Massachusetts casinos still facing poker tables shortage; Gaming Commission seeking an increase

Players in Massachusetts are still concerned about a lack of poker options in the state, with regulators admitting continued pressure for more tables. While there are more than 5,000 slot machines and 200 table games available in slots parlors and casinos operating in the Bay State, only 29 poker tables are operational, roughly a third than prior to the pandemic. This could potentially lead the Gaming Commission to act.

“I’m still concerned that when we look at it statewide, how many poker tables we actually have going […] for the entire state, seems very, very small to me,” said on Tuesday Brad Hill, a member of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. “I think our constituents and the citizens of Massachusetts would like to be able to do a little bit more poker-playing at these facilities than they’re being allowed to now,” he added, according to the State House News Service.

Hill’s remarks followed an update on operations at the state’s gaming venues. Before the pandemic forced facilities to shut down in March 2020, Massachusetts’ two casinos had a combined 95 poker tables: 74 at Encore Boston Harbor, and 21 at MGM Springfield. These were open 24 hours a day, and seven days a week.

MGM's poker room

The two casinos reintroduced the game, which is highly popular with players but less profitable for operators, after public outcry from poker enthusiasts and pressure from the Gaming Commission. But not everything is like it used to be: MGM was the first to bring back poker in October 2021, now operating only 14 tables daily from 10 a.m. until 3 a.m.

Encore followed suit by reintroducing poker in January. That venue now has 15 poker tables -about a fifth of the total it used to operate-, open from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday only. However, it is expected Encore will soon announce expanded hours for the game -including weekend hours- according to data the Gaming Commission has gathered, but with no plans to add tables announced yet.

At the last meeting, Chairwoman Cathy Judd-Stein suggested the commission could dedicate more time at a future reunion to poker-related issues, amid an increasing amount of players' inquiries. Commissioners would look at the number of tables available, hours of operation, wait times for players, and the casinos’ plans to expand their poker offerings.

Poker enthusiasts could potentially get what they have been asking for all along. The commission’s top lawyer has previously said the regulator has a “very broad and expressive authority” to address this issue. One condition of a gaming license says the licensee “shall have an affirmative obligation to abide by every statement” made in its application to the commission.

Encore’s casino application stated the venue would include an exclusive poker area “with 25 dedicated poker tables covering all variations of the most popular poker games.” And in the case of MGM Springfield, its application said the property would feature “a 25-table poker room.”

“I hope that we’re sending the message loud and clear to our licensees that, at least as one commissioner, I would like to see those numbers continue to rise when possible,” Hill said Tuesday, according to the cited source.