaurants may open for outdoor dining in the first step of phase 2 and may open for indoor dining in the second part of the phase. The horse racing track at Plainridge Park, casino gaming floors, and theaters and arenas within casinos will open later.